FUTURffiS

V o l u m e 5 , N u m b e r2

Contents
Feature Articles

fames EverettKatz

9 7 C h a ri o ts and D ri vers:S oci al Forcesand

T e c h n o l o g i c a lC h a n g ei n S P a c e
Po l i c y -Maki ng

E lliot S eif

1 0 7 D a r e W e B u i l d a N e w C u r r i c u l u mf o r
a N e w A ge?

Sohail Inayatullah

1 2 1 T h e F u turesof D eath and D Y i ng

Selma K. Sonntag

1 4 3 S o c i o l i n g u i s t i cF u t u r e s

f an T ils en

1 6 1 C o m p uters i n E ducati on: From a

P a re n t' sP oi nt of V i ew
Communications

lnternational
Association Futuribles

1 8 7 In te rnati onal FuturesA cti vi ti es

Magoroh Maruyama

1 8 9 W e N e ed N ew C ri teri a for Facul ty R ecrui tment

Book Reviews

David Renz

193 The Credentialsociety: An Historical Sociology

of Education and Stratitication by Randall
Collins

David Renz

197 The Medusa Conspiracy by Ethan Shedley

Wayne fennings

198 Education and the Future edited by Lane

J e n n i n g sa n d S a l l y C o r n i s h
199 Book Note

rssN0164-1220
(23s)

FUTURfCS,
Vol. 5. No.2, pp.12'l-'l 41,1981
Printedin the USA.All rightsreserved.

01*1 220|81 lO20,1.

21-21$,O2.W
IO
CopyrightO 1981PergamonPressLtd

THE FUTURESOF DEATHAND DYING

SohailInayatullah

Death,today, is a basicfact of life. lt is a certainty.A certaintythat humanityhas

alwaystried to understand,to give meaningto, a certaintythat has alwaysbeen
paradoxical- attracting,yet repulsingus.
Throughouthistory,humanshavedevelopedwaysof dealingwith death,attitudes
towardsdeath,and specificbehaviorsdealingwith deathand dying.Society,today,
is undergoingrapidchangeson individual,societal,and global levels.Our patterns
of communicationare changing,revolutionarynew technologiesare being
developedand diffused.Structuralchangesare occurringin both developedand
nationsand in their interrelationships.
underdeveloped
The list of revolutionsare
numerous;biological,political,spiritual,informationand so on. Somesaythat our
imageof man is changing;our imageof the good life and the good societyis also
changing- and so is our imageof death.'
What will deathbe like in humankind's
futures?What trendsin our changingimageof deathwill bringabout thesealternatefutures?How will changingimagesof
death affect different aspectsof society?
In this paper I will explorepast,presentand future strategiesof dealingwith
death. I will then discussdeath in America(andthe IndustrialWorld)today,specific
trendsthat may alter America's(andthe Globe's)imageof death,and the effectsof
thesetrendson society,andf inallyI will explorewhat deathmay look tikein various
alternatefutures.
But first, understanding
death is a cognitiveas well as an emotivechallenge.
Visualpresentations
may be more holisticthan written onesin bringingabout an
understandingof death. Plays,movies,slide shows,and of course havingthe experienceof someoneclosedie or being near death oneselfare important.So bear
with me and the inadequatewritten word and let us begin.
STRATEGIES
OF DEATINGWITH DEATH
Arnold Toynbeepresentseight specificstrategiesthat cultureshave usedto deal
with death.2Someof theseare highlydurablefrom cultureto cultureandfrom time
to time (for example,"putting one'streasuresin future generations")
while others,
suchas "physicalcountermeasures,"
haveevolvedsignificantlyfrom puttingfood
within a tomb to geneticengineering.
The authorwishesto thank Jim Dator and MitsuoAoki for their assistance.
Sohail lnayatullahis a graduatestudent in political scienceat the Universityof Hawaii,
Honolulu,Hl96822.
121

122

Sohai!tnaYatullah

the cul ture; for exi n d i c a to rsof the cosmorogyof

T hes e s t r a te g i e sa re s i g n i fi c a n t
i n he' and heaven i s di f* i th J " a th th rough i r," u" ti ef
am pr e, a c ur t u re w h i c h d l a rs
to note that
i n re i ncarnati on.l t i s al so i mportant
f er ent f r om a c u rtu re w h i c h b e ri e v e s
correl atedw i th i ma n d i ndi vi duar l i fe are al so
e
c
o
n
o
m
i
c
p
o
ri
ti
c
a
r,
t
ow
a
rd
s
at t it udes
ages of death.
1. Hedonis m

