The Gifts of Mortality
What would you do if you know you or someone you loved were going to die tomorrow? And what would you do if instead you were granted immortality? If your answers to those questions were different, you are not alone. Whether you believe in an afterlife or not, the fact of our mortality challenges us to be our best selves, today, where we are and however we are. How we view our mortality – as a friend or enemy, with curiosity or with fear, face on or in denial – also affects how we live each precious day of our lives. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Statement of Philosophy explains, “Hospice recognizes that human growth and development can be a lifelong process. Hospice seeks to preserve and promote the inherent potential for growth within individuals and families during the last phase of life.” We will explore different views of this last phase of life and, privately, our own feelings to consider how they may be impacting our lives and allowing, or preventing, us from being our best selves each day.