Admittedly, people have to address various important issues in the contemporary world. However, the central issue has not changed for centuries. People have to cope with death. Of course, we try to win several years, but everyone understands that sooner or later everyone dies. As far as I am concerned, understanding of death is one of the most serious issues an adult (and especially an elderly individual) has to address.
Kubler-Ross defined five stages of death reactions (Bjorklund & Bee, 2008). At that, the researchers stressed that people could go through only some of these stages. However, some claim that there can be no universal stages as any loss, grief and the very life is unique (Friedman & James, 2008). Nonetheless, I believe Kubler-Ross provided quite a universal model which can help people work out strategies to cope with the problem. Of course, young people are often ignorant of this issue, but there is always certain period when people have to face the problem. Elderly people (and even young people) often find out about their terminal disease. It is important to be ready for any news. I believe people have to think about death when they are young and have strength to manage themselves.
Basically, it is not about some questions as people do know that everyone dies. It is all about feeling comfortable with the idea. Everyone wants to die “well” (“Growing Old in a New Age,” 1993). I think to accept the universal truth and to find peace, it is necessary to better understand oneself. Drucker (2005) provides various strategies to do this effectively. When a person knows him/herself, he/she can try to set goals to fulfill. Once the goals are set, death does not seem that horrible as it can be seen as a termination of a certain project, called life.
Be it a message about a closest one’s death or be it certain news about individual’s own terminal disease, the news is perceived easier when a person is ready to hear it. Ironically, the idea about the close death prevents people from living. Depression, despair and apathy spoil the last days, months or even years. People cannot live, they cannot work, they torture themselves and their closest people.
Therefore, I think psychologists should help people accept the universal truth. I deem higher educational establishments should have classes concerning death in their curricula. New generations should be ready to face the problem that contemporary elderly people cannot cope with. People have learnt to live longer, but they still cannot accept one of the simplest laws of nature. This ignorance causes a lot of inconveniences and grief.
On balance, I have often thought about death. I am not sure I have accepted the universal law of nature. However, I think I am prepared to face one of the most difficult issues. Unfortunately, nowadays many people (young and old) are not ready to accept any news concerning death. Nevertheless, this ignorance leads to apathy and depression which is destructive. In the contemporary aging world people have to learn how to address the problem and how to be ready to face their death. I believe people have to help both elder and younger generations. First, we should help elderly people cope with the most difficult period of acceptance. Secondly, young people should also be prepared not to lose their precious time in apathy and despair when their time comes.
Reference List
Bjorklund, B.R. & Bee, H.L. (2008). The journey of adulthood. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Drucker, P.F. (2005, January). Managing oneself. Harvard Business Review, 83, 100-109.
Friedman, R. & James, J.W. (2008). The myth of the stages of dying, death and grief. Skeptic, 14(2), 37-41.
Growing old in a new age. (1993). [DVD]. Honolulu, Hawaii: The University of Hawaii Center on Aging.