Essays On Death

Losing a Loved One

Losing a loved one is like having the rug swept from under you. We make plans for the day, and do not think twice about how those plans can be taken away in the blink of an eye. I never thought much about it myself, until I was faced with the shock, and undeniable truth of my uncle's death. I do not think anyone really thinks about tragedy until they are actually faced with shocking news. It is amazing how we take life for granted. The tragedy never goes away. You just learn how to cope with it and keep moving on. My mom had been going to school in Virginia and staying at my Aunt Ana's house. She had been away for two weeks and wanted to come home for the weekend. My mom had suggested that I go back with her and visit...show more content...

I felt as if I was paralyzed, I felt that if I moved it would be real. I just had this blank look on my face. I had no reaction at first and I wanted to deny it, all of it. I kept saying to myself, no it is a lie, they made a mistake. To my complete horror I was wrong.

My mom kept saying "I have got to go see Fran. I need to see with my brother" My mom ran down stairs to get ready to go, I followed her and just stood there, still paralyzed. She hugged me and said that she loved me. I had never seen my mom so panicked. She went into the bathroom to take a shower and I could still hear her sobbing through the door. I was all by myself, now. I was standing in the middle of thefamily room as the words "He is dead" pierced my heart like daggers of ice. I was screaming OH, GOD NO, and started to cry uncontrollably. The realization that I would never see my uncle again struck me. After I got myself under control I went and packed my things to leave with my mother. As soon as we were done we were on the next flight to New Jersey.

I come from a big family with many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. As I was standing there all alone I thought back to the time when I got to spend a week with Fran. Almost a year ago to the date, most of the family was together for my other uncle's wedding. All the cousins sat at the same table and we had such a good time together. He was a busy person, he

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Death. I have always feared it but I never knew I could be so close to it. Life throws things at us unexpectedly, but how we handle those hardships is what defines us. "Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart."– Rot T. Bennett. "Please, mom please!" after hours of begging my mother she finally agreed to let me go to the beach with all my friends. On August 3rd, 2015, a typical sunny summer day in the Hamptons, my life changed in a matter of seconds. My six friends and I were so excited to go to the beach, all of us were laughing and singing along to "Moves like Jagger" by Maroon 5. I sat in the third row of the car, a white minivan with brown leather interior, and there was a small gap in front of my seat for access to get out. My friend Sebastian was showing me a funny video on his phone when all of a sudden the laughers and singing turned into screams. I remember looking up just to see a speeding red object coming our way. Everything happened in a blur, I had no time to think no time to run no time to yell and no time to save myself. Who knew a five minute trip to the beach could turn into a life–changing experience. I opened my eyes to a daunting scene. Our car was standing in the middle of the road, my friends had already left the car, I nervously ran out of the car through the left door as fast as I could. The first thing I saw was my best friend crying, once she saw me she ran to me and hugged me so tight

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The Wake–Up Call

Reflection Paper On Death

Reflection Paper

The death and dying class has helped in changing my perception about death and also has enlightened me about the cost of a traditional American funeral. I learned so much from this class; I cannot write it all on this paper. Some of the information that I am going to write about are: the different stages of death, how it is influenced and the little deaths we face in our lives. Green burial, embalming and home funeral, some of the different cultural death, living will and advance directive, and the suicide contract, children understand of death, dying without a next of kin and the near death experience.

Understanding Death

This class has helped me understood that death is not only the loss of our loved ones but also the...show more content... The family can keep the body at home for several days, bathe the body and build their coffin. They share memories of the deceased. Green burials conserve land and cost less compared to traditional burial (Tripler, 2013). Finding out that embalming does not preserve the body forever was interesting, when an embalmed body is exhumed most people will be horrified to look at it (Tripler, 2013). It was good to learn about other different ways of burial in the United States.

Cultural death

There are different cultural death mentioned in this class, I found the day of the dead and Living with the Dead interesting. Knowing other people culture have always been intriguing to me. It is interesting to learn about all this different death culture; many believe that death is not the end but the beginning of a new journey. The Day of the Dead celebration is done based on the belief that making the spirit happy will provide good luck and protection to the deceased family. According to Despelder and Strickland (2015), it is a belief that one's well–being depends on respectfully remembering the death and the ritual is a moral obligation to the dead. Living with the dead, burial is delayed in other to allow family members to grief and prepare for the afterlife and the burial is expensive. The body can be removed from the grave every couple of years for the "me'nene" ceremony. These two cultures are different from mine, in my culture when someone dies all their deeds is what is

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Death With Dignity

Choosing to die with the assistance of a physician is a much debated controversial issue in the states. Assisted suicide is where a patient with a terminal disease choose to take their life to relieve their suffering, sometimes with the aid of a physician, and is legal in only five states. Assisted suicide is "legal in Washington, Oregon, California, Vermont and Bernalillo County,New Mexico(Death with)." This option should be available to patients in all states, because terminally ill patients should have the choice to end their suffering if their pain becomes unbearable. Terminal patients should be able to die on their own terms.

Suicide is wrong, morally and ethically. Life is precious and should be treated as such, and it is always terrible when someone in perfect health takes their own life. However, if someone`s quality of life is low, is living in unbearable pain, and doesn't think life is worth living, then giving them the option to choose seems less wrong.Wasting away, sedated and stuck in a bed, is a sad existence that many do not desire to have. Many patients would much rather die peacefully in their own bed surrounded by their family and friends.

Citizens opposed to the death with dignity laws argue that patients will feel pressured to take their life, because they don't want to be a burden on their loved ones. In Oregon, where assisted suicide is legal, many patients feel comforted just by the very fact that they have the option to end their life if the pain becomes too much, and choose to continue on. Oregon patients state that they do not pressured at all to take the end of life medication. Another argument is that assisted...show more content... Death With Dignity, 2 Dec. 2015. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.

Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." NOVA. NOVA, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 27 Mar. 2001. "What Is the Oregon Death with Dignity Act?" Euthanasia. ProCon.org, 31 Oct. 2008. Web. 31 Oct.

Thinking about death and dying is a very difficult subject to approach. There are movies, television shows, songs, books, and real life situations that basically force us to think about death and dying daily in one way or another. When we consider real life situations either involving our loved ones or ourselves, we must think about the ways in which we may be treated and how this treatment may affect our understanding of death and our role in the process. I am going to address this as well as how the ways in which people treat those who were dying many years ago compared to in our modern time is significantly different. There is also a phrase that is commonly being used in the United States known as the "medicalization of death". I am going...show more content...

66). On the other hand, another definition might be "Modern medicine defines illness and health procedures needed and determines procedures for the dying which may prolong or shorten life" (Leming & Dickinson, 2016, p. 80). Medicine today is able to sort of control when we die and can help to control premature deaths. The "medicalization of death" has an effect in some way, shape or form on a patient and their understanding of death and his or her role in the dying process. When someone is sick and has the ability to, they will usually reach out to modern medicine to assist them in prolonging their life. Sometimes, there are ways in which someone can avoid death and become physically better, and at other times, there is nothing or very little that can be done. A person in any case facing death, needs the support of their family and friends to comprehend what they are going through. I think when people have to face the fact that there is nothing to help keep them alive, then the "medicalization of death" in this case appears negative in their eyes. When healing is possible, I think the "medicalization of death" is seen in a more positive light. It is clear how the our advances over time in medicine can heavily effect the patients understand of death and his or her role in the dying

