The story Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name by James Lincoln Collier is about his experiences with anxiety (not the kind that needs medical attention) but more so getting butterflies in your stomach when confronted with new, unusual things. He goes on to talk about his plans to go with his roomate to his father's ranch. He talks about slowly growing anxious rather than excited, and in the end he ultimately cancelled his plans and went back to his old summer job unpacking cartons at the supermarket. He starts to talk about the great Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard believed that people grew anxious when confronted with new possibility for development, whether it'd be moving across the country to find better opportunities for life, or just learning how to ride a bike as a child. James Licoln Collier often times had to interview big names for articles he wrote, and he notes that he often times felt butterflies in his stomach while interviewing those people. After a while, he started to feel more comfortable interviewing people, due to a process that psychologists call "Extinction." If you put somebody in a situation that provokes anxiety enough, they will soon adjust to the fact that there is really nothing to worry about.
Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name by James Lincoln Collier is about the author's challenges with facing non-diagnose anxiety. He talks about how he would often grow anxious when he was going to accompany his roommate to his father's ranch, but slowly grew more and more anxious and decided against going. Collier also says "If you put an individual in an anxiety-provoking situation often enough, he will eventually learn that there is nothing to worry about." and while I agree with his statement because he does not have diagnosed anxiety, just the butterflies-in-your-stomach anxiety. But for people (like yours truly) who have diagnosed anxiety, it is really freaking terrifying every time we are put in a situation that makes us anxious. While I do understand the point that he is making for building up your stamina for things that are going to stress you out, I personally don't believe that his technique of sorts would work well on people with diagnosed anxiety. However, for people like Collier who just get stressed and anxious when certain situations present themselves, I agree that it is extremely important for them to get used to doing whatever makes them afraid, whether it's public speaking of performing or facing different fears. I think that this was really well written and interesting, and that it was good for reminding me that people who feel anxious do not always have anxiety, although it can still feel really stressful and unpleasant, and shouldn't go unnoticed.
"Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name by James Lincoln Collier is a short piece examining anxiety and its affects on people's decisions. Anxiety, in short, is the stage fright that (according to Collier) should be seen as a challenge, as something that causes anxiety will only lead to development. Armed with experiences of swaying to and challenging anxiety throughout different times of his life, Collier encourages the reader to "extinguish" their anxiety if only to go far in life. To drive in his point, Collier backs up his thesis with specific, detailed moments of his life that prove to be quite successful in their goal. While it is not as emotion centered as real life may be, Collier concisely reminds the reader of fear twisting in their bellies, an intensely human emotion. By differing the experiences he has had, Collier shows the reader that it is possible to extinguish our anxiety and that we have done it before, whether it be learning to swim or riding a bike for the first time. Personally I was able to connect to this essay quite greatly. As a child my dreams and fears always lived in the world of stories, whether it be writing, acting, making music, etc. I loved storytelling but some part of it terrified me and my family had high hopes for me becoming a doctor or a lawyer. I think that the part that made me anxious was the risk in pursuing it, the fact that there was a rather big chance I could fail miserably. With that in mind I could connect to Collier's feeling of doubt when he was choosing where to go with his career. While this essay spurs me to chase after my stories, I do believe that it is a bit too one sided, quixotic even. Still I suppose that spark of hope is all that people have to follow their dreams and is worth considering and grasping, even with the risk.
Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name is a story by James Lincoln Collier. The story is about how Collier avoids things that make him anxious. One of the cases when Collier got anxiety, he avoided it, he kept avoiding situations that he had anxiety about. After many times of this, he was eventually was forced to face his anxiety when he got a job at a magazine company to write about and interview big names. He interviewed many people many times, and eventually, when he was going to his interview with Joesph Alsop, he realized that he was excited for his interview. Collier was no longer as anxious about things that made him anxious. Collier's story is tellings us that you'll never get over something you fear unless you face it, if you keep avoiding it, it'll never go away. I feel like this could work, but if you really fear something some much that you keep avoiding it, I don't think it would be easy to build up the courage to do it.
The essay, "Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name is about the author's problems with anxiety. He talks about multiple experiences of where he had anxiety such as helping his roommate's father's ranch or when one of his professors urged him to go to graduate school. During different parts of the essay, Collier keeps on mentioning about what he was thinking right before different situations and how he had felt differently then what he was before. I also noticed how Collier kept on trying to almost cure his anxiety. He always tried different strategies to stop himself from panicking and things like that, such as doing what he was afraid of. If there are people like him with anxiety, it's really important to try to get normalized with certain things. Later in the essay, he helps his son with his anxiety from swimming by refusing to help him. At the end of the summer, his son was completely a new person in the water and was a polished swimmer. Things like this truly can help people with not just anxiety, but different conditions.
