Author Description

The author explores the etymology of our English word "worry," the first definition of which is not "mental anxiety and emotional distress over an anticipated event or consequences" but rather "to tear, bite, or snap at the throat; to shake or pull at with the teeth; to disturb something repeatedly; to assail with rough and aggressive attack." Extrapolating St. Peter's imagery of Satan as "a roaring lion prowling about seeking someone to devour," the author identifies "worry" as a "lioness" in Satan's "pride" who stalks and attacks her victims with the "twin canines" of "regret for what might have been" and "dread of what might yet be." The author consoles his "worried" reader by pointing to "lion slayers" who can transform the worrier from a victim into a victor.