How can we reconcile the Qur'an's description of man as being "created anxious; when evil touches him, he is fretful; and when good touches him, he is withholding; except for those who pray" with seeing non-Muslims who exhibit patience in times of calamity and generosity in times of blessings?

The difficulty in understanding the apparent contradiction in verses stems from a lack of comprehension regarding the connotations of words and their interpretation, or a confusion regarding the متشابهات (ambiguous verses), or an incomplete grasp of restrictive texts. There is no difficulty in the exception in His Almighty's saying: (except those who pray...) because the interpretation of the verses shows that humankind is inherently disposed to panic and impatience, except for those whom Allah has described with specific attributes, such as those who pray. Indeed, they are freed from the inherent panic and impatience through the attributes they possess. And the description of panic is a description of the original nature of humankind in general, and it is a predominant ruling that does not necessarily apply to every individual. What is required of a person is to strive against the self to get rid of these negative inherent attributes by acquiring praiseworthy attributes.