Anxiety can stop people from doing many things they later regret not doing, such as the time James did not go to that ranch with his friend. He ended up regretting his decision. However, as James Lincoln Collier stated,"Do what makes you anxious, not what makes you depressed." He also
I admired the way that he started off with a story that the majority of the audience could or can relate to (the part about regretting not taking an opportunity). James Collier used something that his readers knew (using pathos) to get his point across.
When James talks about his experience, it gives readers a good idea of a situation in which anxiety is okay. He also explains that his anxiety was reduced every interview, telling the audience that even though you're anxious, you will be okay. And that you will end up with new and challenging experiences.
I feel that James' motto is a good one to live by. It is important to push your limits. The phrase, "No risk, no reward." comes to mind. However it is important not to put yourself at physical or emotional risk. In all, I feel that the essay was very well written.
The essay Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name, by James Lincoln Collier, discusses different aspects of anxiety and how to overcome it. Throughout the essay he supports his claim that you can never get rid of anxiety by trying to forget the things that brought it. Collier starts by describing an incident that happened in college where he declined a visit to Argentina just because he was anxious. After declining he wished that he had gone. Through the experience he learnt that doing what made him anxious was better than doing what made him depressed. Collier was later faced with another decision like the previous. He had to choose between following his dreams as a writer or going to graduate school as his professor told him to do. A Danish philosopher said that the thought of developing and changing can cause anxiety. That was how Collier was feeling. To support his point of view, Collier uses the example of Duke Ellington who used to get stage fright before looking confident on stage. Ellington experienced stage fright even though he was a very experienced performer. Collier then describes how he got less and less nervous before his big interviews. The author gives his last example about a trip he took in Europe. During the trip he was completing a writing assignment. However, it was difficult for him to complete the assignment because of the change in culture and geography. Through practice he became more confident. I think Collier did a good job of explaining how to get rid of anxiety through various anecdotes and examples. Shishira
The author, James Collier, describes anxiety as a good thing, something to take on as a challenge. He gives multiple examples of himself being in situations involving lots of anxiety and what he's learned from them. He concludes by saying that anxiety simply shows that you want to work for something and you can accomplish a lot by embracing that feeling. I can personally relate to his stories. Whenever I step up to play a solo, I always get butterflies in my stomach despite the fact that I've done it many many times. A recent solo went down as a minor disaster when I stopped (twice) in the middle of the solo, trying to get my fingers and bow to do the right thing. However, just as James describes, I felt better afterward than before and I definitely learned something. From this, I think that anxiety is less of a challenge and more doubt and overthinking. The first thing you think of when you do something that might cause anxiety is "What if I screw up?" or "What will everyone think of me if I do?". These seeds of self-doubt are definitely challenges within themselves on top of the fact that you still need to do your anxiety-inducing act. Overall, I think Collier did a good job at describing anxiety as something you should seek and follow through on because the reason you're getting anxious is that you truly care about how well you do. The youtuber Freedom of Thought once said "Seek adversity, it'll help you in the long run."
The short story "Anxious: Challenge by Another Name" by James Lincoln Collier is about how anxiety takes over people and their decision making. Collier was offered a once in a lifetime opportunity over the summer. But since he had lots of doubts and agitations, he turned the offer down. Fear and stress drove him to decide to decline the once in a lifetime chance. For the rest of the summer, Collier regretted the decision that he made. "do what makes you anxious; don't do what makes you depressed"(86) This rule shows that sometimes in order to feel good in the end, doing what might be uncomfortable in the moment. Collier made the choice to do what felt most comfortable and as a result, regrets filled his head. I think Collier's point of writing this essay was to share his own personal experiences. He wanted to show others what could happen if they step out of their box and try things outside of their comfort zone. Anxiety is usually thought of as a harsh and negative thing. But the truth is that anxiety and stress actually motivates people to try new things. "you can't learn anything is you don't try"(88) Sometimes, fear resists me from trying new things. I would always do what made me feel comfortable and hold back from attempting anything new. Eventually I realized that anxiety was there to help push me in trying to overcome challenges.