- enj oy l i fe as much
o f re c o n c i ringoneserfw i th death
T his is t he m o s t o b v i o u s w a y
H ere one attempts to
,." p tr" o f d e ath snatchesi t aw ay.
maki ng
as pos s ibr eb e fo re th e c ru e r
y e t it forever l urks i n the unconsci ous,
r id t he m ind o f th e re a ri ty o f d e a th ,
the consci ous mi nd'
b u t l o ng enough to gnaw at
it s elf pr es e n t o n l y o c c a s i o n a l l y ,
thi s approach' but
p re s e n td a y' -, h umuni huu" attempted
and
F r om E gy pt i a nti me s to th e
i t d" ni " , the compl exi ty, the struggl e
i ;,r,
in t he f inar a n a ry s i sth i s s tra t" r;
dept h of lif e a n d d e a th '
2. Pessimism

death may be
to h e d o n ism i s the i dea that arthough
a
rte
rn
a
ti
v
e
o
b
v
i
o
u
s
m
os
t
T he
the Creek poet
l e s s e re v i l ' I n t h e f i f t h c e n t u r y '
painful, comparedto life it is ihe
and second-best
b e s t o f a l l n ever to have been born'
i
s
"
i
t
th
a
t
A
"
.i
u
r"
d
S ophoc le,
to go back agai n' as
- i f o n e h a s m a d e h i s a p pearancei n thi s w orl d'
f
a
r
by
s ec ond
hasalsobeensaid"those who
he has.or".i'lt
quickly as may be thithel.yl:n."
t h e g o d s I o v e , d i e y o u n g . , , o T h i s v L * " , p " . i a | | iynhfact,
o | d sthe
i n haverage
i s t o r y wrihfe
e nexpectancy
gettingo|dwas
a n d fe ebreness;
5 coupl ed w i th peri odi c
equat ed wi th i n c re a s i n gd i s e a s e
1900
a n d o n l y 4 0 y" urrty A .D '
was 20 y ea rs p ri o r to A .D . 5 0 0
state'
i n d e e ds e e m t o b e a d e s i r a b l e
f a m i n e s a n d p l a g u e sa n d * u ' r ' a " u t f t ' m -a' ya
has been
T
h
i
s
p
e
s
s
i
m
i
s
m
'
philosophical
T h e r e i s a n o t h e rt y p e o f p " r r i . i r r
by aspects of B udo f p " o pl " but best i l l ustrated
n
u
m
e
ro
u
,
*
ro
u
o
l
b
y
dev eloped
dhism and 20th century Existentialism'
s i n c e r e .I n B u d .
r a d i c a | ,a n d a c c o r d i n gt o T o y n b e e ,
b
e
e
n
h
a
s
p
e
s
s
i
m
i
s
m
Buddhist
d e s i r e 's u f i , . u u ' " a b y . d e s i r et'h u s b y e x t i n g u i s h i n g
d h i s m ,l i f e i s s u f f e r i n g , u f f " r i n g
s
u
f
f
e
r
i
n ga s b e i n g
a
n
d
r
i
f
e
i s a t t a i n e d .B u d d h as a w
f e r i n g i s t r a n s c e n d e da n d N i r v a n a
and thei r
(acti
ons
karma
of
b y b reaki ng i h" w heel
s y nony m o u r. L i t" i s p a i n fu l , b u t
rebi rth
and
death'
l
i
fe'
of
b y breaki ngl he w heel
r eac t ionsb ro u g h t a b o u t U v O" ri r" ,i ,
c
o
n
c
l
u
d e si n
b
u
t
p
e
s
s
i
m
i
s
m
in
. u d d h i s mb " e g i n s
_ r i f e a n d d e a t h a r e t r a n s c e n d e dB
o f D e a th'
E nlight en me n ta n d th e d e a th
of the i na b so| ute,the unqua| i fi ed termi nati on
F or t he e x i s te n ti a | i s t,d e a th i s a n
a
nd their
d
e
a
t
h
'
i
m
p
e
n
d
i
n
g
animals'know of their
dividual self. Humans,unlike
Ii ke the
R
oquenti
n,
N a usea,the mai n character,
I a rtre ,sn o v e |
f init ude. I n J e a n -Pa uS
Buddhist,hastheveilsofignorancetornaway'butonlytoseethatdeathisthefinal
absurdity,anabsurditybringingaboutanguih
s h , d r e a d , a n d d e s p a iarg. e s 'c r e e k
s u i c i d e a s b e e n p r a c t i c e df o r
o n e i n d i c a t o ro f p e s s i m i s mi i s u i c i d e .
There have been
H i n d u wi dow s have done Ii kew i se.
s t at es m e nc o mmi tte d s u i c i d e ,
rather than be
sui
ci
de
L yci ans have commi tted
c as eswhe n J e w s ,P h o e n i c i a ;;, " ;J
mass
c
o
and his foilowers allegedly mmitted
t a k e n p r i s o n e r .R e c e n t r y r i r ' t o n " s
fu tu re '
s uic ide r a th e r th a n fa c e th e i r
to sui ci de' as
h a v e s i gni fi cantryri ttre sti gma.attached
c
u
rtu
re
s
Ea
s
te
rn
a
n
d
G r eek
b
e r i e v eh e h a s
n
o
t
d
o
e
s
c u r t u r e s .i i e c h r i s t i a n
c o m p a r e ot o c t r i s t i a n a n d r s r a m i c

