In a society that edges death out of its conversations, the in-depth reflections of Kathryn Mannix challenge us to break the silence of our current discourse and talk openly. The key message given in this week’s reading is sharing aa captivating account, which leads to rethinking society’s taboos and ultimately making one well-informed and compassionate when dealing with the end of life.
Rather acutely Mannix spots that the societal passive language about the death has created a culture taboo. Finding substitutes for ‘dead’ by ‘passed away’ and ‘dying’ by ‘seriously ill’ not only is an attempt to hide truth from society but also leaves the families at the critical situation when foreseeing the death of the most dear person for them (IMHO, n.d). In his criticism, Mannix highlights the unwavering need to be liberated from linguistic limitations and discuss frankly the challenges of life’s natural transition.
Reclaiming Wisdom: On the need for dialogue
At the core of Mannix’s teaching is his telling us to rejuvenate the spiritual inheritance embedded in the usual process of human dying. Society has been denying itself this chance of anticipating what is imminent and the space to provide support to the dying person and his/her family, when it does not start a family discussion about death. Mannix asks us to move beyond euphemisms to have an honest confrontation with the topic. By means of this, we can show solidarity with each other and awake to the shared experience of going through death.
Using this description of dying as a normal human process, Mannix takes us through the various stages. He likens dying in the same manner that we can determine the birth progress. As the individual units approach their last stage of life, fatigue kicks in and periods of sleep lengthen. Armed with that knowledge comes better management by the family, who may judiciously administer medicine or even consider visiting when the patient wakes up. The ‘death rattle’, the original source of fear from the past, changes its tone into the sound of deep relaxation , which means the patient’s unconsciousness where even the tickle of saliva is unnoticeable (Glaser & Strauss, 2017) .
The Importance of Awareness: Applying Knowledge Outside of Class
The idea itself becomes a critical one by virtue of its potential to reorient the personal point of views and the social approaches to death. Specifically, I will spread this newly gained information to my friends and family by organizing conversations where we can talk about it. Through replicating Mannix’s learnings, I want to assist creating the setting where, instead of denying and shunning the inevitable, the subject of death is discussed openly.
Benefits of Wisdom over Medicine
In my future career; be it in healthcare or counseling; I will have a chance to use the same arguments put forward by Mannix and utilized them equally to assist people at different stages of dying (Vig & Pearlman, 2004). Through the open conversation, this process of transition and its manageability becomes more known. As a result, health professionals can make end-of-life care much more tolerated.
Conclusion
Even though Kathryn Mannix’s point of view is not limited to the passive awareness of death inevitability, but rather the call to action of addressing it, we are surrounded by silence and avoidance of discussion. Through the reclaiming of wisdom of some of the normal human dying we can turn our perceptions around and in doing so we can build a society that handles death in an empathetic, understanding and solace full environment. Adopting this concept also provides us with the much-needed impetus to embrace the dying way with dignity, compassion, and grace.
References
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (2017). Awareness of dying. Routledge.
IMHO, Dying is not as bad as you think. BBC Ideas. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/playlists/imho
Vig, E. K., & Pearlman, R. A. (2004). Good and bad dying from the perspective of terminally ill men. Archives of Internal Medicine, 164(9), 977-981.
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