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I understood suffering and love and how they both went hand and hand when I looked down at my father's gravestone for the last time. The cemetery was nice–well, as "nice" as a cemetery could be. Paved paths lined the land, so no one had an excuse to stomp all over the grass in their shoes. You'd think the grass then would be an untouched summer green; instead, it always gave off the look to me as being half–dead. As if it could tell it resided in a graveyard, so it of course mirrored the only thing it knew– death. It was a weathered day. Wind pulled on my jacket collar, a sharp breeze passing completely through me. The air howled into my ears, screaming things I could not make sense of. The grey sky was two large stretched–out hands reaching for each other. Layers upon layers of ashen cloud lined above me, hiding the blue and sunlight trapped behind. Yet, the briefest of sun rays broke through small holes in the cinder haze, only to illuminate the top of the aging head stone just briefly. But the scene wasn't as off–putting as it would have been to others. Instead, I found some comfort in the cold and darkness. It was as if the world was mourning his death. The wind, side by side with me, in this time. I wondered then what it would be like if the earth could truly feel. Maybe life would be less cruel in that way. Mother nature would look into me and see what lay beneath–a young boy hidden in my shadow casted onto the ground. A young boy with eyes down pouring like the Get more content

Death and Dying is a normal process part of everyone's lifecycle, and yet, is often a hidden topic and not discussed on a regular basis. Death is something we learn about over our own lifetime as we lose those dear to our hearts and mourn the loss that we experience. No two people experience death and react to death in the exact same way. Often, differing family and cultural practices can influence how one reacts and copes with death or a loss.

The earliest death that I experienced and remember was that of my grandpa Eugene. I was in kindergarten and it was shortly after we had gotten back from our family reunion out in California. I remember going up to North Dakota in march which and I couldn't understand why because we only went to go up there during the summer normally. I vaguely remember being very hungry and making my dad leave the funeral home to bring me to get food. I remember sleeping during the service and waking up just in time to go to the cemetery. I also remember throwing flowers into the hole in the ground because everyone else was doing it but I still didn't understand what was going on. The thing that I remember most about his death was walking up to the open casket. I didn't understand why my grandpa was laying like this and I didn't get what "grandpa died," meant. I stood there and kept poking his face, his eyes, and playing with his cheeks until my uncle saw what I was doing and pulled me away to go sit with my cousins. From this experience, I learned about what death is and how it happens to everyone at some point in their life. I learned a great deal about mourning through observing my family members share old photos and stories and crying it out with each other. At this age, I thought death was something that only happened to old people. I also through death is unexpected and sad for everyone because that is how the death of my grandpa was.

My most significant death in my life was the loss my classmate, peer, and childhood friend Maddy from a car accident. These together were the most significant because I learned a great deal about life through the loss of both. I was a junior in high school on the first Thursday of class where we all sat knowing Maddy had died because we saw it

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A Very Easy Death: Perspective

In this interpretation of Simone de Beauvoir 's mother 's horrible decent to death, Beauvoir finds out her Maman is taken to the hospital for a broken bone after a fall, instead the fact that her mother has intestinal cancer is revealed. After many surgeries, her mother's suffering is only drawn out. The author ponders on the virtue of doing so, in conflict with condescending doctors while empathizing with overburdened nurses. Simone de Beauvoir gives us a reflective and somewhat detached depiction of the final days in the life of her declining mother. Interwoven throughout the novel is the escalating succession of the authors mother dying of cancer, there are also recollections of the relationships of younger years among herself, sister, and parents.

Sprinkled throughout the account of Beauvoir`s experience, it is easy to see the many difficulties that occur within the relationships of doctors, health care staff, family and friends. This repertoire offers a profoundly private account of the, anguish, remorse, and frustration that is often associated with the journey of a loved one to his or her demise. The account is simplistic and to the point; with the frank and truthful visualization and rumination one would experience under similar circumstances. There is a moral dilemma initiated at the beginning of Beauvoir's hospital experience with her mother, which not only includes deception on the part of her and her sister, but dishonesty

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While I have not yet agreed to donate any part of my remains to be studied after my death, I would agree to do so. I have been on the patient side of the medical field, rather often, and understand the argument that being a display because of a unique or rare issue is undesirable and could strip someone of their humanity. During life, a patient with a rare or intense medical issue can be examined, tested, and talked about as if they are not in the room. This occurs so often that is seems as they are more their medical diagnosis than they are human. If a body is displayed in a public way, as was done in Mutter's time, it can make that person simply his or her medical problem, causing the person to lose their humanity. This seems to have...show more content...

