A look at cultural traditions on death

[cbayer]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0819-lopez-dyingwell-20120819,0,169053.column

A bioethics conference will focus on spiritual practices about dying, including whether the body is a temple — or a prison.

By Steve Lopez
August 19, 2012

Back when my father's life was coming to an end at an excruciatingly slow pace, my brother and I vowed not to die like that, with so much compromise and indignity.

But hanging on seems to be the norm in our culture, thanks to advances in medical technology and the widely held opinion that death is optional. Lots of folks seem convinced that even aging is avoidable — if you just keep getting more work done.

Is it like that in other cultures?

Dr. Faisal Qazi, an Inland Empire neurologist who will talk about brain death from an Islamic perspective, told me he recently had two medical students from Pakistan make the rounds with him. As he checked on elderly patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and dementia, the students told him that where they came from, such patients might well be diagnosed simply as having "old age."

more at link

[southernyankeebelle]

1. I'll be 65 in Jan and I have never even colored my hair. God made me just the way I am.

I am lucky not to have wringles but even if I did I would not use any methods to make myself look younger. I think it was hard growing up and I earned every grey hair on my head. Na I like getting older. All I ask is not to prolong my life if I have a painful dying experience. I already have a living will and I don't want to lay around waiting til it's time.

[cbayer]

3. I'm with you.

So far, every decade has been better than the one before.

I like the way I look now and I particularly like that it is so maintenance free.

Good for you for having your living will done.

[southernyankeebelle]

5. I don't think there is anything wrong with aging. But I do have terrible weight issues.

It took me many years to finally say to myself this is me and tough crap if you don't like it. Then don't look. Yep it tooks years.

[cbayer]

6. Good for you.

I see so many people trying to be or look like what they are not.

It's so liberating to stop doing that.

[southernyankeebelle]

7. When you finally stop worrying what others say then you can truly live. I think when you

reach the age of saying screw it who cares then you know your are free.

[hedgehog]

2. I see two problems -

One is that patients and patients' families only hear the good stuff; they hear that procedure A will prolong life, they don't hear the part that that life will be confined to a hospital bed, or that the patient will be in so much pain he will be unconscious from morphine, or that the ventilator is permanent, etc.

The other problem is that it is so hard to know when a procedure will result in a return to health and when it only prolongs dying.

[cbayer]

4. The ACA will make it easier to have end of life discussions and decisions, imo.

[dimbear]

8. The Ayn Rand approach needs to get more publicity right now. Her stance was

simply that when she died, the universe died.

I'm a little worried about folk who see that as heroic.



(more of less) "I never die, only the world does."

I can't find the exact word for word quote, my apologies. That's the gist of it.