t he r ight t <
A m e r i c a n,
3. Attempt

A c o mm o n
p e r s o n ' sl i
paraphern
l o n g e r ,i t c
m or eover
death and
Another
the search
A 20t h
s o m e h o wI
writes:

lf t her ee
maybe I
animals

C e n et r a
i n fo r m a
withtim

F ur t h e r n
t wo st ages
creation o
engineeri
Whethe
tality rem
4. Attempt

This view
measureS
doingthis
p a p y r u sl e
u s eo f t h e 1
i n fo r m a t i o
b o o k sw i l l
care,if ind

5. Reconc
Ceneratior

Here the i
descenda
Yahweh
said,"l wl

The Futuresof Death and Dying

123

t he r ight t o en d h i s l i fe , o n l y C o d h a s th a t prerogati ve.Thi s vi ew obvi ousl y affects

A m er ic an at t itu d e s to w a rd s e u th a n a s i a .
3. Attempts to Circumvent Death by Physical Countermeasures
A c om m on as s u m p ti o na mo n g s t p ri m i ti v e cul tures concerni ngdeath i s that the dead
per s on' s lif e c a n b e p ro l o n g e d b y p ro v i d i n g the corpse w i th food, dri nk, and other
par apher nalia .Al th o u g h th i s s tra te g yh a s not hel ped the E gypti anP haraohsl i ve any
longer , it c er ta i n l y h a s h e l p e d a rc h a e o l o g i stsreconstruct anci ent ci vi l i zati ons,and
m or eov er it h a s h e l p e d th e s a l e o f P h a ra o hTut-ankh-ament-shi rts - but more on
deat h and c ap i ta l i s m l a te r.
A not her s t r a te g y fo r th e c i rc u m v e n ti o n of death by physi cal measureshas been
t he s ear c h f or th e e l i x i r o f l i fe , th e fo u n ta in of youth.
A 20th century strategy that is being developed by scientists is the hope of
s om ehow f ind i n g th e " a g i n g c l o c k " th a t re gul atesl i fe span. Futuri st f oel K urtzman
wr it es :
processin cells,then it
lf thereexistcertain"death genes"which key on the degeneration
may be possibleto introducenew genesproducedsyntheticallyor from young humans,
anim alsor
, b a c te ri ath a t w i l l tu rn o ff th e d e athgenes.
m i g h te v e ne n a b l es c i e n ti s ts
fetusesw i th newgeneti c
to i nj ectdevel opi ng
Cenet r ans p l a n ts
informationthat would cancelout the deathgenesat birth or preventbreakdownof genes
wit h t im e. 5
F ur t her m or e ,fu tu ri s t F .M. E s fa n d i a ryb e li evesthat i mmortal i ty can be achi eved i n
t wo s t ages .F i rs t th ro u g h a n ti -a g i n gm e a s uresor cl oni ng, and secondl y ei ther by the
c r eat ion of ne w i mp e ri s h a b l e b o d i e s to house the consci ous mi nd or by geneti c
engineering.T
W h e t h e ra l l t h i s i s s i m p l y a n e x t e n s i o no f o u r s e a r c hf o r t h e i l l u s i v ee l i x i ro f i m m o r t alit y r em ains to b e s e e n , b u t w i th o u t d o ubt i t i s an i mportant strategy.
4. Attempts to Circumvent Death by Winning Fame
T his v iew ac k n o w l e d g e s th a t th e d e a d b ody cannot be kept al i ve by physi cal
m eas ur es ,but s ta te s th a t th e m e m o ry o f th e dead can be kept al i ve. The means of
doing t his hav e v a ri e d th ro u g h o u t h i s to ry ,f rom the use of oral poetry to w ri ti ng on
papy r us leav e s ,c l a y ta b l e ts a n d te mp l e fo undati ons,and more recentl y through the
us e of t he pr in ti n g p re s s .Be s i d e sth e w ri tte n w ord there are other w ays of conveyi ng
inf or m at ion - s c u l p tu re s ,p a i n ti n g s ,a n d the medi a. Y et as eons go by, how many
b o o k s w i l l s u r v i v e ,h o w m a n y s c u l p t u r e sw i l l r e t a i n t h e i r f o r m , a n d w h o i n f a c t w i l l
c ar e, if indeed th e re i s a n y o n e a l i v e to c a re?
5. Reconciling Death by Putting One's Treasuresin Future
Cenerations of One's Fellow Human Beings
Her e t he indiv i d u a l " l i v e s " o n b y i d e n ti fyi ng w i th hi s successors,be they physi cal
d e s c e n d a n t so r p o l i t i c a l i r e l i g i o u sh e i r s .
Y ahweh nev e r p ro mi s e dA b ra h a m i mmo rtal i ty; he promi sed hi m progeny.Y ahw eh
s aid, " l will ma k e o f th e e a g re a t n a ti o n " and " thou shal t be a father of many

F'

124

Sohail lnayatullah

to the Pann a t i o n s . , ,As n d i n t h e H i n d u t r a d i t i o n ,K r s h n av i r t u a l t y p r o m i s e dt h e s a m e

