Our Nervous Society

We have only to look at the faces of our fellows in a bus or train or at work to see that we are living in an age of nervous tension. For every person who appears to be managing life's stressful experiences with strength , there are thousands who seem to be inadequate to cope with the crises they encounter.

All of us know many pill-poppers,martini-gulpers and knuckle crackers, who live with a knot in their guts, a touchy temper, and an inability to sleep. According to study, mor than $500 million worth of tranquilizers are sold a year to drop people into an emotional low gear. Annual sales of other pharmaceutical preparations, acting on the central nervous system and the sense organs, total $1,500,000.

Indeed,there are many reasons of the inner turmoil. The swift pace of technological advances has left its mark on the national nervous system. Environmental hazards-smog,traffic jams,noise and great crowds of people-take their toll on the nervous and muscular systems each day.Nuclear war remains a threat. Crime is even a stressful problem. Drug addiction, the high cost of living,problems of the aged,unemployment,corruption in government,pollution, and energy shortages add to the burden.

There aree burdens of an overdemanding job,a difficult marriage,an unsatisfying career, a divorce,an unhappy or broken home,wayward children,separations and retirement. The quality of life is changing.Standards of behavior ,of individual freedom,of relations with one another,of patterns of living,of attitudes and of values are being altered so rapidly thatvtheir impact on society and on individuals is more profound than at any time in history.

We live an assemby-line life.We eat,sleep,and relax fast.Man's mind has created machines with which man's body cannot keep pace.There is little time for self-refelection.One reacts to a situation wihtout the leisure to thi k thi gs through. Furthermore,there does not seem to be time to be involved with others. People are consequently more alone with heightened anxiety. Today our society fosters the frontier mentality,the strong,silent person who keeps his feeling to himself. This results in our hiding behind a mask of self-sufficiency while inwardly seeking to rely and lean on someone.