How do you want to die?What is important to you?How
does that knowledge inform your understanding about yourself, your place in the
world, your relationships?
Personally i want death to surprise me, I am not the type of person who wants to waste away to nothing, I want to be in control of my death if it does come to being hooked up to life support, I want to take the burden of making that decision off of my loved ones and not put them into the difficult positions that the families in the film faced. I know one true thing about myself, if im going to die i want it to be easier for my family because i hope to have lived a very fulfilling life and that is will not be on my family to "put me down".
Mac, I agree with taking the burden off your family. Nobody realizes how hard it is, not only for the person dying but for the family. It might even be harder. Dragging on death is never good, it doesn't let the family have their grieving time and move on. Families become stuck in this emotional state that doesn't allow them to let go and move on, which could possibly be damaging to the individual.
I do not want to discuss my death, or even know when it is coming. It seems incredibly ominous, although inevitable. Many of the patients seen in the ICU video are aware of their approaching death, even though they were denying it. I want to live a meaningful life, but I want a life that does not end in extreme suffering. My grandmother has Alzheimer's and we all have been suffering for years now. I do not want a life of pain and suffering for myself or my family. I do not want them to feel guilty or question if they should have done more to keep me alive; that would not be fair to them.
I would like to die in a very peaceful way. If anything, I would want to be killed immediately so I didn't have to feel a thing. I don't want to suffer nor do I want my family to suffer. If I know that I have lived a meaningful life, then so be it. I will not care if someone or something were to take my life away. Personally, I would like to live long enough to see my grandchildren but I'll be fine if I don't. All I really know is that when I die, I hope my family and friends are strong enough to let me go.
I'm a little torn. Essentially, I wouldn't want to know when or how I was going to die. I would kind of want it to surprise me so I wouldn't have to think too much into it. Instead, I would just like to let it happen peacefully. On the other hand though, surprise deaths I feel like are always harder on the families involved. When death is inevitable though, the families can prepare and it isn't too much of a shock to them. Whats the scarriest about the thought of my own death would be my loved ones having to deal with it.
In my perspective, I would want death to be a surprise. Knowing how many days I have to live would overwhelm me and actually make dying even worse. Me, personally, I would love to die a peaceful death, preferably in my sleep. If not, I would choose the quick and painless route. In the movie, the families were forced to decide life and death for someone else. I could not see myself putting my family through those decisions. I would not want one of my family members to decide my fate. Plus, I don't think that its ethical. One human, family or not, should not decide the fate of another human being. Putting my loved ones through that would be torture enough.
I would want to die in a painless way, that way I leave this world without feeling it. I would like to know when I was going to die, so I know how much time I have to live my life. I want to be the one that makes the decision not my family members. In the movie what struck was you saw people who didn't want to die but knew they didn't have long to live. You see them try every form of treatment available up to the last minute to keep them alive.
The movie brought me back to when my granddad first came home from the hospital. It hurts to see someone who took care of you growing up not be able to walk or breathe on their own. I think if I was the one i would want everything to make me better to a point. I wouldn't want to be kept alive just by machine. I don't want my love ones to see me like that and put them through something like that.
The video was very moving, it was a great introduction to the course. I think that death should be something no one should see coming. It's hard enough to deal with facing one's own death coming upon them, let alone to know when you will die? Could you imagine the sudden chaos one would face? I would like to die rather suddenly, if it was in an accident when I was younger than old age, I would want it to be as painless as possible. Like for example, I would like to die if I had the choice to die by being shot to where it instantly killed me. Yet, the most obvious answer would be that I would like to die of old age. The things of importance to me at this point in my life include my job and my education, it is important for me to make a stand in the world, to make life better for myself. I also find my relationships with those around me to be very important, I couldn't live without my family, friends, or my boyfriend.
