So do people kill others in order to relieve their own fear of being killed?  Or do they kill others in order to relieve their fear that the mere existence of the other threatens “something that they have, or could have had, or pretend to have”?

Did Becker title his book The Structure of Evil?  Or was it Escape from Evil?  Did he write out of a fear of loss?  Did he write for his own self-esteem?

Ernest Becker located anxiety in the “modern” denial of death.  But An Archaeology of the Fall suggests an alternate situation: Anxiety is not “not knowing any better”.

Anxiety is the fear of being without your xiety.

People are anxious because they fear they will lose xiety, not only what they have, but what they could have had, or even pretend to have.

Xiety is perceived as actual, so actual that people can commit any crime in fear of this loss – of what they have – of what they could have had – of what they pretend to have.

People kill others in order to continue their charades.

So Peters’ next chapter addresses the question: What makes xiety possible?