While Sullivan differentiates between zonal and general tensions, for the Bible, all tensions, even if they may appear to be specific, are rooted in an imbalance between man and the world that God has created.

The diffuse tension of anxiety, which Sullivan separates from tensions of a need-based origin, is the state of undefined, psychological internal discord that all of the advice of Proverbs is attempting to treat. Sullivan traces this diffuse sense of 'not being well' to the empathetic relationship parents have with their children. Children mimic their parent's tensions without really knowing why -- but in contrast, the Book of Proverbs sees the filial relationship as a guiding, stable force at all times. Good parents do disseminate wisdom to their children by example, but not anxiety. In Proverbs, anxiety or a sense of spiritual 'lacking' is not learned; rather it is hard-wired into the imperfections of human nature...
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