The Search, part 2
No emotion is the lynchpin of existential dilemma
Some traditions cast aspersions on particular emotions, positing fundamental existential dilemma to be a form of fear, or anxiety, or boredom, or depression or self-admiration.
These are merely human emotions, even if more commonly involved in dysfunctional pattern momentum.
All emotions are our birthright as human beings.
Fear for the tiger
Anxiety for grass with hidden snakes
Boredom for noticing non-fruitful activity
Depression for releasing an unhelpful pattern complex
Self-Admiration for burnishing our qualities
Some emotions brought to full force have sufficient momentum to dominate moment-to-moment responsivity.
Like steering a luge, gracefully deployed pattern momentum is both a tremendous asset and a tremendous risk.
Trying to not generate momentum at all, though, leads to statis.
Human emotions such as fear, anxiety, boredom, depression and self-admiration do not cause loss of responsivity in themselves.
They can be common contributors to loss of responsivity, just as automobile speed in itself does not cause crashes but may make them more likely.
When a spiritual teacher states, "at the root of it all is...fear/anxiety/boredom/depression/self-admiration/...", they are negging you, telling you your humanity is a problem, and they are the cure.
The root of excess pattern momentum is the erroneous belief that it is necessary to strongly self in a particular way, leading to loss of responsivity to context.
The simple remedy is to relax excess pattern momentum a little, until patterns of interaction are responsive enough.