The Art of Manliness

#443: What Building Your Own Coffin Teaches You About Life, Death, and Meaning

Sep 24, 2018

Writer David Giffels recounts building a coffin with his father, reflecting on life lessons. They discuss Rust Belt loyalty, sports resilience, and the profound experience of coffin-building. Exploring themes of aging, mortality, and family bonds, the conversation touches on near victories in sports, Ohio humor, and navigating midlife challenges.

48:37

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Episode guests

David Giffels

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Quick takeaways

Building a coffin with a family member can lead to deep reflections on life, death, and aging.

Exploring green burial options reflects evolving attitudes towards death and environmental consciousness.

Deep dives

Building a Coffin with a Twist

The podcast episode delves into the unique experience of the host, David Giffles, who embarked on a special project with his 81-year-old father: building their own coffin. This unconventional endeavor emerged not just from a practical need but from a lighthearted debate about burial preferences and family traditions. As they navigated the construction process, unexpected practical considerations arose, such as the need to adhere to standard coffin dimensions for burial requirements.

Intro

5min

Near Victories and Hope in Sports and Life

5min

Exploring the Humor and Resilience of Ohio, Particularly in Industrial Towns

2min

Journey of Building a Coffin

10min

Navigating Aging, Mortality, and Parental Loss in Midlife

6min

Reflections on Aging, Parenting, and Coffin Building

21min

Exploring Life, Death, and Meaning with David Giffles

2min

When David Giffels was 50 years old and completely healthy, he decided to build his own coffin with his 81-year-old, master craftsman father. Why? Well, I ask him that on today’s podcast. David Giffels is a writer who previously published a book of essays about growing up in the Rust Belt of Ohio in the 1970s. That title is called The Hard Way on Purpose. In his latest book, Furnishing Eternity: A Father, a Son, a Coffin, and a Measure of Life, he recounts the experience of building his own coffin with his father and the lessons about life, aging, and death that he picked up along the way.

We begin the show discussing why many in the Rust Belt live by the motto, "The Hard Way on Purpose," and how it manifests itself in their undying loyalty to their sports teams that come up short year after year. We then shift gears and discuss David’s project of building his own casket with his dad, the expectations he had going into it, and why lying in your own coffin is, unfortunately, not as profound of an experience as you’d think it would be.

Get the show notes at aom.is/giffels.

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The Art of Manliness

#443: What Building Your Own Coffin Teaches You About Life, Death, and Meaning

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Building a Coffin with a Twist

Reflections on Mortality and Meaning

Family Bonding and Unconventional Storage Solutions

Unexpected Endings and Reflective Hilarity

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts