Myths about Death Positive
Many cremation services are offered in Tallahassee, FL. Among them are an effort to see death as something that we need to be aware of and to accept as the final destination that each of comes to at some point in human existence. While death is sad and represents loss, it doesn’t change the fact that each of us will come face to face with it, either in losing people we love, or in losing our own lives.
Death positivity is many things, but there are some things that it is not.
One of these is that death positivity is not a movement driven by people who have dark outlooks on life and are living to die. Instead, it a movement that looks at death as a natural occurrence in life, and that means that people need to be cognizant of death, talking about death, and preparing for death. The art and visuals that are associated with death positivity are not meaningless. Instead, they focus on putting the needs of the family and the deceased person first. And that means looking for ways to reform the way humanity views death, as well as the way medical professionals handle death.
Another myth about death positivity is that it focuses on the ideals of a good death, while ignoring the fact that many people suffer terribly when they die. What a good death means in practice is that each of us can define, within the limits of being human, how we die. This includes having living wills, which keep us from having to undergo unnecessary procedures while we incur huge medical bills when we’re dying.
It also includes having do not resuscitate (DNR) orders and do no intubate (DNI) orders in place so that our lives are not prolonged when they have naturally ended. Additionally, we can choose where we die. Many people are now choosing to die at home, instead of going into nursing facilities or the hospital to die.
We can also choose our funeral arrangements, which can include burial or cremation. We can choose the kind of services that we want to be held to remember our lives. In other words, dying a good death means being a full participant in our deaths.
One of the most prevailing myths about death positivity is that there is no fear of death nor grieving about death. Nothing could be further from the truth. While there may be acceptance of death, that doesn’t mean there’s necessarily an absence of all fear. It’s easy to accept death when you’re not face to face with it. However, the closer we get to death, the more likely that some fears will arise. That’s normal. We wouldn’t be human if they didn’t.
One of the things that death positivity tries to address is how to manage the natural fears that we may encounter about death. It’s a roadmap to walk through the fears, not pretending that they’re not there.
Believing that grief is not a part of death is absurd. Grief is a natural result of death, because it is another expression of love. Death positivity doesn’t take away bereavement over the loss of somebody we love. Grieving is a process that everybody who loses somebody will go through. The intensity may last weeks, months, or even years. Eventually, though, the intensity changes, and grief becomes silent, mostly unseen partner that walks with us the rest of our lives.
For more information about cremation services offered in Tallahassee, FL, including grief resources, our caring and knowledgeable staff at Lifesong Funerals & Cremations is here to assist you. You can visit our funeral home at 20 S. Duval St., Quincy, FL 32351, or you can call us today at (850) 627-1111.