I would like to die painlessly, in my sleep, at a very old age. The odds of that happening aren't very good, but hey in a perfect world, that's how I'd wish to go. If I was to die tomorrow, I wouldn't like to go suddenly. In my perfect world, dying at an extreme old age would have given me plenty of time to live and to prepare my love ones for my death. Nobody thinks their 90 year old grandma is going to live forever. Although, if I were to die in the next couple of decades, I would want to be able to say goodbye and tell my love ones how much they meant to me. Even if that means I have to go through some pain in the process. I believe it would be important to me to have that time to prepare myself and my love ones for what is going to happen. This video showed me how important it is to talk about death with my love ones. They need to know what I would want, if I wasn't able voice it for myself. This would eliminate added pain and confusion for them. I wouldn't want them to go through more pain then need be in regards to my death.
I want my death to be an honorable and honest one. I don't want to live on this earth longer than I am supposed to, nor longer than my own body can support me, I want to go out while I am still in good physical condition, so my loved ones won't have to worry over my withering frame. it's important to me that no more emphasis is put on my death than needs be necessary. I want to be cremated, and than chucked half into and open field, or half into the ocean, so that in death, I can spend my time, in the places I lived. or if cremating is to much trouble, chuck me into a wooden box in the back yard, I don't care. it's important to me that everyone be happy with my passing, ( not in the sense of being glad that I'm dead ) but in the sense that no more tears or heartache is put on me than need be. this video showed me how important it is that you get everything out in the open with the ones you were leaving behind, and as such, I feel I want my way out of this world to pass almost as the time I was in it did. I want people to gather round, have an enjoyable time, and laugh at who I am, and who I've been. they need to remind themselves that life doesn't end with the death of another, and sometimes the best way to let them depart is to reminisce about the life and errors of the dead guy in the middle of the room. I don't want people to be overly morose for my passing, I want them to be happy with the hope that whatever comes after this life will be even better, and that maybe death isn't the final goodbye.
I definitely want to say that the video was an eye opener to what to expect to see and talk about in this class. I knew stuff like that happened around me but it can be very striking to see it all unfold.To be honest on the topic of how I die is I would like to die at old age if I happen to live that long with the sense that I have done all the things I have wanted to do. I understand that everyone is going to die but I at least want to die with knowing I have accomplished the things I've set to do and the things I want to cross off the "buckle list" as one would say. But what is really important to me when I die is that I don't want to be forgotten.
I felt like this movie brought us all right into the reality of death and what people go through together at the ending point of life. I think one of the hardest things is feeling like you are helpless in a situation. Seeing some of the patients in the movie made me think about how my grandma was towards the end of her life and how our family handled what was happening. Of course none of us wanted to see her go or felt that we were completely prepared for her to go on. She dies in the peace and quiet of her own home which in my opinion would be much better than in the hospital as many of the patients we saw in the movie. She had cancer and had been slowly getting worse and worse but she had told us all that she was ready to go and she wanted to be in heaven and out of the pain. I hope that when that time comes for me I will face as bravely and realistically as she did and be able to talk to my family and in a way support them through seeing me go as she did. I would like to die peacefully and with no regrets.
I want death to surprise me because being aware of it could take the joy out of the remaining days that you have left. I like to be spontaneous, a type of "go with the flow" guy and I think that if I knew I only had a couple of days to live it would make me more cautious. Anyone that really knows me can tell you that caution really isn't apart of my personality so if I died being a different person than I've always been it would be a dishonor to me personally. As for being on life support, my philosophy is that if I'm not strong enough to maintain my own bodily functions then it's my time to go. That's just how I am.
I do not want to know when my death is coming. I feel as if I knew when my death was coming that I would be cautious and scared and not being doing the things that I want to do before I die. However, I do tend to have the mind set that I am invinsible and that I have all the time in the world to do things. Therefore, If I knew that I was going to die, I could do all those things that I want to do before I die. I guess only time will tell whether or not I will know. What is most important to be is being happy with the decisions that I am making in my life. Everyone has a plan on what they want their life to be, however life doesn't go as planned. I just hope to be happy with decisions that I made in that time.
What I took away from the video was the strength that most of the patients had dealing with their illness, they appeared determined until the end and unable to give up hope. As far as my own death is concerned, all I know is that I do not want to drown and I do not want to be eaten. Preferably I would like to pass with my memories intact so I can look back and have some sense of satisfaction on what I have accomplished and hopefully have no regrets. Also when it’s my time to go I want it to be in a way that I will not leave to large a burden on those who are left behind. What’s most import to me is my family, faith, friends, and education. These are the things that I depend upon every day and I do not know what I would do without.