The essay ¨Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name¨, written by James Lincoln Collier, discusses how anxiety affects the decisions we make and how we can utilize our awareness of anxiety to live a more accomplished life. He supports this point by describing a situation in which he faced a lot of stress and fear, leading him to turn down an incredible opportunity. The way he describes these situations help the reader find familiarity in his own experiences. He then goes on to explain that this poor decision helped shape his ideologly for the rest of his life so that he began to do what caused him anxiety, rather than avoiding it for a safe and bland lifestyle. I believe that Collier´s outlook on life is a bold and motivational way to make smaller decisions and gather courage, however, it may not result in the best outcomes for more lifechaning decisions. For example, Collier talked about how he defied his anxiety by choosing to become a writer instead of continuing towards other career paths. While this helped boost the success he had in his life, this same approach has failed countless hopefuls going into a variety of careers, specifically the movie/TV industry, music industry, and writing. Following your passion should, of course, be a priority, but it is also important to make sure that you have a Plan B. Collier´s approach of taking leaps of courage to advance further may be one that seems appealing, but taking a step back and being prepared should also be a quality that is just as important.
Throughout the short story "Anxious: Challenge by Another Name", James Collier writes about many times in his life in which he felt anxious. At first, he would always turn down the challenge, fearing what could happen from the new opportunities that were given. Early on in the story, during his college years, he was offered to go on a trip with his roommate to Argentina. He eventually declined the offer after convincing himself to not go. He then realized that he made a mistake rejecting the offer when he saw his roommate and his friend had a great time there. From then, he started to live by a conclusion that he learned from that experience- "Do what makes you anxious; don't do what makes you depressed." He implies that anxiety (the stage fright kind) is not always a bad thing. He then gives examples of when he was given opportunities that made him question whether or not he should take them, and not regretting it in the end, opposed to what he thought would happen. I believe that his main purpose and point of view in writing this short story is to encourage others to not be afraid to try something new, something that makes you anxious, because as he had learned from many events in his past, you will regret it. Even though the anxiety never really goes away, he mentions that the more you do something, the less nerve racking it becomes. I certainly had multiple circumstances where I backed out of something because of that anxious feeling. While I was reading this short story, I could definitely relate to what the author was trying to say, and what he said, "You can't learn if you don't try." is very influential.
In “Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name,” James Lincoln Collier asserts that one should “do what makes you feel anxious” (86) because this will, perhaps unintuitively, cause individuals to feel less anxious when they are confronted with the same anxiety-inducing situation again. Collier’s essay is mostly in narrative form composed of anecdotes from his life. However, Collier also occasionally intersperses thought from psychology and philosophy to further elucidate his reasoning. Collier’s first example is that when he declined an offer to spend a summer on the Argentine Pampas during college, he experienced enormous regret and depression in the following months; his anxieties about homesickness and prior obligations should not have prevented him from doing something he would have loved, the author later concluded. Next, Collier details how his newfound wisdom about the importance of taking risks caused him to choose a career as a professional writer rather than a teacher of writing, the safer choice. His career as a writer and his willingness to put himself in anxious situations also contributed to him becoming a more confident traveller. Collier observed the same benefits of acting resolutely despite personal reluctance in his son Jeff: Jeff resisted swimming at first, but over the course of a summer, with reinforcement from his father, Jeff eventually found swimming easy and pleasurable. Collier also uses the work of psychologists and philosophers to support his call to do anxious activities so as to avoid depression. The author mentions how the seminal Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard thought that “anxiety always arises when we confront the possibility of our own development” (87). From this statement, Collier concludes, anxiety is a necessary aspect of personal growth. Turning to psychology, Collier briefly describes the concept of “extinction.” Extinction is the phenomenon observed by psychologists that individuals placed in anxiety-causing situations eventually learn they need not worry. This again supports Collier’s thesis that anxiety is an obstacle that can be overcome. In my opinion, “Anxiety” should be construed as more of a personal narrative rather than a typical persuasive essay. Collier’s thesis, that placing oneself is anxious scenarios is necessary to prevent regret and promote personal development, is a common platitude in Western culture. Such a statement should be received as a piece of wisdom rather than a conclusion to be rigorously examined. Indeed, most of “Anxiety” is constituted of anecdotal evidence rather than large-scale psychological date or a priori proofs. If a reader did want to view “Anxiety” as a work of rigorous reasoning, he would quickly wonder why the author only used examples from his personal life and the life of Duke Ellington. Alternatively, a reader might consider that Collier is suffering from confirmation bias because he only mention times that risk-taking had positive outcomes. This line of thinking leads to the most anxiety-inducing question of all: what if Collier’s thesis is not really his rational opinion, but an apologetic for today’s obsession with youth, positivity, and risk-taking? Would it not be the ultimate anxiety to believe that the perpetual cycle of fear and salvation that Collier advocates for is a mere distraction from the ultimate confrontation of our time, namely the confrontation with the emptiness and inertia of day-to-day existence? Collier never deeply analyzes his depression after rejecting his opportunity to travel to Argentina. He passes over his need for danger and escapism as merely avoidance of anxiety. In my opinion, Collier is not attempting to avoid anxiety, but rather his own alienation he experience in the safety and regularity of modern society. His feelings of personal growth are illusory because he never confronts the absolute depression that awaits for him in absolute normalcy. Thus, “Anxiety” ought to be viewed as a work of narrative, unless the reader wants to really take its thesis to heart.
In Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name, Collier writes about his process of overcoming his anxiety. Starting with the opportunity to go overseas with his roommate Ted, Collier's anxiety about traveling to a new country got the best of him. Collier rejected Ted's travel offer because he was afraid. Later, Collier realized his mistake and developed a life rule out of regret. He believed, "do what makes you anxious; don't do what makes you depressed."
Later, Collier encountered a similar situation when choosing his job career. He described his indecisiveness by saying, "Back and forth I went, making my decision, unmaking it. Suddenly, I realized that every time I gave up the idea of writing, that sinking feeling went through me; it gave me the blues." Collier's fickleness, led to another life lesson, "To avoid that kind of depression meant, inevitably, having to endure a certain amount of worry and concern."
During his time while writing, Collier found that conducting interviews triggered his anxiety. For example, interviewing famous and intimidating celebrities such as Richard Burton, Joan Rivers, Dizzy Dean, would cause butterflies in his stomach and his hands to shake. But, from going on with the frightening interviews he changed, saying, "If you put and individual in an anxiety-provoking situation often enough, he will eventually learn that there isn't anything to be worried about."
Eventually, Collier would conquer his anxiety and fears while on a writing assignment in Europe. The fear of having no clue of language or direction almost defeated him until his rule, "you can't learn if you don't try" showed he was above his feelings. In the end, Collier's acceptance of anxiety opened his world for him and let him gain the ability to "accomplish wonders." -Jonah Bahr
Jonathan and his wife decided to raise their kids as vegetarians. Their decisions were based off of the fact that meat factories are one of the leading sources of global warming.
I strongly believe, in my humble opinion, that the thesis of the essay was not clearly stated. As you read and analyze the essay it feels as though he is scolding the reader. He could have been more persuasive instead of saying that people who eat meat are at fault for most of the world's environmental problems. I do not think that this essay was targeted at readers such as ourselves. He references children so often that I think he meant for parents to read it so they'd bring up their children as vegetarians.
I personally disagree with raising children as vegetarians. I believe that it is good for children to make their own choices about what they choose to eat or do not eat. I understand that they want to try to limit greenhouse gases that negatively affect our atmosphere and ozone, but Jonathan even said,"genuine alternatives--which do exist,and make many of the ethical questions about meat moot". Furthermore, meat is essential in a growing child's diet (unless they have the required replacements to fulfill their need for protein).
In Against Meat, written by Jonathan Safran Foer, Foer discusses his choices with meat and his family. He first describes how he used to eat meat but later once he had a family he changed his choices. He decided to raise his children as vegetarians. He supported his choice in many ways. For example, he said that the factory farms that produce meat are the number one cause of global warming. He then goes on to describe how even though he didn’t eat meat he didn’t lose the cultural experiences he used to have when he ate meat. For instance, instead of grilling hamburgers he ate veggie burgers. Foer then discusses his uncertainty about whether his children will choose to eat meat or stay vegetarian. He ends by describing his grandma’s cooking and the experiences he used to have with her. I think the author was effectively able to convey his message. He used examples to support his idea that switching to be a vegetarian was a good choice. He also asks many questions to show his uncertainty. Just like the author and his children I am also a vegetarian. I support his decisions to switch because animal killing is not only harming the animals but also the environment. His writing really reminds me of the stories that my family used to tell about their decision to switch to being vegetarian. Foer’s reasons were very similar to those of my family. Shishira
The story Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name by James Lincoln Collier is about his experiences with anxiety (not the kind that needs medical attention) but more so getting butterflies in your stomach when confronted with new, unusual things. He goes on to talk about his plans to go with his roomate to his father's ranch. He talks about slowly growing anxious rather than excited, and in the end he ultimately cancelled his plans and went back to his old summer job unpacking cartons at the supermarket. He starts to talk about the great Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard believed that people grew anxious when confronted with new possibility for development, whether it'd be moving across the country to find better opportunities for life, or just learning how to ride a bike as a child. James Licoln Collier often times had to interview big names for articles he wrote, and he notes that he often times felt butterflies in his stomach while interviewing those people. After a while, he started to feel more comfortable interviewing people, due to a process that psychologists call "Extinction." If you put somebody in a situation that provokes anxiety enough, they will soon adjust to the fact that there is really nothing to worry about.
