Living Wills
Part of my job involves helping people fill out their own advance directive aka living will. When the patient is not able to make the decision, a family member fills it out. I give out so many advance directive forms yet so many of them remain uncompleted.
Filling out an advance directive is an acknowledgment of death. It is chosing how you want to leave this world. Do you want CPR, despite the inevitable breaking of fragile ribs? Do you want a feeding tube, despite the machine-like qualities of being fed through a tub? Many people respond with, "I want God to decide." So, you want God to decide whether human efforts to revive you are effective? Where do you draw the line between extraordinary measures to prolong your life and "what God decides"?
By acknowledging death, we acknowledge the preciousness of life. I don't think anyone accepts death without trepidation, but there's "fighting for life," "fighting against death," and "acceptance of life and death." Those who "fight for life" are not yet ready to die and have more living to do. Those who "fight against death" are fearful and have not fully embraced the preciousness of life and their own mortality. Their fear sometimes manifests as anger (directed at others or themselves). Those who "accept life and death" have created purpose and meaning and have accepted fleeting nature of everything in this world.
It's an interesting life I lead, seeing illness and recovery, and sometimes death.