In the 19th century, many diseases disproportionately affected the poor or underprivileged citizens. During this time, there was much less infrastructure to ensure sanitation, which led to preventable diseases in poor communities. Also, the poor have always lacked accessibility to doctors, especially to doctors who would be considered the best and most successful, leading to worse health outcomes overall. While there are some ways that this has improved over the last 150 years, this is sadly still a fact that is mostly true in society today. Overall, in America today, a person is more likely to have a stroke, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and chronic lung disease if that person has a lower socioeconomic status; in fact, the only major disease that does not disproportionally affect poorer people is cancer (National Research Council Panel on Race, Ethnicity...). This is partially because education can help to prevent certain diseases, and poorer citizens are often overlooked for education in this area and lack access to higher education in general. This lack of education and adequate medical services is shocking, and causes death from diseases, such as heart and lung disease, that can be prevented or risk significantly reduced from education about lifestyle choices. The situation, from the 19th century to now, has most certainly improved in terms of education. In Mutter's time,

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Death I woke up and i got ready, brushed my teeth, got dressed for school. my dad was dropping me and my sister off at school when he got a phone call from my grandma or know as his mom. The words that came out her mouth was marve died. That was my grandpa. My grandpa was my dads step dad. He started bursting into tears. That was the first time i saw my dad crying I asked what was going on to my dad he said your grandpa died. That was the first time i saw my dad cry ever it was so surprising. My dad drove away to go see her and comfort her. He asked her if she was ok and my grandma said i'm fine. A few weeks later we went to his funeral at a church and as i walked in i saw my grandpa laying in a casket. With a dead looking grin

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Persuasive Essay On Death And Dying

Mansura Leyva

Widener University

Nursing 448

Dr. Lorraine Igo Willing to talk about dying

In this world, all living creatures die because it is one of the things that happens to every one of us. However, when this happens, it may be the hardest thing to accept or understand the fact of life. Nowadays, people are living well into their 70 and 80 or even longer, butdeath comes to all ages, sometimes young people die due to sickness, accidents, and so on. This topic talking about death and dying is not easy and almost all the people find it hard to starting the conversation about end of life. According to Your Conversation starter kit "90% of people way that talking with their loved ones about end–of–life care is important" but only 27% have actually done so"(Foundation, 2017). This a big number of people thinking about end–of–life but very few started the conversation. There is culturally difference also can influence the process of starting a conversation about death. Nowadays, with so much increase of ethnic diversity in America we as healthcare providers must be mindful of cultural differences when informing patients about end–of–life planning. Cultural awareness for nurses are very important because end–of–life decisions and traditions could strongly influence decision that make by patients and their families. If nurses are aware and have knowledge about ethnic diversity they can minimize misunderstanding of cultural values and beliefs of each individual patient.

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I believe the average American's view of death and the dying process has slowly changed throughout time. The slow change in our population's view of death can partially be contributed to the negative view the media often casts on death and the dying process, as well as the lack of the connection many American's have with their aging family members. In the past, family was often present during the aging and dying process. However, families are often nuclear units currently, and are not as involved as they once were. Rather than having a personal experience withdeath and the dying process and truly having a personal view, many individual's views regarding death are often influenced by the negative portrayal in the media. Having a close relationship with three of my grandparents, as well as being present during each of their dying processes, has greatly shaped my view of death. Death has a way of causing us to reflect. Death causes each of us to reflect on the life that is ending as we know it, to reflect on our lives and to reflect on the legacy we want to leave behind when it becomes our time. Having the...show more content...

