I am Somebody!

[coberst]

I am Somebody!

If I decide that I am not somebody I break down like a 48 Chevy. When that great newsreel always running in my head feeds me with constant negative images of myself, I give up. To lose self-esteem is to lose the nourishment that provides the energy needed by a hero. I am a hero because I make a vital contribution to world-life.

Why do many youth in the inner-cities commit violent and criminal acts?--that is one way, perhaps the only way, to be a hero. Why do many youth walk boldly into enemy fire?—to be a hero. Why does a youth strap on explosives and blow up her self and everyone around her?—heroism once again.

Why does a parent delight in the accomplishments of their offspring—such is the parents’ means for being heroes. Why does a CEO demand an income of ten million dollars from her corporation—so everyone will recognize what a great hero she is. Perhaps corporations need to be heroes also and giving their CEO more money is the corporation’s means for self-esteem.

The most important thing a culture can provide to its citizens is a means for becoming a hero in a way that benefits life (good) rather than death (evil). “Its [culture’s] task, in other words, is to provide the individual with the conviction that he is an object of primary value in a world of meaningful action.

The ego must find a means to navigate the world of customs, rules, and ideas in such a way as to eliminate anxiety; to do this the individual must choose actions that her comrades praise instead of blame.

Quotes from “The Birth and Death of Meaning by Ernest Becker

Questions for discussion

The books on human sciences I have been reading speak of good and life, and evil and death, as being synonymous. Do you find that characterization is satisfactory?

Do corporations seek self-esteem? Is ‘corporation is person’ an apt metaphor?

[Indian Princess]

There is nothing heroic about being a martyr



There is nothing heroic about becoming rich of the sweat of others



There is nothing heroic about our childrens acomplishments, that is simply pride and love.