Dead against it
“Families that live and purchased their homes there never once thought there would be a funeral home and the reminder of death on a daily basis.” Mayor Dennis Michael speaks for the townspeople of Rancho Cucamonga, California, in opposition to plans to open a funeral home.
Quote of the day
“The end of life can be big drama, that’s for sure. In nearly a decade of doing this work, I’ve witnessed momentous final decisions; conversations carried on with mysterious, unseen figures; visions of the afterlife; and eleventh-hour forgiveness. We release each other–one back to the seen, known world and one into the unseen, unknown–and are […]
Never say die
Dying got so protracted and difficult it became necessary to invent the living will — a list of opt-ins and opt-outs during the last days/weeks/months. If you haven’t made one, you know you should. What a living will does not record, because it doesn’t need to, is something we also all need to decide for […]
Doing a good job?
Dying Matters is surveying its members to see what they think about how well it’s doing. The GFG was one of the first 100 orgs to sign up to Dying Matters. Statements on the survey (5 possible responses from Strongly agree to Strongly disagree) include: The Dying Matters Coalition has helped highlight the need for […]
Hinterlands between the living and the dead
We didn’t cover the Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead celebrations on 1 & 2 November. Perhaps that was an oversight. It’s a colourful and intriguing festival of great interest to Westerners. Those from cultures influenced by Protestantism tend to be a bit tongue-tied in their relationships with their dead. The Dia […]
What if you’ve just had enough?
Silvan Luley, who is unofficially known as the deputy director of Dignitas, says he is concerned that under current Swiss law the association cannot offer assisted suicides to individuals who are “perfectly healthy”. Luley said: “The more restrictive you design a law, the more difficult you make it for people to access a dignified end […]
No need
Suzie Howie was a showbiz publicist in Australia. She died a few days ago aged 63. Here are some extracts from her last message: I have had a terrific life and am so grateful for the fun, the excitement and the wonderful people who have been part of it. Couldn’t have done it without the […]
Modern death ‘reverberates like a handclap in an empty auditorium.’
There’s a good death piece over at the New York Times that you might like. It’s by Bess Lovejoy, author of the about-to-be-published Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses. Here are some taster extracts: Over the last century, as Europeans and North Americans began sequestering the dying and dead away from everyday life, […]
What’s for afters?
Much attention has been accorded to Eben Alexander’s account of his recent near-death experience. While NDEs are two a penny, this NDE was experienced by a Harvard-educated neurosurgeon, no less. This lent Alexander’s NDE a clear edge in terms of credibility. It is easy enough to write off the NDEs of ordinary people as delusions. […]
All will be well
I am filming with Bernard Underdown, Gravedigger of the Year, at Deerton Natural Burial Ground. We are standing beside one of Bernard’s freshly-dug graves talking with ever-so over-egged animation about graveyard myths and superstitions. We exhaust the topic, look over to the camera, and the cameraman says, “Lovely. Perfect. Again, please.” In answer to our […]
