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Arthur Rosch's avatar

There's such cruelty at the heart of American culture. I'm trying to figure out my own death protocols, but it's crazy! Insurance schemes are just that: schemes. I gave up a while ago trying to figure out my own ending.

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Manuela Thiess Garcia's avatar

Indeed. Remember Jessica Mitford's The American Way of Death? The crazy exploitation of the grieving and the commercialization of the process? It's all horrifying and degrading.

I want to die at home, be cremated ASAP, and put my ashes on the trees in our yard that like alkaline!

If I can't die peacefully and death is nigh, let me find a doctor Kervorkian to hasten the process!

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Bret Primack's avatar

I couldn't agree more. I like what Rahsaan Roland Kirk said about his cremation. After he died, he wanted his ashes to be mixed with cannabis so his friends could smoke him.

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Rudy Bluster's avatar

Great observations! I don't know how things were in Mexico during Covid, but remember how in the Western world everyone freaked out with the lock downs, 6 feet of separation, the masks, no school, no church, no synagogue, no one allowed to visit the dying in the hospitals? Crazy!

I would like hear more your exploration on how Americans have become fearful of dying. Is it purely driven by materialism, individualistic mentality, lack of religion; or are those merely symptoms?

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Bret Primack's avatar

I will follow up on this soon.

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Richard Wells's avatar

Working with a group of friends here to organize a hospice - visiting San Miguel's organization this week to get some how-to's. The movie The Burial with Tommy Lee Jones, and Jamie Fox is a hoot.

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Richard Dubin's avatar

Live alive!

Rx:

Practice “dying to die.” Every moment invites an opportunity to practice.

Try it, you’ll like it, it’s fun.

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Bret Primack's avatar

Rodney Dangerfield “Last night I died so bad they sent flowers.”

George Carlin “Tough crowd… I think they’re waiting for me to die first.”

Joan Rivers “I bombed so hard the coroner showed up.”

Norm Macdonald “You ever notice how everyone who dies stops talking about it?”

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