ReplyDelete-Ashton
Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name by James Lincoln Collier is about the author's challenges with facing non-diagnose anxiety. He talks about how he would often grow anxious when he was going to accompany his roommate to his father's ranch, but slowly grew more and more anxious and decided against going.
ReplyDeleteCollier also says "If you put an individual in an anxiety-provoking situation often enough, he will eventually learn that there is nothing to worry about." and while I agree with his statement because he does not have diagnosed anxiety, just the butterflies-in-your-stomach anxiety. But for people (like yours truly) who have diagnosed anxiety, it is really freaking terrifying every time we are put in a situation that makes us anxious. While I do understand the point that he is making for building up your stamina for things that are going to stress you out, I personally don't believe that his technique of sorts would work well on people with diagnosed anxiety. However, for people like Collier who just get stressed and anxious when certain situations present themselves, I agree that it is extremely important for them to get used to doing whatever makes them afraid, whether it's public speaking of performing or facing different fears. I think that this was really well written and interesting, and that it was good for reminding me that people who feel anxious do not always have anxiety, although it can still feel really stressful and unpleasant, and shouldn't go unnoticed.
"Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name by James Lincoln Collier is a short piece examining anxiety and its affects on people's decisions. Anxiety, in short, is the stage fright that (according to Collier) should be seen as a challenge, as something that causes anxiety will only lead to development. Armed with experiences of swaying to and challenging anxiety throughout different times of his life, Collier encourages the reader to "extinguish" their anxiety if only to go far in life.
ReplyDeleteTo drive in his point, Collier backs up his thesis with specific, detailed moments of his life that prove to be quite successful in their goal. While it is not as emotion centered as real life may be, Collier concisely reminds the reader of fear twisting in their bellies, an intensely human emotion. By differing the experiences he has had, Collier shows the reader that it is possible to extinguish our anxiety and that we have done it before, whether it be learning to swim or riding a bike for the first time.
Personally I was able to connect to this essay quite greatly. As a child my dreams and fears always lived in the world of stories, whether it be writing, acting, making music, etc. I loved storytelling but some part of it terrified me and my family had high hopes for me becoming a doctor or a lawyer. I think that the part that made me anxious was the risk in pursuing it, the fact that there was a rather big chance I could fail miserably. With that in mind I could connect to Collier's feeling of doubt when he was choosing where to go with his career. While this essay spurs me to chase after my stories, I do believe that it is a bit too one sided, quixotic even. Still I suppose that spark of hope is all that people have to follow their dreams and is worth considering and grasping, even with the risk.
Claire Liu
Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name is a story by James Lincoln Collier. The story is about how Collier avoids things that make him anxious. One of the cases when Collier got anxiety, he avoided it, he kept avoiding situations that he had anxiety about. After many times of this, he was eventually was forced to face his anxiety when he got a job at a magazine company to write about and interview big names. He interviewed many people many times, and eventually, when he was going to his interview with Joesph Alsop, he realized that he was excited for his interview. Collier was no longer as anxious about things that made him anxious.
ReplyDeleteCollier's story is tellings us that you'll never get over something you fear unless you face it, if you keep avoiding it, it'll never go away. I feel like this could work, but if you really fear something some much that you keep avoiding it, I don't think it would be easy to build up the courage to do it.
The essay, "Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name is about the author's problems with anxiety. He talks about multiple experiences of where he had anxiety such as helping his roommate's father's ranch or when one of his professors urged him to go to graduate school. During different parts of the essay, Collier keeps on mentioning about what he was thinking right before different situations and how he had felt differently then what he was before. I also noticed how Collier kept on trying to almost cure his anxiety. He always tried different strategies to stop himself from panicking and things like that, such as doing what he was afraid of. If there are people like him with anxiety, it's really important to try to get normalized with certain things. Later in the essay, he helps his son with his anxiety from swimming by refusing to help him. At the end of the summer, his son was completely a new person in the water and was a polished swimmer. Things like this truly can help people with not just anxiety, but different conditions.
