Terror management theory: how our awareness of our ultimate death affects every facet of our lives. This idea is fully realized in “The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life,” a book we’ve been reading in class. One aspect of this book describes how self-esteem is a major way people utilize effective terror management. Simply put, high self-esteem allows us to feel valued in society and ourselves. It mitigates our fear of death as an afterthought, that what we do and feel now matters. “The Worm at the Core” describes this feeling well, quoting the world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who humbly said, “I’m glad I have a job.” Personally, I don’t think I fear death, and I think it’s because I have high self-esteem. I live in the moment—the good and the bad. Every moment is important, a lesson or a memory. I got into politics following the 2016 presidential election. It terrified me, but it also made me realize what we do right now matters. 

My political future lay in figuring out why Donald Trump was elected and doing what is necessary politically. I found that the main reason for Trump’s election was economic and social insecurity, but “The Worm at the Core” gave another reason: symbolic immortality. To gain a sense of symbolic immortality, some become movie stars, others make poems or paintings that get passed down through generations. One way to gain symbolic immortality is to be part of something greater than yourself. For many, this is achieved through nationalism. You will die, but the nation will live on. Often this nationalism is directly connected to the leader of that nation. “Make America Great Again,” it’s no wonder Trump had the support that he did. He appeared to be a charismatic leader, larger-than-life even. Why think about death—consciously or unconsciously—when we have a leader who creates an appreciation for ourselves.

Trump also pretty clearly denies the existence of the climate crisis. If he convinces his supporters to also deny climate change, it’s effectively terror management because that risk of death no longer exists. But what about the rest of us? How do we use terror management with the climate crisis and more broadly the Anthropocene? There is no denying that there will be major consequences for our inaction, but we have the choice on how bad it will truly be. 

https://practicebusiness.co.uk/how-to-improve-your-self-esteem