I like this article on a couple of levels.  With this being said, I will probably share this same article several times, but each time, focusing on something different.  There is a lot of information in this article and I believe that each point  is important to think about. 

So here we go, point #1.......Make Death a part of life.  This is a pretty foreign concept for most of us.  We have placed old age and death in the dark corners (senior living homes, nursing homes and hospitals) of our lives.  We often have our loved ones endure medical procedures, even when we know they are dying.  We do so, just to prolong the inevitable.   Often, we don't see death until after it happens i.e. at the funeral home.   We have cut ourselves off from experiencing being around the dying.  Of course we react negatively to it.

If we don't start talking about death, we will continue to keep in the background, thinking of it as a boogeyman.  When we ignore something that we know will for sure happen, we end up adding anxiety and fear, about such an event.  Lets "Do Death Differently" by having many necessary conversations!  Let's experience all the emotions that come with exploring death and dying, so we can live more freely now.

"The premise was simple: people go along, drink tea, eat cake and discuss death: not to be morbid, just to raise awareness and to "help people make the most of their (finite) lives."  Founder Death Cafe, Jon Underwood

What a simple, yet powerful idea!  Gather together, openly discuss death and find a common experience among like-minded people.  The power of having a community to discuss freely the emotions around death awareness can be powerful and profound.  

If you are interested in a Death Cafe - please join one.  If you want a more of an individualized arena to explore death and dying, please contact me.

Wow!  Wouldn't it be great if there were more safe places to talk about life and death? 

Dr. Norma Bowe creates a secure environment where her students can share openly about life, death and grief. Each of our End of Life experiences reshape how we respond to our relationships and our circumstances.  Sometimes, we think it is easier to push away or ignore these emotions, but they are always there.  Exploring death and dying will not encourage death to happen.  These conversations will only transform our capacity to enhance our experiences in life, death and grief.

This is an interesting thought.....why should Death Education be considered more taboo than Sex Education?

In the Westernized culture, "Death, Dying and Grief" are subjects most people avoid.  Discussing these matters are "downers, icky, irrelevant".  How does this kind of thinking affect our actual experiences with death?  For most, it is an impending sense of fear and terror of an event (death), that is 100% Guaranteed, to happen to each and every one of us.  

Is it beneficial for you to pretend that death doesn't exist?  Do we, as a society, have a duty to discuss death and dying openly, so as to reduce the negative emotions around them?  Is it wise to let the fear of death excuse us from exploring death?