At times the dying patient's loved ones become the nurse's patients. As stated in End–of–Life Care: Caring for the Dying Patient and Family of the Dying Patient, "End–of–life (EOL) care of the dying patient and the patient's family encompasses a variety of interventions that meet the physical needs of the patient and the emotional/psychosocial needs of the patient and the family. The rationale for EOL care is to provide physical comfort for the patient by managing pain and reducing emotional stress, and to promote effective coping and spiritual comfort for the patient and family" (Woten and Schub, 2016). As future nurses, it is critical that we acknowledge the potential we hold, we treasure the gift we have been given and we take our responsibilities Get more content

We are all aware of death, and we know it will come to us all. To many of us death brings a chill down our spine ridden with fear, but to others it is ridden with strength and satisfaction of accomplishment. Fortunately or unfortunately we are all condemned to death. However no one knows when exactly the inevitable will approach, but we all know it is inescapable. But what makes death seem more realistic to us and those in denial of it is the lucid pictures of people suffering, in pain and those on their death bed before many of us can be rationale and accept the truth. Someone once said, “Life is about 50–70 years of pain. One is born through the mother’s pain and die leaving others in pain.'; How do we accept and...show more content...

This increase of love allows our mind to feel some sort of satisfaction that good can come out of praying and if one was to die, our faith would tell us that we did our best. In other words, our love towards our faith tends to be one of the strongest lifelines we can posses to reduce the guilt and pain of those around us who are suffering.

For many of us who are in a relationship either by marriage or simply as mates can relate to the feelings they are exhibited within and around one when they are with or simply thinking about our mates. This feeling of security and belonging tends to increase our love towards each other, especially during times of pain and death. We begin to see the world of insecurity and being alone, a world of being abandoned and feeling useless. There are those who don’t posses a “soul mate';, and nonetheless they too feel an increase of love; the love of having a mate of being wanted and loved, and the feeling of not being alone.

As parents or parents to be, whether within months or years, we all as humans strive for one goal at the end; to raise our children the best we can and the best they can be. If and when the time comes for us as parents and humans to pass on, and if we leave our children here, without a sense of accomplishment and Get more content

What is death? If you were to look it up in a dictionary it would probably read "the loss of life" or "ceasing of all vital functions". To us being human it could mean one of many things depending on your beliefs. To most it meant the end of a life, to others a shortcut to avoid the inevitable, or even the beginning of something new. Unfortunately, today our conception ofdeath has changed drastically over time. Many like you and me will never truly understand death's true meaning unless experienced firsthand. The subject of death is shrouded in mystery, folklore, and different meanings from every culture on this planet. Death should not be something to fear for it's a natural part of life. That said, it also should also not be taken...show more content... You would think that there would be nothing good from death, although there are things that some people could learn something new about themselves that they would have never thought of in the first place or could be a mercy killing.

"Two young women – teenager Jahi McMath in California and mother Marlise Munoz in Texas– have both been deemed brain–dead, a final state according to statutes. Beyond that determination, however, the cases have taken dramatically different paths and reveal the many complexities involved." Cases such as these two women would have no bodily functioned what so ever. Their loved ones can either give them two choices. One to keep them on life support for the rest of their remaining lives or two allow doctors to help their patients die to free them of their tortured states. It could also be on the path to enlightenment, an old college professor Morrie Schwartz has suffered a terminal neurological disease called ALS. The disease slowly works its way through the body stopping motor control. The disease slowly took away most of his body functions until it finally reached his lungs and suffocated. During his remaining time that he could still speak, he slowly enjoyed the fruits of life even when he was mostly bound to his home. He concentrated on appreciating what he had and finally detaching himself from his life so he can pass on in peace without regrets. In Morrie's

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Losing something that is really important to you can be heartbreaking and it even may be hard for life to go on. If I was in a situation like that, I'm not sure how I would react. I don't wish on anyone to be in that situation. By losing everyone and everything you love, it can be emotionally traumatizing. In a situation like the Holocaust, I don't know if I could ever go on. I can't imagine what Elie Weisel went through during his time in the concentration camps and losing his family members. He was very strong and got through all of it and he was a noble man. He passed on his story as a survivor of the Holocaust and we can honor him for that. Being in a situation where you lose something or someone you love is always a hard time but you can take your experiences and make a difference in other people's lives.

The thought of losing everyone and everything I love frightens me. I...show more content...

