It is one of life’s certainties.
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That and taxes.
Given that “death” is one thing which comes to us all, it is quite remarkable when you consider how little we actually talk about it or plan for it.
American entrepreneur and business magnate Steve Jobs, who died of pancreatic cancer, said the certainty of death helped him in life.
“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life,” the co-founder of Apple mused before his death in 2011.
“Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”
One June 29, Wollongong’s first Death Cafe will be held.
While the name of the event might make us instantly recoil, the event is actually designed to help us confront the inevitable.
The local event is being organised by Su Middleton, the director of Home Instead Senior Care Wollongong.
The aim is to get people to talk about and plan for an important milestone in their life – the end of it.
Often a traumatic period of a loved one’s passing can be made so much more difficult if steps or wishes have not been implemented beforehand.
“Death cafes” are now being held around the world as a way “to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives”.
The movement was started in 2010 by creator Jon Underwood in the UK.
From there the creators developed a guide to help other people around the world hold similar events.
Since 2011 over 6500 death cafes have been held in 56 countries around the globe.
The notion of people sitting around drinking tea and eating biscuits isn’t confronting, but the idea the topic of conversation revolves around life’s great goodbye certainly is. But maybe it shouldn’t be.
The late, great American singer and singwriter once made these fateful remarks about death.
“People fear death even more than pain,” Morrison said.
“It's strange that they fear death. Life hurts a lot more than death.
“At the point of death, the pain is over. Yeah, I guess it is a friend.”