BECKER’S INTELLECTUAL INFLUENCES

Holiday Greetings to our EBF Family,

Over the past year we applied the lens of Becker’s work and insights to look at a variety of current events. Suffice it to say, 2022 was a year ripe for death anxiety. We witnessed the start of a war in Europe, major school shootings, the ongoing death rate from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, to name just a few examples. Our webinar series mirrored these topics as we examined death anxiety’s role in these dynamics.

The Ernest Becker Foundation believes that understanding the role of death anxiety in our lives can help create deeper understanding, empathy, and dialogue. To end our year, this newsletter will focus on the intellectuals who influenced Ernest Becker, and what we can learn from them. Understanding how humans cope with death anxiety is key to understanding the polarization seen throughout history and today. Someone’s beliefs, while threatening to one person, may comfort another. If we are willing to look at and question our own base fears and motivations, we can help avert negative human interactions and destruction.

Please help us continue this important work by making a donation to support our 2023 programs. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the Ernest Becker Foundation and the 50th Anniversary of the publication of The Denial of Death. We look forward to continuing our newsletters, webinars, and workshops, as well as hosting a special collaborative online seminar with our friends at Morbid Anatomy (stay tuned for more info on that in the new year). Thank you so much for supporting our work and enriching our community.

Understanding the role of death anxiety in our lives can help create deeper understanding, empathy, and dialogue.