ReplyDeleteconnor lee
DeleteAnxiety can stop people from doing many things they later regret not doing, such as the time James did not go to that ranch with his friend. He ended up regretting his decision. However, as James Lincoln Collier stated,"Do what makes you anxious, not what makes you depressed." He also
ReplyDeleteI admired the way that he started off with a story that the majority of the audience could or can relate to (the part about regretting not taking an opportunity). James Collier used something that his readers knew (using pathos) to get his point across.
When James talks about his experience, it gives readers a good idea of a situation in which anxiety is okay. He also explains that his anxiety was reduced every interview, telling the audience that even though you're anxious, you will be okay. And that you will end up with new and challenging experiences.
I feel that James' motto is a good one to live by. It is important to push your limits. The phrase, "No risk, no reward." comes to mind. However it is important not to put yourself at physical or emotional risk. In all, I feel that the essay was very well written.
The essay Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name, by James Lincoln Collier, discusses different aspects of anxiety and how to overcome it. Throughout the essay he supports his claim that you can never get rid of anxiety by trying to forget the things that brought it. Collier starts by describing an incident that happened in college where he declined a visit to Argentina just because he was anxious. After declining he wished that he had gone. Through the experience he learnt that doing what made him anxious was better than doing what made him depressed. Collier was later faced with another decision like the previous. He had to choose between following his dreams as a writer or going to graduate school as his professor told him to do. A Danish philosopher said that the thought of developing and changing can cause anxiety. That was how Collier was feeling. To support his point of view, Collier uses the example of Duke Ellington who used to get stage fright before looking confident on stage. Ellington experienced stage fright even though he was a very experienced performer. Collier then describes how he got less and less nervous before his big interviews. The author gives his last example about a trip he took in Europe. During the trip he was completing a writing assignment. However, it was difficult for him to complete the assignment because of the change in culture and geography. Through practice he became more confident. I think Collier did a good job of explaining how to get rid of anxiety through various anecdotes and examples.
ReplyDeleteShishira
The author, James Collier, describes anxiety as a good thing, something to take on as a challenge. He gives multiple examples of himself being in situations involving lots of anxiety and what he's learned from them. He concludes by saying that anxiety simply shows that you want to work for something and you can accomplish a lot by embracing that feeling.
ReplyDeleteI can personally relate to his stories. Whenever I step up to play a solo, I always get butterflies in my stomach despite the fact that I've done it many many times. A recent solo went down as a minor disaster when I stopped (twice) in the middle of the solo, trying to get my fingers and bow to do the right thing. However, just as James describes, I felt better afterward than before and I definitely learned something. From this, I think that anxiety is less of a challenge and more doubt and overthinking. The first thing you think of when you do something that might cause anxiety is "What if I screw up?" or "What will everyone think of me if I do?". These seeds of self-doubt are definitely challenges within themselves on top of the fact that you still need to do your anxiety-inducing act. Overall, I think Collier did a good job at describing anxiety as something you should seek and follow through on because the reason you're getting anxious is that you truly care about how well you do. The youtuber Freedom of Thought once said "Seek adversity, it'll help you in the long run."
The short story "Anxious: Challenge by Another Name" by James Lincoln Collier is about how anxiety takes over people and their decision making. Collier was offered a once in a lifetime opportunity over the summer. But since he had lots of doubts and agitations, he turned the offer down. Fear and stress drove him to decide to decline the once in a lifetime chance. For the rest of the summer, Collier regretted the decision that he made. "do what makes you anxious; don't do what makes you depressed"(86) This rule shows that sometimes in order to feel good in the end, doing what might be uncomfortable in the moment. Collier made the choice to do what felt most comfortable and as a result, regrets filled his head.
ReplyDeleteI think Collier's point of writing this essay was to share his own personal experiences. He wanted to show others what could happen if they step out of their box and try things outside of their comfort zone. Anxiety is usually thought of as a harsh and negative thing. But the truth is that anxiety and stress actually motivates people to try new things. "you can't learn anything is you don't try"(88) Sometimes, fear resists me from trying new things. I would always do what made me feel comfortable and hold back from attempting anything new. Eventually I realized that anxiety was there to help push me in trying to overcome challenges.
