Death and dying
![Shattered glass fragments scattered on a grey surface with a blurred background. Some pieces are mid-air, capturing the moment of a glass object crashing and breaking. The image portrays motion and impact.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/1aee7ed4-e453-437e-bf2a-85ac3aad8a3c/rt-final-gettyimages-820481530.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
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
![People walking on a city street bathed in sunlight, with American flags hanging on buildings in the background. Shadows are cast on the pavement, and tall buildings line the street, creating a dramatic, contrasting light and shadow effect.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/1f6ae57c-85c4-4be2-af0e-f12b42b920ed/rt-par414757.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
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
![A skull adorned with colourful flowers, a butterfly, musical notes, a candle, and a bone set against a soft background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/a87f0840-b0f0-4290-9055-e7ef17b4e1f2/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
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
![A child’s drawing of a person in front of a red door, playing a pink electric guitar with lightning bolts around them.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/d428d04c-c463-4592-a92f-4d89b0c5e6b9/rosemary-ad-_after-dad_-landscape-1-v2.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Parenting and families
film
Ethan ponders his daughter’s future without him in this celebrated short
Directed by Ethan Barrett
![Two traditional-style pagodas in a grassy field under a blue sky with scattered clouds, with mist and mountains in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/14a51c28-5518-4408-9f5d-62056bf187a4/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
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
![Close-up of elderly hands clasped together, with prominent wrinkles, wearing an orange jumper with dark brown trim.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/b6c77e6c-fe34-42b8-8322-46ace534c352/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Ageing
idea
Efforts to expand the lifespan ignore what it’s like to get old
As modern medicine extends the human lifespan, quality of life is not keeping up, raising thorny ethical dilemmas
by Robert S Gable
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/9d4fe135-e665-461e-9d5f-b36fe19c28ce/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
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
![Painting of an outdoor community gathering, with people dancing and playing music near a house with a thatched roof. Many onlookers are seated.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/cdf8da5c-fa21-4520-8b71-1cc88b7341e8/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Rituals and celebrations
film
Come on this painterly journey to Madagascar’s ‘turning of the dead’
Directed by Bastien Dubois
![Archaeological dig showing three weathered stone head sculptures, partially buried in the ground.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/fe6e12ce-4b33-4373-8a7e-8de72713a4de/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Death and dying
idea
Why ancient Mesopotamians buried their dead beneath the floor
In an age before photos or audio recordings, people found other ways to stay sensorially connected to their deceased
by Nicola Laneri
![A cyclist rides on a curving road through a scenic countryside at sunset, surrounded by trees and greenery.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/a4572826-0ef6-407e-b66d-56033a7cc35f/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Death and dying
idea
I thought I knew everything about death. Then grief struck me
Even though I grew up in Death World, and still live there, it couldn’t prepare me for being my family’s sole survivor
by John Troyer
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/be370a30-ea04-4d08-937b-460316a3f083/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Death and dying
film
At India’s ‘death hotels’, devout Hindus seek liberation from cycles of rebirth
Directed by Dan Braga Ulvestad