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Once upon a time people routinely died at home surrounded by loving family and friends. Death was a fact of life and was treated as such.
Now, as this essayist few of us have any direct exposure to death. I wonder, is it our lack of experience that makes us so incapable of discussing and dealing with it rationally?
As a former caregiver, I can relate to much of what this woman talks about. Does anyone else think we have moved too far away from this very human aspect of our lives?
Wow, I'm so glad you posted Huff PO's account of what Gibbs had to say. I was concerned that government taking over health care would mean a loss of autonomy as I entered the final stage of my life. But now I am completely reassured that I will be finally at liberty to surrender my free will to unseen government bureaucrats who view me as a menacing financial burden on an otherwise ideal society unworthy of the milk of government kindness and a "useless eater". What a joy it will be for me to forgo those miserable years at the end that I will have worked all my life to make secure and happy. Yeah, it's about time someone showed some leadership in this area. After all, who needs grandpa hangin' around when Best Buy has 62 inch LCDs on sale. It's about priorities people!
Once upon a time people routinely died at home surrounded by loving family and friends. Death was a fact of life and was treated as such.
Now, as this essayist few of us have any direct exposure to death. I wonder, is it our lack of experience that makes us so incapable of discussing and dealing with it rationally?
As a former caregiver, I can relate to much of what this woman talks about. Does anyone else think we have moved too far away from this very human aspect of our lives?
There is a clear answer to your question. The fact is that once upon a time people didn't know what was ailing them and faith was the opiate that allowed people to discuss death and not fear it as much. The movement away from faith the the progression of science has made people more aware of death and has created more fear it.
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As another former caregiver, I agree wholeheartedly. Part of my training included reading Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and instruction on how to broach the subject with patients. I did it many times, especially when it was obvious that the patient's family shied away from the subject. That makes it doubly difficult for the patient, who want desperately for others to be frank and calm in discussing the wishes they have. We "warehouse" our elderly family members all too often, which denies the family and friends of the loved one the opportunity to give personal and loving care as death is approaching. It may be more understandable that younger people don't discuss it, as they are imbued with that empowering feeling of being indestructible. For those old enough to understand that death is no respecter of age, wealth or social status, there is no excuse; we know that death is one accident or illness away. My husband and I both have living wills (and we aren't 65 yet) because it is only common sense to be certain that family and medical personnel know exactly what decisions we've made concerning our care when the need arises. Then again, common sense seems to be in short supply these days.
i have read elizabeth kubler ross and used to subscribe to her ideology. as time passed, i wondered if the focus on death and dying prevents concentration on living and loving. maybe death should not be such a complicated process with the 5 stages that she maintains people need to go through. i saw a piece in slate magazine which i thought addressed the issue adequately:
Part of this ideology was rooted in the overheated overrated polemic by the Freudian Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death, in which he blamed all of civilization's problems on its unwillingness to stare death in the face. (One could argue that all civilization's achievements were accomplished by those who didn't have time to dwell on the obvious fact that they were going to die.)
But is denial always a bad thing? Must death be regimented so it loses its mystery? These questions have some contemporary resonances: Are we in denial if we don't watch every terrorist beheading video or gaze repeatedly at the descent of those who jumped from the World Trade Center towers? Come to think of it, aren't KĂĽbler-Ross' five stages arbitrary in their order? Wouldn't it be more fun to go out angry or better, bargaining, than depressed and accepting? Or maybe with a different "stage" of our own devising. Laughter in the dark?
further, do we want the government making those choices for us?
People have realized, and this is my opinion and mine only, that they can vote themselves to live longer. It doesn't matter to them how much it cost. The UHC, or whatever you want to call it, has given those folks new hope. I mean if you can get someone else to pay for it why not right?
I thought you all were all up in arms about Obama wanting to kill you, not allow you to lengthen your life.
i have read elizabeth kubler ross and used to subscribe to her ideology. as time passed, i wondered if the focus on death and dying prevents concentration on living and loving. maybe death should not be such a complicated process with the 5 stages that she maintains people need to go through. i saw a piece in slate magazine which i thought addressed the issue adequately:
Part of this ideology was rooted in the overheated overrated polemic by the Freudian Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death, in which he blamed all of civilization's problems on its unwillingness to stare death in the face. (One could argue that all civilization's achievements were accomplished by those who didn't have time to dwell on the obvious fact that they were going to die.)
But is denial always a bad thing? Must death be regimented so it loses its mystery? These questions have some contemporary resonances: Are we in denial if we don't watch every terrorist beheading video or gaze repeatedly at the descent of those who jumped from the World Trade Center towers? Come to think of it, aren't KĂĽbler-Ross' five stages arbitrary in their order? Wouldn't it be more fun to go out angry or better, bargaining, than depressed and accepting? Or maybe with a different "stage" of our own devising. Laughter in the dark?
further, do we want the government making those choices for us?
That's such a sensitive and thoughtful post and it proves you think and read far and wide beyond Newsmax. But the question at the end is disappointingly Newsmaxy. Counseling re end of life decisions for people on this public option does not mean "the government is going to make those choices for us." Dont believe that fearmongering stuff!
That's such a sensitive and thoughtful post and it proves you think and read far and wide beyond Newsmax. But the question at the end is disappointingly Newsmaxy. Counseling re end of life decisions for people on this public option does not mean "the government is going to make those choices for us." Dont believe that fearmongering stuff!
what i believe is that perhaps not everyone wants to deal with their own mortality and i wonder if it is acceptable for the government to impose that decision on those people.
what i believe is that perhaps not everyone wants to deal with their own mortality and i wonder if it is acceptable for the government to impose that decision on those people.
But the government isnt going to impose that decision on people. The caregiver would just check off on a list that s/he's explained what's available to the patient -- and Obama has said it's not even necessary to include it in the bill.
Deathers point to several parts of the House bill as evidence that health care reform means letting old people die. Most prominent is the end-of-life consultation provision mentioned above. An article on World Net Daily argues that the proposal "specifically calls for the consultation to recommend 'palliative care and hospice' for seniors in their mandatory counseling sessions."
In fact, the bill says the meeting must include "an explanation by the practitioner of the end-of-life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice"—not a recommendation of it. (Emphasis added.)
Still, Obama pointed out that it's not too late to remove the language: "If this is something that really bothers people, I suspect that members of Congress might take a second look at it."
But the government isnt going to impose that decision on people.
Deathers point to several parts of the House bill as evidence that health care reform means letting old people die. Most prominent is the end-of-life consultation provision mentioned above. An article on World Net Daily argues that the proposal "specifically calls for the consultation to recommend 'palliative care and hospice' for seniors in their mandatory counseling sessions."
In fact, the bill says the meeting must include "an explanation by the practitioner of the end-of-life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice"—not a recommendation of it. (Emphasis added.)
Still, Obama pointed out that it's not too late to remove the language: "If this is something that really bothers people, I suspect that members of Congress might take a second look at it."
As a cancer survivor I can tell you that death is a very personal thing. The problem with discussing it is that you always get hit by people who want all the morbid details of what your going through. The fact of the matter is that some of us would rather focus on what life we have left instead of our pending death.
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