What comforts me most is not knowing when or how I will die. I feel like the unknowing is what allows me to really live my life. Most think that they'd live their lives even better if they knew the exact time they would die, but I feel like I would be more distracted and disturbed if I knew. Personally, I'd hate to drown or be eaten either. It'd be horrible to burn to death too. There are so many painful ways to die and no one wants to imagine him/herself going through that, or that being their last moment alive. I know that I would not want to be kept alive by a machine. I've already told my parents that if something happened to me and I was only alive because of a machine; they need to pull the plug. I would not want to "live" like that, assuming that can even be considered living. Like Emily said, I just want to be able to be able to reflect on my life and be happy with my decisions and who I became.
Death is a terrible part of life that everyone must deal with at one point or another. Personally, I would like to die in the company of those I care for. I dont know the specifics of ways I want to go or dont want to know. Death has a kind of unusual mystery and a sense of fear to it and I would rather not think of how I want to die because I want to live for happiness not to just live.
Life is important to me, but in the sense of just being. Life, in my opinion, is a multifaceted definition that takes different forms in different people. Life for me is doing what I love, skiing, playing sports, being with my family, etc. Living is important to me because it gives me the opportunities to experience and enjoy.
I have seen the video twice and yet i felt the same emotions after watching it the second time. People do not understand the difficulty of end of life decisions until they are put in a real life situation. The first time I saw the video I thought "how can they let their love ones live like that?" but after seeing it again my perspective changed. As I watched each person fight for their lives I couldn't stop thinking about my loved ones in that situation and how hard it would be to let go. I can say now that it would be easy to make that decision because my parents both said they do not want to live like that but I would be lying. Making the final decision to take a person off life support would be extremely difficult emotionally.
What still stands out in my mind from that film was the response of a certain, older, black male when asked to confirm his deathbed wishes. He was in so much agony that he could not speak, but when asked if he wanted to remain on life support, he used every ounce of strength he could muster to shake his head, yes. Of course; I'd be the one to break out a Breaking Bad quote, but Heisenberg has some insight on the topic of dying. Concerning cancer "It’s a death sentence. That’s what they keep telling me. Well, guess what? Every life comes with a death sentence. So every few months, I come in here for my regular scan knowing full well that one of these times, hell, maybe even today, I’m gonna hear some bad news, but until then, who’s in charge? Me."... I hope I could face death with that sort of determination and dignity.
Watching this video brings out the reality that we never truly no how or when we are going to die. I never really think about the amount of decisions that need to be covered before someone dies. I am sure it is much harder to make these decisions on your own once the loved one has already died. This video made me realize how important it is to talk to different family members about their wishes. I think it is also important to discuss what your parents want with your siblings because with having four other siblings any disagreements between us would be hard to settle when that time does come. When i die, i want to have been able to say goodbye to the ones i love and also i want to have been given the chance to go to confession.
What struck me about the video is how determined the families of the patients were to keep their loved ones alive. I understand how much they meant to their families but I think that its kind of selfish to keep them alive. The patients are clearly suffering and may not want to be put through any more pain. I want to die before I become old and sick like some of the individuals in the video. The last thing I want to do is be a burden to my friends and family. Whats important to me is that my loved ones don't see my miserable and helpless. I don't want their last memory of me to be me coughing up blood in some drabby hospital room. This knowledge makes me think that I'm either putting other peoples needs in front of my own because I don't want to be an anchor pulling them down or coward being afraid of what they'll think when they see me in a helpless state.
I suppose this belongs here as best as it does anywhere. After watching "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" I was reminded of another film relevant to the course. It is one of the darkest films I've ever seen, but it really makes you consider your own mortality. "The Brave", starring Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando chronicles the last days of a man who has sold is life to snuff film producers. Call it the last act of a desperate man to provide for his family... anyway, it's worth a watch, but it's not for the faint-hearted.
