In the meantime Dave and I spent three hours this afternoon in a seminar discussing the book and current movement Being Mortal - Medicine and What Matters in the End. Some folks found it sad and depressing. I found it exciting. We saw the PBS documentary based on the book and discussed it.
Following are a few of the many concepts we discussed:
- Both doctors and patients need to learn that they can't fix aging and dying.
- There is beauty in the cycle of life. Every living thing experiences it, including us.
- As we come close to the end there is a paradox in that our lives become smaller and larger at the same time.
- We need to make decisions now in order to stay in control as long as possible. If we don't make decisions about end of life issues, somebody else will make them for us.
- The most compassionate thing is to be honest.
- Pain is just mean. It serves no purpose.
- DNR (Do Not Resuscitate.) If I stop breathing don't give me CPR because you think I might die. I've stopped breathing so I'm already dead.
On Sunday Art will have us discuss "How then shall I live knowing I will die?" It's an excellent question because we're all gonna die.
So let's talk about it.
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