What Me Worry? Yes.

Mad Magazine's, Alfred E. Neuman


Everyone worries. We just worry about different things. Those of us with children understand worry in its deepest level. Most of us worry about money, which is actually one thing I don't worry about, though I should. Some worries are justified, such as, fretting over a test for which we did not study, and some are not, such as, fretting over a test for which we did study and waking up in the middle of the night thinking, "did I study enough?" Once when my wife and I were practicing group worry, she made the comment that we reserve a certain amount of mental space for worry that we feel obligated to fill. I think this is true.

Sometimes, when I don't have enough of my own problems to worry about, I worry about my children's problems, and sometimes family or friend's problems, and sometimes the children of family or friend's, which is worry's hat trick. Of course, now I have grandchildren so my friend's problems are just going to have to wait in line for a while. I'll even worry for total strangers. Recently, I saw a mother nearly yank a little girl's arm off whilst correcting her and it bothered me for days. That was more pain than worry, though.

Maybe too seriously, I worry what will become of us as a nation and culture. I worry that we mock any attempt at virtue and the belief in a Transcendent Good. I worry about the effect of our cultural satire and sarcasm, mine especially.

In summary, if my owns sins and problems are not enough to worry about at any given time, I will worry about sundry other things in complete disregard to our Lord's instruction to, "take therefore no thought for the morrow . . . Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof."

Which allows me, oddly enough, to come full circle, that is, to worry about the fact that one should not worry . . . so much. People are funny.