On failure and not being afraid of it

I feel pretty confident saying that a lot of people who have panic attacks have issues with failure. Not that we all don't. But that there's often a dysfunctional relationship with failure -- some kind of fundamental inability to deal with failure without hurting ourselves or others -- lurking behind panic.

Which might make this New York Times piece, about the importance of failure from a philosophical perspective, pretty interesting. A snippet:

Failure is the sudden irruption of nothingness into the midst of existence. To experience failure is to start seeing the cracks in the fabric of being, and that’s precisely the moment when, properly digested, failure turns out to be a blessing in disguise. For it is this lurking, constant threat that should make us aware of the extraordinariness of our being: the miracle that we exist at all when there is no reason that we should. Knowing that gives us some dignity. 

In this role, failure also possesses a distinct therapeutic function. Most of us (the most self-aware or enlightened excepted) suffer chronically from a poor adjustment to existence; we compulsively fancy ourselves much more important than we are and behave as though the world exists only for our sake; in our worst moments, we place ourselves like infants at the center of everything and expect the rest of the universe to be always at our service. We insatiably devour other species, denude the planet of life and fill it with trash. Failure could be a medicine against such arrogance and hubris, as it often brings humility.

We shouldn't try to avoid failure. We should embrace it. It's our truest opportunity to learn.

Previously on PANIC!: "Perfectionism and anxiety."