We All Face Death. Here's How To Prepare [Episode #14]

*Note: This episode contains explicit and graphic content that might be difficult for some people. Live And Let Die Death.  Talk about a “forbidden” topic of conversation!  The concept of dying and exiting this world is uncomfortable.  And yet, dying is a natural thing.  In fact, it is something we are good at from before we are born, as our cells divide and differentiate in our mother’s womb.  So while it may be just a little bit taboo, I believe that a healthy understanding of some of the events surrounding the process of death can help to eliminate the fear of the unknown as pertains to our own passing, or that of friends and family members, and perhaps even have an effect on how we choose to live.  Our bodies are made to live, but they are also made to die.  All the way down to a single cell—apoptosis, the natural death of a cell—the idea is for each cell to be healthy enough that it lives the life it’s programmed to live until it’s programmed to die.  Even though death can seem like an event—sudden, unexpected, final—it is indeed a process, and one that follows a sort of pattern we can be aware of.  Three main control systems within the body that are geared toward keeping us alive from moment to moment are:  the regulation of oxygen and carbon dioxide, arterial blood pressure, and extracellular constituents such as electrolytes and basic chemical balances.  As we approach death, these (and other) functions begin to change, and what was once considered to be “autoregulated” begins to be “deregulated,” and the process of death commences.  As systems weaken, breathing slows.  As breathing slows, less oxygen is available to the muscles and the body becomes tired.  Lack of interest, diminished appetite, and a restlessness that may show itself in repetitive motions such as picking at the bed linens or even at the air—all just signs of less and less oxygen being made available to the tissues, organs, and brain.  Involuntary loss of urine or feces is possible, as the muscles that control the bowel and bladder relax.  Trouble regulating temperature, and pallor may occur, as blood pressure drops and less blood travels to the surface of the skin.  The swallowing reflex weakens to such an extreme that in the last moments of life, an accumulation of fluid at the back of the throat can create what is known as the “death rattle.”  As alarming as some of these things may be, understanding that death is merely a part of life, and that in death we find ultimate rest—a ceasing—and that moving on is really more like doing absolutely nothing, we may find comfort.  In some cultures it is common practice to place a hand on the head of the person who has just breathed his or her last and say something to the effect of “Now you have died and will leave your body.  Your work here is finished.  There is nothing you can take with you.  Let go of everything, including all regrets, and be your true self, a being of light and love for all those you have known and not known.  Now you can learn everything you need, generate supreme faith and devotion to your refuge and the wish to be unified with your God.” My challenge to you—don’t wait until the dying process begins.  With the awareness of the reality of death and what it will bring, let go of regrets now; be your true self; and get to living! “Now you have died and will leave your body. Your work here is finished. There is nothing you can take with you. Let go of everything, including all regrets, and be your true self, a being of light and love for all those you have known and not known. Now you can learn everything you need, generate supreme faith and devotion to your refuge, and now the wish to be unified with your God.” What You Will Learn in This Episode:   How death is a forbidden subject. How we have been dying since birth. Why every cell has to be healthy in order to have a whole, healthy body. Why we won’t even look at anything about death until it happens. The stages of death. According to the Book of the Dead, you are light. The minute we were born, we start to die.  What the biggest killer in America really is. There is this life force deep inside of you that is so brilliantly beautiful and powerful that transcends this process of death. Download a Transcript of this show: Click Here