Speaking as one resuscitated after acute cardiogenic shock, Doctor, I find your commentary poignant and compelling.
We can't really understand death without experiencing it. The process of dying can be rather unpleasant, but death itself is not to be feared.
I've had a year to reflect and consider how my next personal experience of death may not be so quick. If it is not as sudden as the first one, a calm, quiet and painless descent into that long goodnight is an outcome most fervently to be desired.
It seems to me that the most significant confounding factor is fear.
Self-knowledge and compassion seem likely to be two of the most useful palliatives for the fear that promotes and needlessly prolongs pain and misery.
I am the one that relatives seeking respect for their DNR end-of-life decisions, have entrusted with their powers of attorney. If it becomes necessary for me to enforce their wishes, I am now confident that sadness over doing my duty will not be compounded by fear of what awaits them.
Perhaps others who deal with end-of-life care suboptimally, might benefit from looking within themselves and reflecting on how much more difficult their task becomes because of their own unexamined fear.
It seems to me that a certain amount of fear is necessary to counter apathy or arrogance; blithe dismissal of life's value isn't a compassionate response to immanent death. I suppose it is, as so often the case, a mater of balance. There must be some middle path between prolongation to the point of virtual torture, and the widening gyre of inclusion criteria for physician-assisted death.
Thank you for today's essay. I hope that you explore the matter further and share the result of that exploration with the rest of us.
Speaking as one resuscitated after acute cardiogenic shock, Doctor, I find your commentary poignant and compelling.
We can't really understand death without experiencing it. The process of dying can be rather unpleasant, but death itself is not to be feared.
I've had a year to reflect and consider how my next personal experience of death may not be so quick. If it is not as sudden as the first one, a calm, quiet and painless descent into that long goodnight is an outcome most fervently to be desired.
It seems to me that the most significant confounding factor is fear.
Self-knowledge and compassion seem likely to be two of the most useful palliatives for the fear that promotes and needlessly prolongs pain and misery.
I am the one that relatives seeking respect for their DNR end-of-life decisions, have entrusted with their powers of attorney. If it becomes necessary for me to enforce their wishes, I am now confident that sadness over doing my duty will not be compounded by fear of what awaits them.
Perhaps others who deal with end-of-life care suboptimally, might benefit from looking within themselves and reflecting on how much more difficult their task becomes because of their own unexamined fear.
It seems to me that a certain amount of fear is necessary to counter apathy or arrogance; blithe dismissal of life's value isn't a compassionate response to immanent death. I suppose it is, as so often the case, a mater of balance. There must be some middle path between prolongation to the point of virtual torture, and the widening gyre of inclusion criteria for physician-assisted death.
Thank you for today's essay. I hope that you explore the matter further and share the result of that exploration with the rest of us.
‘The most significant confounding factor is fear”. Perfect—thank you.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting. Given your history, I am sure you have unique perspectives on this topic!