Personally i want death to surprise me, I am not the type of person who wants to waste away to nothing, I want to be in control of my death if it does come to being hooked up to life support, I want to take the burden of making that decision off of my loved ones and not put them into the difficult positions that the families in the film faced. I know one true thing about myself, if im going to die i want it to be easier for my family because i hope to have lived a very fulfilling life and that is will not be on my family to "put me down".
ReplyDeleteMac, I agree with taking the burden off your family. Nobody realizes how hard it is, not only for the person dying but for the family. It might even be harder. Dragging on death is never good, it doesn't let the family have their grieving time and move on. Families become stuck in this emotional state that doesn't allow them to let go and move on, which could possibly be damaging to the individual.
DeleteI do not want to discuss my death, or even know when it is coming. It seems incredibly ominous, although inevitable. Many of the patients seen in the ICU video are aware of their approaching death, even though they were denying it. I want to live a meaningful life, but I want a life that does not end in extreme suffering. My grandmother has Alzheimer's and we all have been suffering for years now. I do not want a life of pain and suffering for myself or my family. I do not want them to feel guilty or question if they should have done more to keep me alive; that would not be fair to them.
ReplyDeleteI would like to die in a very peaceful way. If anything, I would want to be killed immediately so I didn't have to feel a thing. I don't want to suffer nor do I want my family to suffer. If I know that I have lived a meaningful life, then so be it. I will not care if someone or something were to take my life away. Personally, I would like to live long enough to see my grandchildren but I'll be fine if I don't. All I really know is that when I die, I hope my family and friends are strong enough to let me go.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little torn. Essentially, I wouldn't want to know when or how I was going to die. I would kind of want it to surprise me so I wouldn't have to think too much into it. Instead, I would just like to let it happen peacefully. On the other hand though, surprise deaths I feel like are always harder on the families involved. When death is inevitable though, the families can prepare and it isn't too much of a shock to them. Whats the scarriest about the thought of my own death would be my loved ones having to deal with it.
ReplyDeleteIn my perspective, I would want death to be a surprise. Knowing how many days I have to live would overwhelm me and actually make dying even worse. Me, personally, I would love to die a peaceful death, preferably in my sleep. If not, I would choose the quick and painless route. In the movie, the families were forced to decide life and death for someone else. I could not see myself putting my family through those decisions. I would not want one of my family members to decide my fate. Plus, I don't think that its ethical. One human, family or not, should not decide the fate of another human being. Putting my loved ones through that would be torture enough.
ReplyDeleteI would want to die in a painless way, that way I leave this world without feeling it. I would like to know when I was going to die, so I know how much time I have to live my life. I want to be the one that makes the decision not my family members. In the movie what struck was you saw people who didn't want to die but knew they didn't have long to live. You see them try every form of treatment available up to the last minute to keep them alive.
ReplyDeleteThe movie brought me back to when my granddad first came home from the hospital. It hurts to see someone who took care of you growing up not be able to walk or breathe on their own. I think if I was the one i would want everything to make me better to a point. I wouldn't want to be kept alive just by machine. I don't want my love ones to see me like that and put them through something like that.
ReplyDeleteThe video was very moving, it was a great introduction to the course. I think that death should be something no one should see coming. It's hard enough to deal with facing one's own death coming upon them, let alone to know when you will die? Could you imagine the sudden chaos one would face? I would like to die rather suddenly, if it was in an accident when I was younger than old age, I would want it to be as painless as possible. Like for example, I would like to die if I had the choice to die by being shot to where it instantly killed me. Yet, the most obvious answer would be that I would like to die of old age. The things of importance to me at this point in my life include my job and my education, it is important for me to make a stand in the world, to make life better for myself. I also find my relationships with those around me to be very important, I couldn't live without my family, friends, or my boyfriend.
ReplyDeleteI would like to die painlessly, in my sleep, at a very old age. The odds of that happening aren't very good, but hey in a perfect world, that's how I'd wish to go. If I was to die tomorrow, I wouldn't like to go suddenly. In my perfect world, dying at an extreme old age would have given me plenty of time to live and to prepare my love ones for my death. Nobody thinks their 90 year old grandma is going to live forever. Although, if I were to die in the next couple of decades, I would want to be able to say goodbye and tell my love ones how much they meant to me. Even if that means I have to go through some pain in the process. I believe it would be important to me to have that time to prepare myself and my love ones for what is going to happen. This video showed me how important it is to talk about death with my love ones. They need to know what I would want, if I wasn't able voice it for myself. This would eliminate added pain and confusion for them. I wouldn't want them to go through more pain then need be in regards to my death.
