The Importance of Planning
Dying is inevitable for all human beings. Surely, there is always a possibility that one might die by accident, but people generally tend to plan the end of their life. Planning the end of life is important for the following reasons: a dying person and their relatives should decide on the mode of medical care, the degree of family involvement in this care, the issues of property and other legal questions, the funeral, and many others (Berger, 2014, p. 769).
Making plans beforehand would benefit both the dying person and the survivors. The dying person would receive an opportunity to reflect on their life as it is approaching an end instead of worrying about attorneys and funeral preparations. The survivors would be able to surround their relative or friend with final care and calmly say farewell instead of solving these problems. Even though I am not old yet, people die at any age, and I would like to spare myself and my family from the mentioned problems.
Advance Directives and Worldview
When I imagine the end of life care that I will probably require, I see that this image is influenced by my worldview. I am not really fond of traditions that require young family members to devote most part of their time to their sick old relatives, especially when it is clear that the person would not survive. Time is important for young people, and when (or if) I am an old dying person, I will prefer to spend my last days in a medical facility, being visited by my family when needed. While I believe that a dying person should prepare their soul for the meeting with God, as is said in the Bible, I do not think God requires that I am buried. I consider that cremation is better since it saves the land for the living instead of giving it to the dead.
Sample Plan
Having considered all the related issues, I developed my own plan for the end of life. In case if I do not die in an accident, I want my last days to be calm and filled with the sense of fulfillment. In case if I cannot make decisions for myself, I want my family and friends, whom I notify beforehand about my general wishes, to make decisions for me. I want to be provided with the type of medical care appropriate to my illness at the end of my life.
However, if the care is expensive, and it is clear that I will not make it, I do not want my family to spend their money to prolong my life by a few days or weeks. Even considering this problem, I do believe that my family and/or friends would be able to afford to make my last days as pain-free as it is possible. I want my loved ones to remember me as an active, capable person. I also want them to know that death is not to be feared. Perhaps for this reason alone, I will try to stay calm.
Final Thoughts
To be honest, I did not think much about my own death before this assignment. I realized that I may pass away unprepared, and, to prevent this, I need to perform some end of life planning. I also need to get acquainted with the legal aspect of death, the ethical concerns in healthcare regarding death, and the things that I might wish to discuss with my family and friends related to this issue.
References
Berger, K.S. (2014). The developing person through the life span (9th ed.). New York City, New York: Worth Publishers.