This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about “Dying” — the fact that it’s something we’re all going to do, and the fact that most of us live in denial of that reality, often to our detriment.

The age-old advice to live each day as though it was our last might be inspiring, but it is also rather impractical. The truth is, most of us alternate between repressing most of our thoughts and feelings about death and then being uncomfortably confronted by them. And then, beyond feeling weirded out by the prospect of death, we’re just not sure what to do.

So here, we dive into the topic of death and dying. We share our take on our own mortality. We share some insights on how to live better by thinking, talking about, and planning for death as a fact of life.

Finally (no pun intended), we offer you some solutions to help you explore your own feelings about death in ways that help you live your own life with greater meaning and satisfaction. 

“Dying” Episode Highlights

• Pilar shares an app that does nothing but repeatedly remind her she is going to die
• Dallas talks about the inspired way his mom is approaching the second half of her life
• An exploration of The Top Five Regrets of Dying (via The Guardian)
• The chase for money, fame, and power and why they rarely deliver all we hope
• The value of taking ownership of your life — with your death in mind
• Dallas reflects on the passing of his father and his father’s end-of-life experience
• Some tips and tools for opening conversations about death and dying with your loved ones
• How an obsessive focus on health and longevity can work against happiness

1. Check out one of the death calculators in the resource list with the goal of gaining more concrete knowledge about how much of your projected lifespan you have left. 
2. Watch one of the death-themed movies in the resources section (or of your choosing) and notice if and how it causes you to reflect on your own mortality. Open a conversation with a friend or family member about the movie or topic.

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Resources

• Death-prediction tools
  • The Death Clock
  • Death Date
  • World Population Project “How Long Will I Live” calculator
• “Top Five Regrets of the Dying” via The Guardian
• The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
• Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, plus his interview with Krista Tippett on her award-winning podcast, On Being
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
• The Order of the Good Death website
• The death-reminder app, We Croak
• The movies Captain Fantastic, Bucket List, Steel Magnolias
• National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
• The Conversation Project (guidance for talks about end of life planning)
• Articles from Experience Life magazine:
  • “On Dying Well“
  • “Dying With Dignity”
  • “How to Start End-of-Life Conversations”
  • “New Thinking on End-of-Life Planning”

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