I like Peter Schiff’s explanation of our current fear-based economy in his article, “Fear Takes the Wheel”.   http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=607

A ground breaking work on depression and how to defeat it, is Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman. He points out that there are three thought habits that virtually guarantee a state of clinical depression. They are based on a fear that bad things are:

1. Permanent 
2. Pervasive and 
3. Personal

It’s interesting that Mr. Schiff names two of these three as he speaks of a global psyche.   If there is such a thing as a global zeitgeist, then it becomes the equivalent of “personal”  on a global scale, thereby completing the trilogy of depression.  If Schiff is right, the whole world is sinking into clinical depression based on fear.

So, what is the antidote? 

The bible tells us that “love casts out fear”. (1 John 4:18) 
In the Village we seek to build a culture where “I do not fear tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and love today.”  William Allen White
One could interpret “love today” to mean that “I love this day”.  An even better interpretation is “I choose to love all day long”.  Add to this the notion that love is a verb, or in Shakespeare’s words, “They do not love that do not show their love.” and you have a forumula of mutual service and unselfish caring that casts out fear and heals our society.