Because, really, what a choice there was; what a prodigy of things to be afraid of! the moment that you understood this, really understood it, you lost your anxiety instantly. anxiety was a luxury, a joke you had no room for once you knew the variety of deaths and mutilations the war offered.
the purpose of the paradox in the excerpt is to

D). Highlight the idea that fear can be viewed in different ways.

Explanation:

The paradox is exemplified as the literary device that proposes the statements which are self-contradictory or opposed to the subsisting expectations or beliefs. Such a device offers a collocation of antithetical concepts with an aim to disclose a concealed or underlying reality.

As per the question, the purpose of the paradox in the given excerpt is to accentuate and reveal the hidden meaning that 'fear could be viewed in different ways'('anxiety was a luxury, joke, etc.') that proposes a contradiction to the subsisting belief that sees fear in one single frame. Thus, option D is the correct answer.

elon musk, ceo of spacex, a startup space company is planning to head to mars by 2023. nasa is planning to go to mars at around 2025. both are just for a basic colony.

the group received an extra pound of butter for christmas.

the annex was delighted to hear that we'll all be receiving an extra quarter pound of butter for christmas.