The essay ¨Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name¨, written by James Lincoln Collier, discusses how anxiety affects the decisions we make and how we can utilize our awareness of anxiety to live a more accomplished life. He supports this point by describing a situation in which he faced a lot of stress and fear, leading him to turn down an incredible opportunity. The way he describes these situations help the reader find familiarity in his own experiences. He then goes on to explain that this poor decision helped shape his ideologly for the rest of his life so that he began to do what caused him anxiety, rather than avoiding it for a safe and bland lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Collier´s outlook on life is a bold and motivational way to make smaller decisions and gather courage, however, it may not result in the best outcomes for more lifechaning decisions. For example, Collier talked about how he defied his anxiety by choosing to become a writer instead of continuing towards other career paths. While this helped boost the success he had in his life, this same approach has failed countless hopefuls going into a variety of careers, specifically the movie/TV industry, music industry, and writing. Following your passion should, of course, be a priority, but it is also important to make sure that you have a Plan B. Collier´s approach of taking leaps of courage to advance further may be one that seems appealing, but taking a step back and being prepared should also be a quality that is just as important.
Throughout the short story "Anxious: Challenge by Another Name", James Collier writes about many times in his life in which he felt anxious. At first, he would always turn down the challenge, fearing what could happen from the new opportunities that were given. Early on in the story, during his college years, he was offered to go on a trip with his roommate to Argentina. He eventually declined the offer after convincing himself to not go. He then realized that he made a mistake rejecting the offer when he saw his roommate and his friend had a great time there. From then, he started to live by a conclusion that he learned from that experience- "Do what makes you anxious; don't do what makes you depressed." He implies that anxiety (the stage fright kind) is not always a bad thing. He then gives examples of when he was given opportunities that made him question whether or not he should take them, and not regretting it in the end, opposed to what he thought would happen.
ReplyDeleteI believe that his main purpose and point of view in writing this short story is to encourage others to not be afraid to try something new, something that makes you anxious, because as he had learned from many events in his past, you will regret it. Even though the anxiety never really goes away, he mentions that the more you do something, the less nerve racking it becomes. I certainly had multiple circumstances where I backed out of something because of that anxious feeling.
While I was reading this short story, I could definitely relate to what the author was trying to say, and what he said, "You can't learn if you don't try." is very influential.
(Ryan Clark)
ReplyDeleteIn “Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name,” James Lincoln Collier asserts that one should “do what makes you feel anxious” (86) because this will, perhaps unintuitively, cause individuals to feel less anxious when they are confronted with the same anxiety-inducing situation again. Collier’s essay is mostly in narrative form composed of anecdotes from his life. However, Collier also occasionally intersperses thought from psychology and philosophy to further elucidate his reasoning.
Collier’s first example is that when he declined an offer to spend a summer on the Argentine Pampas during college, he experienced enormous regret and depression in the following months; his anxieties about homesickness and prior obligations should not have prevented him from doing something he would have loved, the author later concluded. Next, Collier details how his newfound wisdom about the importance of taking risks caused him to choose a career as a professional writer rather than a teacher of writing, the safer choice. His career as a writer and his willingness to put himself in anxious situations also contributed to him becoming a more confident traveller. Collier observed the same benefits of acting resolutely despite personal reluctance in his son Jeff: Jeff resisted swimming at first, but over the course of a summer, with reinforcement from his father, Jeff eventually found swimming easy and pleasurable.
Collier also uses the work of psychologists and philosophers to support his call to do anxious activities so as to avoid depression. The author mentions how the seminal Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard thought that “anxiety always arises when we confront the possibility of our own development” (87). From this statement, Collier concludes, anxiety is a necessary aspect of personal growth. Turning to psychology, Collier briefly describes the concept of “extinction.” Extinction is the phenomenon observed by psychologists that individuals placed in anxiety-causing situations eventually learn they need not worry. This again supports Collier’s thesis that anxiety is an obstacle that can be overcome.
