Xenophobia, the fear of strangers, is an infection of the soul particularly virulent in our times, but it is not a fear only of foreign people. It's a deeply disturbing anxiety that affects everything we do. At its root is a fear of "the strange," which is nothing other than nature, nature inside and nature outside." Overdevelopment of natural resources in the external world parallels overdevelopment of natural resources in the interior life. We seem to be always reaching for an elusive goal, rather than loving the world in front of our eyes, just as we put anxious effort into becoming a new person, instead of loving and living the life we've always had and always will have.
— Thomas Moore, The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life