w orthy of
anyone
havi
ng
dav a br ot hers .eC o n v e rs e l y ,n o t h a v i n g a n y offspri ng,or not
p o l i t i c a l o r r e l i g i o u ss u c c e s s i o ni s l o o k e d o n w i t h h o r r o r .
to be comA nc es t or w o rs h i p i s a n o th e r fo rm o f thi s. The i ndi vi dual desi res
i
n
successi on
on
m em or at ed a n d h o n o re d a fte r h i s d e a th by hi s fami l y and so
throughtime.
one' s conHowev er ,t o d a y i t s e e ms ,a c c o rd i n g to Toynbee,that one must transfer
does not
humani
ty
i
f
c er n f r om on e ,s p u n y s e l f to th e w h o l e o f humani ty. A nd w hat
death of
i
n
depri
vi
ng
hel
p
s ur v iv e?Can t ra n s fe rri n go n e ' s tre a s u re sto posteri ty reatl y
it s s t ing. lt s e e m s n o t.
6. Setf-liberation and Merger in LJltimate Reality
another change Her e deat h is n o t s e e na s th e te rm i n a ti o n o f the sel f, but as si mpl y
i
s
born, one di es one
a c ont inuous p h a s e d me ta mo rp h o s i s .On e i s born, one di es,
p
h
y s i c a lb o d y t h a t
a
e n d l e s s l y .B u t l i f e h a s a s p e c i a lf u n c t i o n . l t i s t h r o u g h h a v i n g
ul ti mate real i ty or i n Inone has t he o p p o rtu n i ty a n d p o s s i b i l i ty to merge w i th the
dian thought - Brahman.
strategy,i n general
A lt hough t h e re a re d i ffe re n t my s ti c a l s chool sw ho fol l ow thi s
here i s that the sel f i s
t heir v iew po i n ts a re q u i te s i mi ra r.T h e most i mportant aspect
the body,the"l" of the
s e e n a s b e i n g m u l t i d i m e n s i o n a tT. h e r e i s t h e " 1 " o r s e l f o f
but the " l " of the
m ind, and t h e " 1 " o f th e s o u t. In d e a th i t i s the fi rst " l " thatdi es,
identityis Brahman,
m i n d a n d s o u l c o n t i n u e s ;u n t i l t h e s o u l r e a l i z e st h a t i t s a c t u a l
and it , at de a th , me rg e s i n to u l ti ma te re al i ty'
of the future. There are
T her e is f a r l e s sfe i r o f d e a th i f o n e h a s a posi ti ve i mage
medi tati on, and servi ce
s pec if ic way s a n d me a n s o f a tta i n i n g l i b erati on, devoti on,
Book of the Dead'
being the most important. An interesting example is the Tibetan
rebi rth process.These
T his book in c l u d e s i n n e r ma p s o f th e d y i ng, post-death,and
