we know that panic creates more panic. we know we're supposed to say calm when the shit hits the fan, only that we can't. but some people can. some are born with nerves of steel, and ice in their blood. others leave everything in the hands of god. some others see through the illusion of personal freewill and choice. still others have given up the fruits of their labor, so the result does not concern them. unfortunately i don't exactly fit any of these categories.
to overly generalize without any physiological expertise, panic seems to be the fight-or-flight response that is triggered when we're fearful. and we're fearful when we think we're in danger. and today, the danger is usually not immediately life-threatening, but rather something that we may fail at and hence need to bear the consequences.
so panic seems to be a vestige of the era when we were actually in daily mortal danger. it's easy to forget, but our reaction comes down to how we perceive the situation. and we're much more likely to do everything we can to build the cushion, to avoid this fear, than to spend the time to train our minds.
