Death and dying

Self-knowledge and personal growth Relationships, work and leisure Values and ethical living

Photo of an elderly man sitting on a chair surrounded by various ornate coffins in a room with a chequered floor.

Death and dying

idea

As a society, we’re not death phobic, we’re death complacent

Our culture is routinely diagnosed with an excessive fear of mortality. A calm look at the evidence tells a different story

by Ingemar Patrick Linden

Photo of a woman in a pink top sitting indoors with eyes closed. Sunlight and shadows on the wall, plant on the right.

Death and dying

idea

It’s not foolish to foster hope in the face of illness and death

As a great loss loomed, I feared straying too far from the hard truth. But I learned to distinguish denial from hope

by Christiana Boules

A skull adorned with colourful flowers, a butterfly, musical notes, a candle, and a bone set against a soft background.

Anxiety

guide

How to get more comfortable with death

Angst about mortality is part of being human, but if it’s interfering with your life, there are proven ways to dial it down

by Rachel Menzies

Close-up of an elderly woman’s face with eyes closed, light grey hair, and a blurred brown background. Her expression is calm.

Death and dying

film

Why one death doula sees an examined death as vital to a good life

A film by Annie Marr

Photo of a man relaxing on a garden lounger with hands behind head smiling, surrounded by chairs and a bottle on the grass.

Grief

idea

Why do so many of us blame ourselves after a loved one’s death?

After losing my father, I felt the guilt and regret that burden many other bereaved people – and found a way to carry them

by Delaney Rebernik

Photo of a glass shattering on a grey surface with shards scattered mid-air and on the ground.

Grief

idea

Grief is not a process with five stages. It is shattered glass

The five stages describe a grief that’s knowable and controlled. An accident in my kitchen helped me find a truer metaphor

by Joshua Thomas

Painting of a man seated at a table next to a skull on books, with a patterned curtain in the background.

Death and dying

guide

How to not fear your death

You exist, but one day you won’t. An Epicurean perspective can help you feel less afraid, and even grateful for life’s finitude

by Sam Dresser

A child’s drawing of a person in front of a red door, playing a pink electric guitar with lightning bolts around them.

Parenting and families

film

Ethan ponders his daughter’s future without him in this celebrated short

Directed by Ethan Barrett

Photo of people crossing a street in a city. Sunlight casts long shadows. Skyscrapers and flags are in the background.

Death and dying

idea

Why so many of us see our loved ones after they have died

These experiences – which are more of an illusion than a hallucination – can be a healthy part of the grieving process

by Shayla Love

Photo of a rural landscape with two traditional Asian pavilions, green fields and a cloudy sky in the background.

Rituals and celebrations

idea

Together forever: ‘at-home burial’ in southern Vietnam

What might a traveller along the Mekong Delta learn about the beliefs and traditions behind the country’s elevated tombs?

by Gina Elia

Painting of an outdoor community gathering, with people dancing and playing music near a house with a thatched roof. Many onlookers are seated.

Rituals and celebrations

film

Come on this painterly journey to Madagascar’s ‘turning of the dead’

Directed by Bastien Dubois