What both sides of America’s polarized divide share: Deep anxieties about the meaning of life and existence itself

Whatever your beliefs, existential anxiety is likely the fear at the root of why certain issues trigger you. francescoch/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Opening my social media feed, I’m often confronted with a jarring contrast: intense, diametrically opposed perspectives from different friends. The comments can be laced with insult, character attack and invective.

I’m certainly not the only one noticing this kind of vitriolic polarization. Recent polling suggests a majority of Americans believe that the country cannot overcome its current divisions.