TED Talks Daily Why you should start thinking about death | How to Be a Better Human
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Dec 30, 2024 
Alua Arthur is a death doula and founder of Going With Grace, dedicated to supporting individuals and families as they face end-of-life decisions. In this enlightening discussion, she emphasizes how contemplating death can enhance our appreciation for life. Alua shares the importance of mindfulness around mortality, finding joy in fleeting moments, and the transformative power of confronting our own mortality. She also highlights the essential role death doulas play in supporting meaningful transitions, fostering open conversations about dying.
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Thinking About Mortality
- To contemplate mortality, observe dying things around you, like old vegetables in your fridge.
- This injects small doses of mortality into daily life, making big-picture thinking less overwhelming.
Confronting Mortality
- Ignoring mortality prevents self-reflection about values and reconciliation with one's true self.
- Confronting mortality sharpens focus on life, relationships, career, and purpose.
Inspiration for Death Work
- Alua Arthur's work was inspired by a conversation with a woman dying of uterine cancer and her brother-in-law's illness.
- These experiences highlighted the importance of support during death and inspired her career shift from law.
