Military Review English Edition November-December 2015 | Page 129

MORTALITY NARRATIVE

Terror management theory’s “worldview defense”
hypothesis proposes that reminders of mortality inspire
a need to validate faith in one’s cultural worldview.17
Multiple studies confirm that “in response to reminders of mortality, people become more favorable toward
those who support their worldview and more unfavorable toward those who violate it.”18 As warfare moves
toward an increased reliance on multinational coalitions, and combat operations require increased cultural
competence to negotiate complex environments, nationalistic messages as a buffer against the fear of death
seem increasingly less applicable.
Some forms of legacy do have merit: contributions
to collective efforts, a mission that has some enduring
worth, and a personal legacy such as having children.
However, these are difficult to share universally across
an organization. Leaders should consider the consequences of nationalistic narratives in addressing
the mortality paradox. Inspiring nationalistic pride
among soldiers may generate an aggressive but xenophobic force.

A Fifth Narrative
The four immortality narratives presented exhibit
flaws that should cause Army leaders to question their
validity. The ideas that obedience, skill, or medical
science can guarantee survival are false promises;
resurrection and the soul are acceptable individual
narratives but can fissure organizational trust and
cohesion in diverse organizations; and nationalistic
narratives that satisfy a need for legacy can promote
dangerous intolerance toward others inside or outside the organization. Still, the mortality paradox
needs reconciliation. Ethicist and author James Toner
describes the soldier’s duties this way: “In addition to
killing and preparing to kill, the soldier has two other
principal duties. Some soldiers die; when they are not
dying, they must be preparing to die.”19
Cave proposes a fifth narrative that soldiers can
apply to face their own mortality, wisdom, but Army
leaders can think of it as professionalism. Through professionalism, soldiers can prepare to die by acknowledging their mortality without reservation and cultivating
values that enable wellness.20
World War II infantryman and writer James Jones
posits, “every combat soldier … must make a compact
with himself or with Fate that he is lost.”21 Through this
MILITARY REVIEW  November-December 2015

conscious decision to face mortality, he can “function as
he ought to function, under fire” because “he knows and
accepts beforehand that he’s dead.”22 After accepting this
fate, a soldier must cultivate values-based habits, or virtues, to reinforce the decision to expel the fear of death.
The first virtue is to seek empathy, or relatedness to and
respect for others. The second is to dwell in the present
and clear the mind of unstructured plans and “plots,
worries, and idle speculations.”23 The third is to exhibit
gratitude and joy in interactions with others.24
According to Army Doctrine Reference Publication 1,
The Army Profession, an Army professional is “bonded
with comrades in a shared identity and culture of sacrifice and service to the Nation. An Army professional
is one who acts as a steward of the Army Profession
while adhering to the highest standards of the Army’s
ethic.”25 These characteristics parallel the virtues of the
fifth narrative.
Leaders seeking to inculcate a true servant spirit must
endeavor to build bonds beyond simple unit comradeship.
Professional American soldiers are bound not only to
their fellow soldiers but also to the citizenry they serve
and the broader humanity whose dignity and lives they
preserve. Instilling empathy in every soldier is among a
leader’s most vital tasks to ensure a professional force. A
true servant spirit, with the deepest knowledge of U.S.
Army values, is humble and grateful. Gratefulness is a
quintessential characteristic of a selfless actor. To steward
the profession is a daily, moment-by-moment activity. As
stewards, soldiers are future-oriented but present-focused.
A steward—a professional—asks continually, am I preserving this profession with what I do now? Stewardship
inspires thoughtful and structured goal setting and emphasizes present duties over future worries.
Death is nothing fearful to one who lives a meaningful life, and few lead more meaningful lives than
professional soldiers. The four immortality narratives
are opiates for the masses, but when applied in
combat leadership they leave something wanting.
Army leaders must break free of them and inspire
more meaningful and lasting mechanisms to foster
courage, resolve, and resilience in confronting the
harshest realities of battle. The professionalism
narrative provides a path to embracing death as part
of a life committed to a worthy task. Leaders seek to
build character that echoes the Roman poet Ovid:
“When death comes, let it find me at work.”26
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