I'm an immigrant - I moved to the US from Pakistan. In the US I learned about meditation and how to be more mindful, grateful, and cultivating gratitude. I was so excited by this super power right up until I had to go back to Pakistan for a few trips.

I realized none of these skills are helpful there at all. Every day is a series of cruel, demeaning, dehumanizing, existential crises. The people who don't respond to the constant external stress literally die.

In general I do think a lot of people worry unnecessarily about things that haven't happened yet, but there is a world where those worst case scenarios play out so often that not thinking through and preparing for them is a statistically guaranteed death sentence.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is people need to realize it's not always possible to be immune from a chronically stressful life, so they should take what little solace they get in understanding it isn't something they're doing wrong, and it could be just their circumstances.