OLLI0159 - The End of Life and The Quest for Human Meaning

Course Description

Humans seek meaning in all activities and dying is no exception. Most of us have a lot invested not simply in when we die, but how. Sigmund Freud said that every creature wants to die in its own way, but that is increasingly challenging for 21st Century Americans. What are the meanings attached to our exit, and how can we prepare both ourselves and our families for a death we want, or at least a death that does not demean or diminish us? This course will explore multiple dimensions of seeking a meaningful death, including the current cultural norms, the role of medical assistance in dying, the place of advance planning documents, and when death could be welcomed rather than resisted. What constitutes a good or meaningful death will be a question threaded through all the sessions. This course will be recorded.