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Death as an Integral
Part of Life
Death is mysterious, fascinating,
and fearful. It's also a topic we do NOT easily discuss, although
nothing is so certain as the fact that for all of us there will
come a time when our life on this earth will end and our minds will
no longer function, at least in the way we have experienced consciousness
so far.
Consequently, to avoid looking at the reality
that this will happen, we use all kinds of strategies, from pursuing
the accumulation of material possessions to taking unnecessary risks.
Yet how we approach death has a lot to do with
how we life, for being "the best we can be" includes the
process of dying as well as living. Thus be begin this first of
three sections on dying, death, and loss from the individual's perspective
on the topic.
Roger C. Bone, M.D., was a physician who died
of metastatasis of renal carcinoma and wrote beautifully and movingly
on the topic in the booklet "Reflections: A Guide to
End of Life Issues for You and Your Family" published
by the National
Kidney Cancer Association. They have kindly given us permission
to use his writing and we begin with this from the Introduction:
"You and I Are Dying"
Dying is a biological fact. To many it is
a religious symbol.
Dying is something we all do. But it is also
something we only observe in others at a distance.
Dying can be a peaceful event or a great agony
when it is inappropriately sustained by life support.
Dying is a subject in great novels and small
poems.
Emily Dickinson wrote:
Because I could not stop for Death—
He kindly stopped for me—
The Carriage held but just Ourselves—
And Immortality.
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