End-of-Life University Blog

Real Talk About Life and Death

Become a Patron

You can support End-of-Life University with your donations on Patreon.com.

Dr. Wyatt’s Book:

Buy It Now

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
Email Format

Click here if you agree to receive emails from Karen Wyatt MD.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

compassion

A Call to Love One Another Now

by

As we face a global pandemic, financial devastation, political unrest, racial injustice, and accelerating climate change, the people of Earth are suffering and desperate. We have allowed these threats to divide us against one another and have retreated into hatred and exclusion as a response to our fear. But such a time of crisis and dissolution calls for just one solution … just one cure to heal these deadly afflictions: we need to love one another.

Love is the only medicine that can transform our suffering into beauty and growth.

In the Torah it is written: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Roman philosopher Seneca wrote: “Love one another and do not strive for another’s undoing.”

Buddha spoke: “Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.”

Sufi poet Rumi wrote: “Love is the bridge between you and everything.”

Mahatma Gandhi said: “Where there is love there is life.”

Paramahansa Yogananda spoke: “Have only love in your heart for others. The more you see the good in them, the more you will establish good in yourself.”

Jesus said: “Love one another.” “Love your neighbor as yourself.” “Love your enemies.”

Throughout the history of humankind, our greatest wisdom teachers have taught us to love one another … that we are connected to all of life throughout the universe and our highest purpose is to give love to all others,

including those we view as our enemies;

including those who have wounded us;

including those who disagree with us;

including those who hate us.

To love the unlovable is the greatest challenge we will face in our lifetimes and we are being called to meet that challenge right here, right now at this moment in history. It is time to wake up and recognize that we are not separate from any other life in the universe – we are connected, we are one.

Smiling Bear from the Cherokee tribe spoke: “All life is sacred and all creation related. What we do affects the whole universe. So let us walk in Balance with Mother Earth and all her peoples.”

It is time to restore balance on this planet through love and compassion. We will not move forward with anger in our thoughts or hatred in our hearts. We must release all within us that does not foster love – all judgment, blame, condemnation, shame, ridicule, fear, greed, superiority. We are at a crossroads – only love will lead to our survival.

Some hearts have been hardened by pain—it is time for them to soften.

Some minds have been narrowed by fear of change—it is time for them to open.

Some eyes have been blinded by prejudice—it is time for them to see again.

Some souls have been beaten down by injustice—it is time for them to rise up.

Oglala Sioux Holyman said: “Every step you take should be a prayer. And if every step you take is a prayer, then you will always be walking in a sacred manner.”

Now is the time to be soft and open and clear-sighted, and empowered. Now is the time for every step you take to be a prayer of love for yourself, for all people in this world, for all animals and plants of the earth, for the planet itself.

How Reading About Death Can Change Your Life

by

A new reading group about death, dying and the afterlife intends to increase death awareness across the country.

(Note: This post previously appeared on Medium.com)

For more than a century modern society has been intentionally oblivious to the reality of death. Once dying and death were removed from the home and every-day life by the increased availability of hospitals and funeral homes, it was relatively easy to shove death out of awareness and make it a taboo subject. There was even a belief for a time that thinking about death was pathological and destructive.

But now we know that death awareness—including thinking and reading about death—has positive benefits, thanks to research that has been done in recent years. An article by Kenneth Vail and colleagues from the University of Missouri includes a review of multiple studies on the impact of becoming aware of death and the findings are impressive:

Death awareness leads to increased helping behaviors.

People who had recently been reminded of death were more likely to help a stranger in need. In fact, increased death awareness correlated with an increase in positive factors like compassion, tolerance, and empathy. When we understand that life is fleeting we tend to focus more on the things that really matter, which includes the wellbeing of others for many of us.

Those aware of death are more likely to care about the environment.

Again the understanding that life is fragile can lead us to care more about all of life, including the natural life that surrounds us and the life of our planet as well. Those who do not deny that death is part of the cycle of life are more inclined to be careful with that life in all its forms

Death awareness corresponds with compassion toward those from other groups.

Studies have shown that members of certain fundamentalist religious groups who experienced an increase in death awareness were more likely to exhibit compassion and tolerance toward those of other religions. Peace becomes a more valued commodity when we recognize that our lives have a limited time frame.

Awareness of death leads to healthier behaviors.

It may seem obvious but studies have validated that people who are aware of their mortality tend to make better choices for their overall health. Quitting smoking, increasing exercise, doing breast self-exams, and even using sunscreens are all behavior changes that have been linked to death awareness. We cherish life more when we know if won’t last forever.

The results of these studies show us that our entire society can benefit from getting out of denial and becoming more openly aware of death. In fact, it appears from this information that many of the problems that currently afflict humankind could be alleviated with better awareness of and education about death.

One of the ways to increase death awareness is through reading books that provide factual information about all aspects of the end of life. In addition inspiring stories about the end of life can help us see beyond our fears and get comfortable with the reality of death. Books have the capacity to take us outside our usual experience and expose us to new ideas that stretch our boundaries.

In addition, by reading the stories of others who are coping with mortality we learn that all of us face the same struggles as humans here on planet Earth. The challenges we share are far greater than the differences that exist between us.

 “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.” – James Baldwin

By reading books about death and dying we can increase our own death-awareness and prepare ourselves to be a source of information and inspiration for others.

To foster this type of positive growth through reading a unique new reading group called “A Year of Reading Dangerously” has been created for 2018. The group will explore death, dying and the afterlife by reading one book on these subjects each month during the year and holding online discussions about each book.

You can join more than 700 people around the world who are all learning about death together by signing up here. You have much to gain by reading about death … in fact, it will change your life!