Is Death Better in Utopia?

Abstract

Life is better in any utopia that deserves its name. But what about death? This question might have seemed remote to the point of absurdity had it been raised in the early years of the death awareness movement. During the “taboo” period (Feifel, 1959) even words such as dying and death were not to be spoken. Unfortunately, people touched by mortality (the dying or the grieving) were also distanced. Here and there a smattering of protothana-tologists were trying to assess the situation and decide where to start. The priorities were clear and compelling, the needs urgent: we should try to encourage open discussion of dying and death on both a feeling and a knowledge level; end the social isolation so often experienced by dying people and provide effective palliation of pain and other symptoms; improve our understanding of grief and offer more sensitive and appropriate support. This was—and remains—a challenging agenda. Nevertheless, progress is also evident, as exemplified by hospice/palliative care programs, peer and professional counseling services, informed consent, advance directives, and death education.