In my opinion, “Anxiety” should be construed as more of a personal narrative rather than a typical persuasive essay. Collier’s thesis, that placing oneself is anxious scenarios is necessary to prevent regret and promote personal development, is a common platitude in Western culture. Such a statement should be received as a piece of wisdom rather than a conclusion to be rigorously examined. Indeed, most of “Anxiety” is constituted of anecdotal evidence rather than large-scale psychological date or a priori proofs. If a reader did want to view “Anxiety” as a work of rigorous reasoning, he would quickly wonder why the author only used examples from his personal life and the life of Duke Ellington. Alternatively, a reader might consider that Collier is suffering from confirmation bias because he only mention times that risk-taking had positive outcomes. This line of thinking leads to the most anxiety-inducing question of all: what if Collier’s thesis is not really his rational opinion, but an apologetic for today’s obsession with youth, positivity, and risk-taking? Would it not be the ultimate anxiety to believe that the perpetual cycle of fear and salvation that Collier advocates for is a mere distraction from the ultimate confrontation of our time, namely the confrontation with the emptiness and inertia of day-to-day existence? Collier never deeply analyzes his depression after rejecting his opportunity to travel to Argentina. He passes over his need for danger and escapism as merely avoidance of anxiety. In my opinion, Collier is not attempting to avoid anxiety, but rather his own alienation he experience in the safety and regularity of modern society. His feelings of personal growth are illusory because he never confronts the absolute depression that awaits for him in absolute normalcy. Thus, “Anxiety” ought to be viewed as a work of narrative, unless the reader wants to really take its thesis to heart.
In Anxiety: Challenge by Another Name, Collier writes about his process of overcoming his anxiety. Starting with the opportunity to go overseas with his roommate Ted, Collier's anxiety about traveling to a new country got the best of him. Collier rejected Ted's travel offer because he was afraid. Later, Collier realized his mistake and developed a life rule out of regret. He believed, "do what makes you anxious; don't do what makes you depressed."
ReplyDeleteLater, Collier encountered a similar situation when choosing his job career. He described his indecisiveness by saying, "Back and forth I went, making my decision, unmaking it. Suddenly, I realized that every time I gave up the idea of writing, that sinking feeling went through me; it gave me the blues." Collier's fickleness, led to another life lesson, "To avoid that kind of depression meant, inevitably, having to endure a certain amount of worry and concern."
During his time while writing, Collier found that conducting interviews triggered his anxiety. For example, interviewing famous and intimidating celebrities such as Richard Burton, Joan Rivers, Dizzy Dean, would cause butterflies in his stomach and his hands to shake. But, from going on with the frightening interviews he changed, saying, "If you put and individual in an anxiety-provoking situation often enough, he will eventually learn that there isn't anything to be worried about."
Eventually, Collier would conquer his anxiety and fears while on a writing assignment in Europe. The fear of having no clue of language or direction almost defeated him until his rule, "you can't learn if you don't try" showed he was above his feelings. In the end, Collier's acceptance of anxiety opened his world for him and let him gain the ability to "accomplish wonders."
-Jonah Bahr
Jonathan and his wife decided to raise their kids as vegetarians. Their decisions were based off of the fact that meat factories are one of the leading sources of global warming.
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe, in my humble opinion, that the thesis of the essay was not clearly stated. As you read and analyze the essay it feels as though he is scolding the reader. He could have been more persuasive instead of saying that people who eat meat are at fault for most of the world's environmental problems. I do not think that this essay was targeted at readers such as ourselves. He references children so often that I think he meant for parents to read it so they'd bring up their children as vegetarians.
I personally disagree with raising children as vegetarians. I believe that it is good for children to make their own choices about what they choose to eat or do not eat. I understand that they want to try to limit greenhouse gases that negatively affect our atmosphere and ozone, but Jonathan even said,"genuine alternatives--which do exist,and make many of the ethical questions about meat moot". Furthermore, meat is essential in a growing child's diet (unless they have the required replacements to fulfill their need for protein).
In Against Meat, written by Jonathan Safran Foer, Foer discusses his choices with meat and his family. He first describes how he used to eat meat but later once he had a family he changed his choices. He decided to raise his children as vegetarians. He supported his choice in many ways. For example, he said that the factory farms that produce meat are the number one cause of global warming. He then goes on to describe how even though he didn’t eat meat he didn’t lose the cultural experiences he used to have when he ate meat. For instance, instead of grilling hamburgers he ate veggie burgers. Foer then discusses his uncertainty about whether his children will choose to eat meat or stay vegetarian. He ends by describing his grandma’s cooking and the experiences he used to have with her. I think the author was effectively able to convey his message. He used examples to support his idea that switching to be a vegetarian was a good choice. He also asks many questions to show his uncertainty. Just like the author and his children I am also a vegetarian. I support his decisions to switch because animal killing is not only harming the animals but also the environment. His writing really reminds me of the stories that my family used to tell about their decision to switch to being vegetarian. Foer’s reasons were very similar to those of my family.
ReplyDeleteShishira