One part of the article explains what the coping mechanisms are of people who lost loved ones. Some examples are that people cry a lot or have a lack of sleep. It also explains how to help others with coping with a loss. I think this is important because if you go through something like that, you always want someone you can talk to or to lean on for support. It's a hard thing to go through and you don't ever want to be alone. It's also important to know what to say because you don't want to say something to make them more upset. Some people can become depressed or be traumatized in these situations. Some people experience death in different ways, whether you were with the person when they passed away or you weren't with them. Everyone has a different experience and everyone handles it differently. Death is a hard thing to cope with but if you have the right support, then you can become stronger and hopefully help someone that needs you when they lose

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Death and Dying Paper I am one of the few lucky people that have never experienced the death of a close loved one. For this reason I have decided to choose option two. My favorite childhood cat died when I was younger, and I can still remember what those following days felt like. I feel like I deal with death in a different way than most people. Of course I feel sadness, but I don't feel like I express it in a way everyone else does. Another reason for choosing option two is because I have recently had experience with a friend going through depression and contemplating suicide. When I was about five years old my dad took me to a friends farm to pick out a kitten. I remember seeing what seemed like millions of cats darting in all directions....show more content...

My mom's brother died at a young age, and her mom died of ALS. My dadВґs mom died from cancer when he was seven, and his dad died when I was one year old. We were taught that death is part of a life cycle, and it eventually will happen to all of us. We were taught to not mourn the loss of a loved one, but to celebrate the life that they lived. My mom's brother had a disease that made his legs not work. Mom told me that whenever she felt sad about the death of her brother she would think about how happy he is in heaven, because he would have legs that he could use. Other people handle death in a different way. Many people cry, and feel really sad about death. Others like to share happy moments in the loved oneВґs life. I do believe there is a right and wrong way to grieve. Of course most people will shed tears and be upset for maybe a few weeks. But many people will go on and on about the sadness. It's almost like they shut down. They could start making bad decisions, stop doing hobbies that they like, or turn against their religion. I believe the right way to grieve is to celebrate the loved oneВґs life. Talking about good memories is a great way to cope with the death. Surrounding yourself with family and friends who can help give you a shoulder to cry on or talk about good memories they had with the loved one that passed

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Death

It is really very hard to come to terms with something like death, but as all of us know, in life we would not be able to exist without having death. If only death does not exist that we will not have the chance to be born as the planet will be populated with other organisms well before the appearance of humans. Many cultural believe that death is a very painful experience of losing someone that is close and loved. However, despite the pain, death is a fact and it minimizes overall suffering for example a badly injured, ill and old (Walton, 2009). The write believes that death is not something that can be easily accepted, as she herself had experiences losing her love ones and it was truly very painful experience.

However, denial of death would permit us to temporarily avoid fear and other unwanted feelings connected with it. Nevertheless there are some good reasons to accept death. Death is a part of life cycle and denying it means denying life as it is. Having the awareness of death enables us to perceive life in its whole. Facing...show more content...

Death does remind us that the time to accomplish our mission is not unlimited and assists us to set priorities. Dealing with fear of death may help with anxieties and fears relating to death. It also allows us to live in the present, focusing on here, today and now. Since we are alive now we cannot be dead now, we can only die in the future. The future doesn't exist yet so focus on the present moment that we can minimizeanxiety. A person who believes that life has a reason seem to be more resilient to death anxiety and gives them the meaning of life. This is probably because they see themselves as a part of something greater. Research had proven that people who are stratified with their lives copes better with death anxiety; in other terms the happier you are the less you fear of death (Searight & Gafford, Get more content

On Death and Dying By Elisabeth Kubler–Ross For my book review, I read On Death and Dying, by Elisabeth Kubler–Ross. Dr. Kubler–Ross was the first person in her field to discuss the topic of death. Before 1969, death was considered a taboo. On Death and Dying is one of the most important psychological studies of the late twentieth century. The work grew out of her famous interdisciplinary seminar ondeath, life, and transition. In this paper, I give a comprehensive book review as well as integrate topics learned in class with Dr. Kubler–Ross' work. Like Piaget's look at developmental stages in children, there are also stages a person experiences on the journey toward death. These five stages are denial/isolation, anger, bargaining,...show more content...