i n rei ncarnati on,the acs er v e as pr e p a ra ti o n sfo r d e a th . H e n c e t hrough the bel i ef
maps of death, the i nc ept anc e of th e mu tti fa ri o u s n a tu re o f th e sel f, and the use of
d i v i d u a l s o m e w h a t r e c o n c i l e sh i m s e l f t o d e a t h '
7. The Belief in the PersonalImmortality of the Human Soul
onl y beT his s t r at egyi s s i m i l a r to " me rg e r i n u l ti mate reati ty" i n that death i s seenas
i s exing a s t age,b u t fo r th e my s ti c , th e s e l f e ither expandsto become B rahman,or
personal
i
mmortal
i
ty of
the
of
bel
i
ef
i
n
the
W
h
e
re
a
s
N
i
rv
a
n
a
.
t inguis hed t o re a ti z e
i
denti
ty.
i
ndi
vi
dual
and
i
ts
s
e
parate
re
ta
i
n
s
e
te
rn
a
tl
y
t he s oul, t he s o u l
- the B abyl oni ans,the C reeks,
Num er ous c u ttu re s h a v e fo l l o w e d th i s strategy
there
Chr is t ians ,M u s l i m s , J e w s , Eg y p ti a n s ,Scandi navi ans,and Zoroastri ans.H ere
the
pl
aces
w
here
and
dead,
the
w
i
th
c
o
mmu
n
i
c
ati
on
g
h
o
s
ts
,
s p i ri ts ,
ex is t t ales o f
s
o
u
l is
t
h
e
(
J
u
d
g
e
m
e
n
t
D
a
y
)
t
i
m
e
c
e
r
t
a
i
n
a
a
t
b
u
t
d
i
e
s
d e a d r e s i d e .T h e i n d i v i d u a t
thi
s
share
both
l
sl
am
and
C
hri
sti
ani
ty
re
b
o
rn.
p
h
y
s
i
c
a
l
b
o
d
y
r es ur r ec t edw i th th e
rel
i
gi
ons
these
by
deri
ved
been
have
to
i
t
s
e
e
m
s
T
o
y
n
b
e
e
v iew, and a c c o rd i n g to
t hr ough Z oro a s tri a ni s m .
B. The Hope of Heaven and the Fear of Hell
moral
B ot h t he ab o v e me n ti o n e d v i e w s fi n d th ei r sophi sti cati onw hen spati al and
parti
cul ar
that
i
n
w
hy
and
resi
de
g
oi
ng
to
s
o
u
l
i
s
th
e
c ondit ions a re me t. Wh e re

p l a c e ?T h e
pr e- Chr ist
their Heav
For t he i
his good or
t hose who
T h i si s c
e n t i s d e fi n
may or ma
so far as r
per son's in
l i v e l i e rt h a
ln addit
t oday, we
essay Do V
H i sa n s w
or some ul
deat h, not
"survival o
t im es ser v
m o r t a l i t yg
is m or e r ea
But t her r
a l r e a d y ,f o r
minationo
cat egor ize
tinuum.
A deathr
He does no
deat h f r om
A death
recognizes
and althoul
organizatio
t ance of de
It seems
w i n n i n gf a n
d e a t h .N o r i
and hell W
realityare r
can be a de

DE

What is the
has develop
a l s of a c e t h i
I will now
We f ind t he
T h i se t h i c ,b