ReplyDeleteI want my death to be an honorable and honest one. I don't want to live on this earth longer than I am supposed to, nor longer than my own body can support me, I want to go out while I am still in good physical condition, so my loved ones won't have to worry over my withering frame. it's important to me that no more emphasis is put on my death than needs be necessary. I want to be cremated, and than chucked half into and open field, or half into the ocean, so that in death, I can spend my time, in the places I lived. or if cremating is to much trouble, chuck me into a wooden box in the back yard, I don't care. it's important to me that everyone be happy with my passing, ( not in the sense of being glad that I'm dead ) but in the sense that no more tears or heartache is put on me than need be. this video showed me how important it is that you get everything out in the open with the ones you were leaving behind, and as such, I feel I want my way out of this world to pass almost as the time I was in it did. I want people to gather round, have an enjoyable time, and laugh at who I am, and who I've been. they need to remind themselves that life doesn't end with the death of another, and sometimes the best way to let them depart is to reminisce about the life and errors of the dead guy in the middle of the room. I don't want people to be overly morose for my passing, I want them to be happy with the hope that whatever comes after this life will be even better, and that maybe death isn't the final goodbye.
ReplyDeleteI definitely want to say that the video was an eye opener to what to expect to see and talk about in this class. I knew stuff like that happened around me but it can be very striking to see it all unfold.To be honest on the topic of how I die is I would like to die at old age if I happen to live that long with the sense that I have done all the things I have wanted to do. I understand that everyone is going to die but I at least want to die with knowing I have accomplished the things I've set to do and the things I want to cross off the "buckle list" as one would say. But what is really important to me when I die is that I don't want to be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteI felt like this movie brought us all right into the reality of death and what people go through together at the ending point of life. I think one of the hardest things is feeling like you are helpless in a situation. Seeing some of the patients in the movie made me think about how my grandma was towards the end of her life and how our family handled what was happening. Of course none of us wanted to see her go or felt that we were completely prepared for her to go on. She dies in the peace and quiet of her own home which in my opinion would be much better than in the hospital as many of the patients we saw in the movie. She had cancer and had been slowly getting worse and worse but she had told us all that she was ready to go and she wanted to be in heaven and out of the pain. I hope that when that time comes for me I will face as bravely and realistically as she did and be able to talk to my family and in a way support them through seeing me go as she did. I would like to die peacefully and with no regrets.
ReplyDeleteI want death to surprise me because being aware of it could take the joy out of the remaining days that you have left. I like to be spontaneous, a type of "go with the flow" guy and I think that if I knew I only had a couple of days to live it would make me more cautious. Anyone that really knows me can tell you that caution really isn't apart of my personality so if I died being a different person than I've always been it would be a dishonor to me personally. As for being on life support, my philosophy is that if I'm not strong enough to maintain my own bodily functions then it's my time to go. That's just how I am.
ReplyDeleteI do not want to know when my death is coming. I feel as if I knew when my death was coming that I would be cautious and scared and not being doing the things that I want to do before I die. However, I do tend to have the mind set that I am invinsible and that I have all the time in the world to do things. Therefore, If I knew that I was going to die, I could do all those things that I want to do before I die. I guess only time will tell whether or not I will know. What is most important to be is being happy with the decisions that I am making in my life. Everyone has a plan on what they want their life to be, however life doesn't go as planned. I just hope to be happy with decisions that I made in that time.
ReplyDeleteWhat I took away from the video was the strength that most of the patients had dealing with their illness, they appeared determined until the end and unable to give up hope. As far as my own death is concerned, all I know is that I do not want to drown and I do not want to be eaten. Preferably I would like to pass with my memories intact so I can look back and have some sense of satisfaction on what I have accomplished and hopefully have no regrets. Also when it’s my time to go I want it to be in a way that I will not leave to large a burden on those who are left behind. What’s most import to me is my family, faith, friends, and education. These are the things that I depend upon every day and I do not know what I would do without.