My grandmother wanted to discuss how financial security and wellbeing matters for her family would continue to thrive after she went to heaven. I agreed with Kubler–Ross when she mentioned that this action not only served the interests of the patient (my grandmother), but of the whole family's defensiveness. My grandmother was fairly hostile when she was in the pain before her death. Kubler–Ross mentions that as the family reacts personally to this anger, they respond with increasing anger on their part, only feeding into the patient's hostile behavior (65). Another important quote from the section on anger states, Nobody can put on frosting when you are hurting (85). This is true for many people. It seems that if one is feeling angry and upset, surely enough the wheel of anger will revolve around to those around them. They show examples of the importance of our tolerance to others rational or irrational not only in dealing with terminal patients. Our ability to listen to others will help to express the needs (such as comfort) of the dying patient. Many times, the reason for dying is associated with bargaining for more time. I am certain that through the whole process my grandmother thought, if only I had done this differently, maybe God would give me more time to clean up my act and change my behavior. I feel we can learn a lot from this section in our day–to–day lives. We all ask our individual if only and if we are struck with an illness, we fight for Get more content

I am 22. At this age, I am mature enough to admit that I am not a minor anymore. At this age, I am starting to observe the surroundings more comprehensively. At this age, I have been through various tones of emotions: adoration, repulsion, elation, despondency, unity, isolation, curiosity, boredom, belief, grace, or sorrow. Horribly, I have witnessed the death of two of myfamily members. I became aware that I fear death. Death brings a feeling of the world is falling under my feet. And the thought of losing my love ones and the idea of the cold when deep buried under the ground terrify me.

However, Montaigne philosophy has significantly impacted my perception of death. After reading his belief, I ask myself, why does he recognize death uniquely different? While death is a dreadful obsession to many, he is not afraid of it. Strangely, the more I read, the more spellbound I feel about his belief. Suddenly, I realize my perspective on the world and my expectations have slowly shifted, positively. Montaigne coaches me that the fear of death is no longer appalling nor an obsession. He enlightens me that to die is not the most fearful thing but to not completely live is. As in Montaigne's article "That to study philosophy is learn to die," he writes:

Wherever your life ends, it is all there. The utility of living consists not in the length of days, but in the use of time; a man may have lived long, and yet lived a little. Make use of time while it is present with you. It depends

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Personal Perspective On Death

From an early age, I've witnessed the deaths of my relatives. When I was five years old, my great grandmother passed away in her sleep while she was living with my family. I remember being woken up by my mother to tell me that she had passed and that people were coming over very soon to take the body. At that time, I did not understand the concept ofdeath. I thought that after death we are (literally) reborn. I was not particularly burdened by the great grandmother death, but I know it was something that was difficult to handle because I saw how my mother and grandmother reacted. When I was sixteen, my father had passed away, and a year later my step–grandfather passed away, and the year after that, my great–uncle passed away. In those three year I never had a chance to recuperate before anotherfamily member died. As a teenager I was very angry that I was not able escape from the death of my family members. I viewed death as this evil thing that was tormenting my family. It was unsettling and my anxiety and fear of death grew. At first, I attempted to ignore death, and pretended I was not affected by it. Most...show more content...

During the summer orientation before my freshman year, the nursing advisors mentioned how nursing will make us think about death and our own mortality. That statement has definitely been true. For example, I have done a presentation about physician–assisted suicide, and have learned the many ways in which people can die. Death is a reoccurring topic because I am in the nursing program. Having this ongoing conversation about death does make it easier to understand the inevitability of death. I think my idea of "invincibility" has diminished, and I make peace with death by doing something meaning with my life. I believe that by being a nurse, I will be contributing something special to the world. I hope that my existence will leave a positive impact, even if I only influence a few

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