The Futuresof Deathand Dying

125

plac e?T he C re e k s h a d th e i r H a d e s ,th e E gypti anshad thei r K i ngdom of the W est, the
p r e - C h r i s t i aS
n c a n d i n a v i a nh e r o h i s V a l h a l l a ,a n d t h e C h r i s t i a n sM
, u s l i m s ,J e w sh a v e
t h e i r H e a v e na n d H e l l .
F or t he a n c i e n t Me s o p o ta m i a n th e a f terl i fe w as dark and mi serabl eregardl essof
his good or b a d a c ti o n s .D i ffe re n t fa te s aw ai ted those E gypti answ ho had si nned and
t hos e who h a d l e a d a mo ra l l i fe .
T h i s i s c o n d i t i o n a li m m o r t a l i t y .T h e f u t u r e m a y b e h o r r i d o r b l i s s f u l ,b u t t h e p r e s ent is def in i te l y fu l l o f a n x i e ty ,g u i l t a n d fear - i f not for onesel fthen for othersw ho
m ay or m a y n o t m a k e i t to h e a v e n .A n d even more unfortunatel y,adds Toynbee," i n
s o f ar as t h e b e l i e f i n p e rs o n a l i mmortal i ty after death does capti vate a l i vi ng
per s on' s ima g i n a ti o n , th e b e l i e v e r' s mental pi cture of hel l seems general l y to be
l i v e l i e rt h a n h i s m e n t a l p i c t u r e o f h e a v e n . , , 1 o
I n addit i o n to th e p re v i o u s l y m e n ti o ned hi stori cal vi ew s, most of w hi ch are al i ve
t oday , we c a n a d d th e v i e w p o i n t e l o q uentl y expressedby B ertrand R ussel l i n hi s
essay Do We Survive Death?
H i s a n s w e rt o t h i s q u e s t i o ni s p l a i n a n d s i m p l e - w e d o n o t . B e t i e fi n a f u t u r e t i f e ,
or s om e ul ti ma te re a l i ty i s c a u s e d b y an emoti onal and fearful reacti on tow ards
deat h, not b y th e c o u ra g e o u sa c c e p ta nceof death and our personal mortal i ty. The
" s ur v iv al o f th e s o u l " a p p ro a c h i s , a c cordi ng to R ussel l ,i rrati onal and has many
t im es s er v e d a s a to o l fo r re l i g i o u sa n d ideol ogi calexpansi oni sm.W i th personati mm or t alit y g u a ra n te e d ,o r th e fu tu re o f the l dea (S tateor C od) at stake,the i ndi vi dual
is m or e r ea d y to d i e fo r th e c a u s e .
B ut t here a re o th e r w a y s to c a te g o ri zedeath strategi esthan the ones menti oned
afr eady , f or e x a mp l e o n e c o u l d u s e a " r ei ncarn ati on," " heaven and hel l ," and ,,term inat ion o f i n d i v i d u a l i d e n ti ty " tri c h o tomy. H ow ever a more hel pful w ay i s to
c at egor iz e i n d i v i d u a l s a n d c u l tu re s th rough a death-denyi ngi death-accepti ng
continuum.
A deat h-d e n y i n gi n d i v i d u a l i s o n e w h o attempts to evade the questi on of death.
He does no t w i s h to c o n fro n t th e i s s u e .A death-denyi ngcul ture attempts to remove
deat h f r om th e s e n s e sa n d mi n d th ro u g h i ts soci al organi zati ons.
A deat h -a c c e p ti n g i n d i v i d u a l , h o w e ver, attempts to understand death. H e
r ec ogniz esi ts i mp o rta n c e i n u n d e rs ta ndi ngl i fe, i s exposed to i t from an earty age,
and alt houg h a f ra i d o f d e a th , a c c e p ts th i s fear. A death-accepti ngcul ture has soci al
or ganiz at io n sa n d ri tu a l s w h i c h a re f l u i d and w hi ch ai d i n the aw arenessand accept anc e of de a th .
I t s eem s th a t i n g e n e ra l , h e d o n i s m,p essi mi sm,attempts to ci rcumvent death by
w i n n i n g f a m e a n d b y p h y s i c a lc o u n t e r m e a s u r e a
s r e n o t s u c c e s s f u li n d e a l i n g w i t h
deat h. Nor a re th e p ri ma ri l y W e s te rn re l i gi onsbecauseof thei r emphasi son hl aven
and hell. W h e re a s s o me o f th e Ea s te rncosmol ogi esw i th thei r maps of death and
r ealit y ar e m o re d e a th -a c c e p ti n g T
. h e v i ew that i ndi vi dual aw arenessends at death
c an be a de a th -a c c e p ti n go n e i f fa c e d w i th courage not pessi mi sm.
D E A T H A N D D Y T N Gt N A M E R T G AA
: N HtsroR|cAt ovERvtEw
W hat is t he s i tu a ti o n i n th e w o rl d to d a y ? l t seemsthat the W estern Industri alW orl d
has dev elop e d a d e a th -d e n y i n gc u l tu re , a nd that Thi rd and Fourth W orl d nati onsw i l l
als o f ac e t hi s fu tu re i f th e y c o n ti n u e to fol l ow the Industri al D evel opmental model .
I will now s p e c i fi c a l l y d e a l w i th th e a tti tudes tow ards death i n the U ni ted S tates.
W e f ind t he ro o ts o f A m e ri c a ' s p re s e n td eath-denyi ngcul ture i n the P uri tan E thi c.
T his et hic , b e c a u s eo f i ts te n e ts o f p re d e s ti nati onand sal vati onthrough di vi ne grace

