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| (A side order of death, please...) |
Feeling overly cheerful?
Then it might be time to head on down to the Death Café for a stiff dose of reality.
The Huffington Post
reports that the Death Café is "an anything goes, frank conversation on death that's been hosted at dozens of coffee shops and community centers in American cities… modeled on similar gatherings in European cities…"
This type of "frank conversation" can cover anything from "Is cremation better than burial?" to "Are you scared?" The "death awareness" that is fostered at these gatherings presumably helps people "to make the most of their lives" before it's too late.
Since launching into diatribes about death is frowned upon at most social events, there seems to be a need for the type of acceptance that Death Cafés provide. For
example, where else would hospice volunteer Lizzy Miles – who admits that she is "really passionate about death" – be able
to freely vent?
Miles, who is also a social worker, is the hostess (with the ghost-est?) at Death Cafés in Columbus, Ohio. She serves
donated "tea and cake" at these once-a-month gatherings, and breaks the cold hard ice with a history of her own flirtations with death.
The conversation quickly takes off from there. Some participants wish to talk about practicalities such as DNRs and living wills; others are far more enthralled with discussions regarding NDEs and Ouija boards. Plus,
there's always this old standby to fall back on: Is there a heaven and a hell?
If such inquiries appeal to you, don't just sit around thinking your own morbid thoughts. Why not get out there and share them with others?
Resources
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/death-cafe-dying-end-of-life_n_2618226.html
Copyright August 18, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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