Culture and Death grief

Like everyone else, I often think about my own mortality as well as the deaths of the people I care about and my surroundings. I constantly find myself pondering how, when, how it will be, what it will be like, and what dying is like. Undoubtedly, the idea of those close to me passing away makes me uncomfortable and frightened at the same time. I recall that as a young child, I was fascinated by death and would ask my parents a variety of inquiries, including the reasons for people's deaths and their causes. For my folks, passing away meant "going to meet God." It sounded fancy, but growing up, I realize that there is more to death than just 'going to God'. I bet in future I will tell my children the same thing so they would grow up and discover for themselves the meaning of death. I would wish to live to old age. I fear to leave behind those that love me to death. I also have a fear of the unknown since there are all sorts of myths surrounding death.

Week two

Is globalization risky?

I agree with Beck's theory that globalization is risky. As such, I would say that modernity is double edged. In as much as it has created extensive opportunities, for humanity, it still has its somber side. With globalization, the nature of risk has massively changed. Globalization has intensified risk, for instance, things like nuclear war among others. It has also increased the contingent events such as the changes in the division of labor in the world. As time goes by and globalization takes space in the world, new risks keep arising regarding environment and socialization. With globalization, the influence of such distance occurrences on some proximal events as well as self-intimacies changes to be a commonplace.

Week Three

Impressions after finishing the novella

On finishing the novella, it dawned on me that no matter how scary it may sound, the author's work was a powerful reminder that we are all going to die. As such, it may be quite uncomfortable to digest that fact, since death is normally not something spoken about openly. I also realized that it is important to leave a right and authentic life, that it is only then that we can make sense out of death. I realize, that while living, it is also important to make peace with the fact that there is death and we are all going to die at some point. It got me thinking, about the meaning of mortality as well as how to make my life much more meaningful.

Uncomfortable truths

Yes, the novella tells some of the uncomfortable truths about the social and the psychological aspects of dying and death. One major uncomfortable truth is the fact that we will all die someday. The novella also brings to our attention the fact that we might have to suffer a whole lot, before getting to the death. True to it, there might be advanced medication now that it was at the time of Ivan but, that does not mean we have escaped mortality. Another uncomfortable truth is that death is joyful and would only make sense if people live right and authentic lives. For one, Ivan comes to realize that he has been living a false life. He gets this realization very late, such that his death is so much of a struggle as depicted by his three days of screaming before the death.

The kind of death That Ivan has

Ivan has a lonely and painful death. His death is full of regrets and some painful realizations. For one, it is at his time of death that he realizes how much of a deceitful life he has been living. He is isolated to face his pain on his own.

The three days of screaming

Ivan starts screaming after sending away his wife. In fact, the screaming is loud, and it lasts for three days. It is within this time that Ivan realizes that he still has unresolved doubts. I realize that Ivan's death course is so tedious, considering that he screams day and night for three days. He begins with the words, 'I won't!' and is fixed at the 'O'.it is now that he gets to realize that he had lived a false and deceptive life. As such, the realization gives him extensive grinding as well as suffocation of pain, which he otherwise precipitates through the screaming before he dies.

Contrast Between Iylich And His Servant Gerasim

Gerasim and Ivan are quite different, by the type of life that each one lives. As such, Ivan leads an artificial life while Gerasim leads an authentic life. You can see that Ivan's life is more materialistic as well as full of shallow relationships which are a great contrast from that of Gerasim, his servant.Ivan's life is quite unfulfilling, and it does not bring out the true meaning of life.

Gerasim, on the other hand, has such a fulfilling and authentic life. He is compassionate and full of pity. In fact, he is the only true friend to Ivan. Unlike Ivan, Gerasim does not fear death (Tolstoy, 2004). Gerasim if full of love for others, and his life has meaning and relevance unlike that of Ivan. Such is evident through the spiritual support that Gerasim gives Ivan. He emphasizes with Ivan through his Isolation.

Week 4

Influence of the beliefs about death

The beliefs about death influence the value people infuse in life as well as how they deal with death (Howarth, 2007). For one, the belief of eternal life after death might cause some people, to make peace with death because a part of them will still stay alive eternally. Furthermore, n some religions and societies suicide is considered sin and life is believed to be sacred. With such beliefs, people will hold life with respect and may not be willing to commit suicide.As such, choices like euthanasia may not come to mind when it is not necessary.

Week five

Mourning for Irwin's death

In most cases, people morn when they lose a person they care about, their family member, or rather someone they feel connected to in one way or another (Gibson, 2011). Irwin was a national icon. Even though some people said he was just an attention seeker, one fact remains, that Irwin was in positive tune with his environment. He was well known for his television show, the crocodile hunter'. For one, Australia nation as a nation lost someone vital. Irwin was among the top exports for Australia, and his death had an impact on the nation as a whole.so as you can see, I believe that Irwin's death became a national mourning because of his power of identity as well as his role in the nation. It was never really about the numbers but his influence and identity in the nation.

Week 6

Is denying people euthanasia discriminatory?

In Netherlands, denying people euthanasia is considered a discriminatory act. I, however, disagree with that fact because, at times, it is never easy to make an accurate diagnosis concerning terminality of a patient.In fact, there are numerous cases where the doctors make mistakes, and you see the patients beating the odds.Some patients may claim to need the PAS simply because, they are depressed and as such irrational in their decisions. In such a case, if you deal with the depression, the patient will regain their will to live. As such, if the euthanasia is allowed then it might just change the 'risk to die, and make it 'the responsibility to die''. It may get to a point where people see the vulnerable individuals as a burden and hence pressurize the, into taking up their 'duty' to die.

Is the comparison appropriate?

The comparison is perfectly correct, because, every freedom must have a limit. If not, then the country will simply become chaos. True to it, everyone has a right to autonomy, but in some cases, aspects of the right to die may be such critical facts that may need limitation, just to ensure that the autonomy, in this case, will not be misused.

Australia to legalize euthanasia?

Australia is legalizing Euthanasia, may not be the answer to reducing the suicide rates in the country. Overtime, the legalization is bound to have extensive implications. For one, it would change the values in society and make the programs for preventing suicide redundant.As such, it would just bring about a new excuse for people willing to commit suicide, and they would do so without having to face any legal implications. It is thus better not to legalize euthanasia.

References

Becker, E. (2007). The Denial of Death. Simon and Schuster.

Gibson, M. (2011). 'Real Life Death: Between public and private, interior and exterior, the real and the fictional,' special issue, South Atlantic Quarterly, Duke University Press.

Howarth, G. (2007). Death and Dying: A Sociological Introduction. Polity.

Tolstoy, L. (2004). The Death Of Ivan Ilych. Kessinger Publishing.