126

Sohail lnayatullah

a l o n e , l e d t o a s e n t i m e n t o f u n c e r t a i n t y c o n c e r n i n gw h o w o u l d b e a m o n g s t t h e
c hos en f ew.
Cler gyexh o rte dth e i r c o n g re g a ti o n sto contempl ate the horrorsof hel l . youngsters
wer e t old, " C h i l d re n ; y o u w i l l th e re s e e g ravesas short as your sel ves.yea, yori may
be at P lay o n e H o u r D e a d , D e a d th e n e xt." rrA nd accordi ng to D avi d S tannard:.
Thechildof the Puritanwastold to think how it will be on a deathbed;to considerthe terror
of certainseparationfrom, and even betrayalby, parentsand loved ones;and to imagine
what hisw e l l d e s e rv e d
to rme n tsi n H e l l woul d be l i ke.' 2
H o w e v e r ,d e a t h t o o k o n a r o m a n t i c m e a n i n g i n t h e ' l 9 t h c e n t u r y .T h e c h i l d w a s
t old t o im ag i n e th e a c t o f d y i n g a s a p e aceful and transformati veexperi ence.The
em phas iswa s o n th e s w e e tn e s so f s a tv a ti on.
T he dead w e re b u ri e d i n b e a u ti fu l g r aveyardsw i th park-l i ke atmospheres.Thi s
was done s o a s to k e e p th e c o mmu n i ty -l i kefeel i ng of rural A meri ca, but as the forces
of indus t r ia l i z a ti o n a n d c o m m e rc i a l i z a ti on emerged; i nstead of romanti c beauty,
t he r ealit y o f d e a th w a s b a n i s h e d i n th e se very ,,parks.,,
T hus bega n th e i n te rtw i n i n g s o f c a p i tal i sm and death. " U ndertakers,, became
" f u n e r a l d i r e c t o r s , " a n d e m b a l m i n g t h e d e a d b e c a m e a c o m m o n p r a c t i c e .I n f a c t ,
t her e was ev e n a c o n te s t o ffe re d b y o n e of the many funeral magazi nescal l ed
S unny s idewhic h o ffe re d a $ 1 0 0 0 p ri z e to th e funeral di rector w ho show ed the
best app e a r i n gc o r p s e a f t e r a t i m e o f 6 0 d a y s b e t w e e n e m b a t m i n g a n d
c o n t e s tj u d g i n g . ' 3
lns t ead o f " c o ffi n s " th e re w e re n o w " caskets,,
a w ord ori gi nal y 11" uni ng
" jewel box . " A s p ri c e s c o n ti n u e to ri s e i t i s qui te cl ear w ho i s getti ng the j ew el s and
who t he c as k e t. F o r e x a m p l e , A m e ri c a spends an esti mated $4 bi l l i on a year on
f uner al and b u ri a l e x p e n s e s- a n a v e ra ge of $1032 per funeral .ra
I n addit io n , fu n e ra l d i re c to rs w h o d e scri be themsel vesas " gri et counsel ors,,do
not allev iat e g ri e f w i th th e i r l a c k o f p ro p er trai ni ng;rather they ai e more qui ck to
ask
f or addit iona l s u ms o f m o n e y fo r th e l a te st vel veti zed casket w i th bucket seats.Furt her m or e t he p ra c ti c e o f c o s me ti c i z i n g th e corpse does l i ttl e for the survi vors but
h i d e d e a t h , o r b r i n g o u t d e a t h i n a r e p u l s i v ef o r m .
W i t h i n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o np, o p u l a t i o n c e n t r a l i z a t i o no c c u r s .A s i n d i v i d u a l sm o v e t o
