As much as we suffer from collective amnesia, believing the present moment is the worst of times or the best of times, the intense anxiety many people are feeling has been around for quite a while. This anxiety was perhaps sharper among some than others, but now seems ubiquitous, reflected in areas as diverse as economic fears, nuclear proliferation, presidential tweets, even mistaken Oscar announcements.

This is not just about politics or even economics, but the culture and mass psychology of an entire people. That is why solutions, if they come at all, are not going to be easy. This author does not believe in offering platitudes or fairy stories, but in looking honestly at what confronts us, as responsible adults and not just consumers of junk optimism.