Kathryn Mannix
With the End in Mind
Dying, Death and Wisdom in an Age of Denial
The author, experienced British palliative doctor, defines today's Western civilization as a society at the time of denial: we are afraid of death, and so we don’t want to hear about it. The author points to typical phenomena, certain patterns, that are repeated again and again, when a person approaches death. If he and his surroundings recognize the well-known formula in time and react correctly, then there is a good chance that death will come as a silent friend, leaving sadness and reconciliation, not terror and rejection. Thirty stories of good and bad dying urge us to think, inform, ask about death – as long as it is time.
The book sums up author’s lifelong experience and insights, while being a memento addressed to modern society: People are mortal, and death is real and serious, not terrible. But today, people don't freely think of and talk about death. We deny it, so fear and helplessness can easily happen to us. Thirty stories of good and bad dying lead us to serious thinking about it. Otherwise, instead of simply human dying in a benign environment, we may experience prolonged dying in a hospital machinery. Translation by Zora Freiová