ReplyDeleteWhat comforts me most is not knowing when or how I will die. I feel like the unknowing is what allows me to really live my life. Most think that they'd live their lives even better if they knew the exact time they would die, but I feel like I would be more distracted and disturbed if I knew.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'd hate to drown or be eaten either. It'd be horrible to burn to death too. There are so many painful ways to die and no one wants to imagine him/herself going through that, or that being their last moment alive. I know that I would not want to be kept alive by a machine. I've already told my parents that if something happened to me and I was only alive because of a machine; they need to pull the plug. I would not want to "live" like that, assuming that can even be considered living. Like Emily said, I just want to be able to be able to reflect on my life and be happy with my decisions and who I became.
Death is a terrible part of life that everyone must deal with at one point or another. Personally, I would like to die in the company of those I care for. I dont know the specifics of ways I want to go or dont want to know. Death has a kind of unusual mystery and a sense of fear to it and I would rather not think of how I want to die because I want to live for happiness not to just live.
ReplyDeleteLife is important to me, but in the sense of just being. Life, in my opinion, is a multifaceted definition that takes different forms in different people. Life for me is doing what I love, skiing, playing sports, being with my family, etc. Living is important to me because it gives me the opportunities to experience and enjoy.
I have seen the video twice and yet i felt the same emotions after watching it the second time. People do not understand the difficulty of end of life decisions until they are put in a real life situation. The first time I saw the video I thought "how can they let their love ones live like that?" but after seeing it again my perspective changed. As I watched each person fight for their lives I couldn't stop thinking about my loved ones in that situation and how hard it would be to let go. I can say now that it would be easy to make that decision because my parents both said they do not want to live like that but I would be lying. Making the final decision to take a person off life support would be extremely difficult emotionally.
ReplyDeleteWhat still stands out in my mind from that film was the response of a certain, older, black male when asked to confirm his deathbed wishes. He was in so much agony that he could not speak, but when asked if he wanted to remain on life support, he used every ounce of strength he could muster to shake his head, yes.
ReplyDeleteOf course; I'd be the one to break out a Breaking Bad quote, but Heisenberg has some insight on the topic of dying. Concerning cancer "It’s a death sentence. That’s what they keep telling me. Well, guess what? Every life comes with a death sentence. So every few months, I come in here for my regular scan knowing full well that one of these times, hell, maybe even today, I’m gonna hear some bad news, but until then, who’s in charge? Me."... I hope I could face death with that sort of determination and dignity.
Watching this video brings out the reality that we never truly no how or when we are going to die. I never really think about the amount of decisions that need to be covered before someone dies. I am sure it is much harder to make these decisions on your own once the loved one has already died. This video made me realize how important it is to talk to different family members about their wishes. I think it is also important to discuss what your parents want with your siblings because with having four other siblings any disagreements between us would be hard to settle when that time does come. When i die, i want to have been able to say goodbye to the ones i love and also i want to have been given the chance to go to confession.
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me about the video is how determined the families of the patients were to keep their loved ones alive. I understand how much they meant to their families but I think that its kind of selfish to keep them alive. The patients are clearly suffering and may not want to be put through any more pain. I want to die before I become old and sick like some of the individuals in the video. The last thing I want to do is be a burden to my friends and family. Whats important to me is that my loved ones don't see my miserable and helpless. I don't want their last memory of me to be me coughing up blood in some drabby hospital room. This knowledge makes me think that I'm either putting other peoples needs in front of my own because I don't want to be an anchor pulling them down or coward being afraid of what they'll think when they see me in a helpless state.
ReplyDeleteI suppose this belongs here as best as it does anywhere. After watching "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" I was reminded of another film relevant to the course. It is one of the darkest films I've ever seen, but it really makes you consider your own mortality. "The Brave", starring Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando chronicles the last days of a man who has sold is life to snuff film producers. Call it the last act of a desperate man to provide for his family... anyway, it's worth a watch, but it's not for the faint-hearted.
ReplyDelete