We alone are capable of contemplating our mortality—it is what drives us to our greatest achievements—yet we live in a death-denying society.
Our denial and our fear lead many to die in ways inconsistent with their values and wishes. Planning ahead provides an opportunity to think about and communicate what you do and don’t want at the end of life.
As you start planning, think about what is important to you in life and what will be important at the end of your life. For inspiration, take a look at the articles below, watch a video, explore a book on the subject.
When you define what dying well means to you, I’d love to hear from you if you’d be willing to share your thoughts with others.
Articles
- How will you die?
- It’s never too early to start thinking about your own death
- The Gift of Presence, The Perils of Advice
- How to Transform Our Discomfort Around Death and Loss
- How Doctors Die: It’s Not Like the Rest of Us, But It Should Be
- Seeking a Beautiful Death
- Dying is a Sacred Act
Video
Books
- The Beginners Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death – Dr. BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger
- The Art of Dying Well: A Practice Guide to a Good End of Life – Katy Butler
- Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End – Atul Gawande
- Dying: A Memoir – Cory Taylor
- Living in the Light of Death: On the Art of Being Truly Alive – Larry Rosenberg
- Making Friends with Death: A Buddhist Guide to Encountering Mortality – Judith Lief
- On Living – Kerry Egan
- When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi