Can We Please Talk About Death?

The only way we can start to break down the walls that death puts up, is to talk about it. The only way we can begin to 'trial and error' our way through the language surrounding death, is to begin to try, experience a few errors, and slowly work out the best way for these conversations to happen. Death and grief aren't a big black hole that needs to be avoided at all costs. Talking to someone about it won't make you fall in the hole and keep falling until you can't get up.
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My Mum died. I didn't lose her - she was in the lounge. She didn't pass anything, death isn't an exam and what does 'pass away' even mean?! She died.

You can talk about her and mention her name without whispering it. It's okay. I like talking about her. I like remembering her. I like hearing stories of her.

I'm sick of people treating grief like a broken eggshell. Talking about it will not cause your own parent to die. Death happens to everyone, so surely we need to work out a way to talk about it?

I posted the above on one of my social media channels the other day. I was really surprised by the response. So many bereaved children commented saying how much they agreed. They also included the awkwardness that comes when someone says 'I'm sorry'. How do you respond to that? I always say 'well it wasn't your fault', but that sounds callous. As does saying 'well it was a long time ago', or 'it's okay'.

Nobody knows how to talk about death. We resort to nonsensical euphemisms. Nobody knows how to talk about grief. People whisper. Or they blank words out of sentences. It's awkward and uncomfortable. Death and grief seem to have become one of the biggest taboos in our society. It's really quite odd, because death and grief happen to literally everyone, so of all the things which could be taboo, it's a bit bizarre that death has become one of them.

Rio Ferdinand did a fantastic documentary the other week where he spoke about the death of his wife, and the grieving process that he continues to experience. He spoke about his worries for his children. He spoke about his resistance to therapy, and later his need for it. It was raw, open and honest. It was refreshing to see an honest account of grief on a national TV channel. We need more of it.

Grief is horrible and unpredictable. It will affect everyone differently, and different people will need different approaches when it comes to talking, or helping. But rather than projecting your idea of what constitutes 'help' onto another person - why not just ask them what they need, or what they would find helpful?

The only way we can start to break down the walls that death puts up, is to talk about it. The only way we can begin to 'trial and error' our way through the language surrounding death, is to begin to try, experience a few errors, and slowly work out the best way for these conversations to happen. Death and grief aren't a big black hole that needs to be avoided at all costs. Talking to someone about it won't make you fall in the hole and keep falling until you can't get up.

Please ask your friends if they would like to talk about their dying family members. Please ask your friends and family if they would like to talk about their dead family members. It might be awkward and uncomfortable, especially to begin with, but death happens to all of us, and slowly, together, we can work out a way to talk about it in a more comfortable way.

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