Not preparing for death

Medical advances have given us the power to prolong life, but have not taught us anything about how to die. Our fear of death and love of life mean that we seldom prepare either for death itself or the process of dying. So, although all of us will die, hardly anyone is prepared, or is preparing, to ‘die right’.

The view of most of the esoteric literature,…, is that we should be ready for death at any moment, for we don’t know when that moment is…..Most people’s personal view, however, is that when the time comes we have no option but to face it. But it’s odd that while we make quite serious preparations for marriage, parenthood and retirement, we are reluctant to prepare for death, or even to think about it seriously, when we are still in good health. We may fail to make a will or keep it up to date if family circumstances change, to clear out an attic containing a lifetime of memorabilia, or to try to repair strained or torn relationships so that at least our survivors don’t have the additional burden of anger or guilt to cope with. We know we should do it; our reluctance to take practical steps is at least partly because we’re reluctant to face up to the possibility of our own personal extinction.

                                                                                                                                             The Art of Dying Peter and Elizabeth Fenwick

Not preparing for death

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