another thought on tmt

i think terror management is certainly one of the driving forces behind why i'm doing a phd; i suppose that somewhere at the back of my mind is the quaint illusion that no matter how insignificant my work is, at least it will be there after my death, in contrast with money or power or what-have-you. this is a useful justification only until you see through it, upon which it immediately collapses in the face of the very true argument that you get immense pleasure driving a beemer now, and no pleasure whatsoever from anything after you're dead.