1.5 Chapter Summary
Key Summary Points
- There is a social tendency to shy away from death on a personal level, to avoid conversations about our own wishes and those of our loved ones at the end of life. Such conversations, however, bring closeness, connection, reduce stress, and enhance the comfort of our loved ones at the end of their lives.
- Being death positive means being open to honest conversations about death and dying.
- Death positivity is a social movement that challenges us to reimagine all things tied to death and dying, including the development of compassionate communities. Some examples of initiatives designed to get us talking about death are Death Cafés, Death over Dinner, and the Conversation Project.
Additional Resources
Below are a list of supplementary resources for students interested in learning more about the chapter topics. These resources are NOT required course materials. A list of required course materials, beyond those found throughout this chapter, are provided on the following page.
Additional Viewings
Talks at Google. (June 14, 2018). Inviting the wisdom of death into life — Frank Ostaseski [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/wBraurRo_bg