Learning to Die

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, even though everyone must face his or her own death alone, a person can be prepared to die. Next, the author examines Islamic, Jewish and Christian customs for dealing with the end of life. The paper conveys the author's attitude, developed while working as an agent in a hospice, that death is not unnatural but rather a gift of rest and quietude. A guided meditation, written by the author, which is designed to help an individual gracefully release her hold on her mortal body, concludes the paper.

From the Paper:

"The procession to the grave takes place within three days of the death of the individual. A person is washed, wrapped from head to toe in white linen, and carried by their loved ones on the long road to their final resting place. Women wash and prepare women, men wash and prepare men - the genders do not mix even during this last Rite of Passage. The spirit of the dead person is said to linger in the room, watching the care with which he or she is treated here at the end. The body is treated with extreme respect because of this watchful, unseen gaze."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Greenberg, Blu. How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household. New York: Fireside Press. 1983.
• Halevi, Leor. Muhammad's Grave: Death Rites and the Making of Islamic Society. New York: Columbia University Press. 2007.
• Kerrigan, Michael. The History of Death: Burial Customs and Funeral Rites, from the Ancient World to Modern Times. Delaware: The Lyons Press. 2007.
• Singh, Kathleen Dowling. The Grace in Dying: A Message of Hope, Comfort, and Spiritual Transformation. New York: HarperCollins. 2000.

More papers on Learning to Die:

• Book Review # 84127 : "A Lesson Before Dying Book Review"
• Poem Review # 67352 : "Responses to Death and Dying in the Epic "Gilgamesh"
• Analytical Essay # 145481 : "The True Lesson in "A Lesson Before Dying"

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