t he c it y , t he ru ra l fa m i l y i s l o s t, c o mmu n i ty feel i ng decreases,l ong-ti mefri ends
are
l o s t ,a n d t h e p a c e o f l i f e i n c l u d i n go r i e n t a t i o n st o w a r d st i m e c h a n g e .A n d a l o n g
with
t he s pec ializ a ti o no f w o rk i n i n d u s tri a l l i fe, the dead are removed from the fami l y
and c om m un i ty a n d a s s i g n e dto th e h a n ds of the undertaker.
M or eov er , n o t o n l y a re th e d e a d s e n t to the funeral home but the dyi ng are sent to
t he hos pit al a n d th e a g i n g to th e n u rs i n g home, al l under supervi si onof speci al i sts
who ar e s t r an g e rs .
W it h t he in s ti tu ti o n a l c o n tro l o f th e d yi ng, a certai n w armth, a certai n cari ng i s
los t . A s one p a ti e n t s a i d , " d e a th m a y b e ro uti ne to you, but i t i s new to me,,,
and, ,,al l
I want t o k no w i s th a t th e re i s s o me o n e to hol d my hand w hen I need at.,,1s
D eath i s
not adequat e l y d i s c u s s e dw i th i n th e c o n fi nes of most hospi tal s.A game of mutual
pr et ens eis pl a y e d b e tw e e n n u rs e a n d p a t i ent. D eath and the accompanyi ng
fear i s
on ev er y one' sm i n d b u t th i s c o n c e rn i s n o t verbal i zed - the pati ent i s not tol d
of hi s
f ut ur e, of his d y i n g . T h i s l e a d s to a h o s t o f suppressedfeel i ngs and dark moments
t hat r em ain u n to l d a n d u n s h a re d .
Deat h in in d u s tri a l s o c i e ty i s p o rn o g ra phi c.l t i s a soci al di sease - one not ment ioned in poli te c o m p a n y , n o t b e fo re th e chi l dren. D eath, dyi ng and agi ng
are horri -

ble subje
response
Ther e is li
and t hen
Lit t le a
bravely. T
loneliness
and new c
At a rec
how to acl
puzzled ar
spot when
chance of
There is
Hutch, Ko
desensitiz
process bu
st r ay bulle
explored.
Technok
and Ameri<
ing are in c
ween the q
And wha
There is gui
s/he having
Hospit alsar
And alonl
new ways o
bomb, a bor
The abovr
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images of d
cuf t ur e. But
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fear and fas
Hawaii studr
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read slowly I
...ldon't

My death.t
Come on, e
Not me, no

Thereis no fr
have lived a

The Futuresof Deathand DYing

127

ble s ubjec ts a n d a re n o t to b e ta l k e d about. A nd w hen a death does occur, the

r es pons eo f o th e rs to th e d e a d p e rs o n 'ssurvi vorsi s an automated " Oh, l ' m sorry."
T her e is t ittl e d i s c u s s i o no f th e d e c a y i n g body. The dead are hi dden aw ay i n caskets
and t hen la i d to re s t b e tw e e n th e ro s e sand the pl umeri as.
Lit t le at te n ti o n i s p a i d to th e s u rv i vor. S urvi vorsare expected to bear the gri ef
br av ely . T h i s e ffo rt h o w e v e r te a d sto th e repressi onof anger,fear, gui l t, sorrow and
lonelines s.In to d a y ' s fa s t-m o v i n gs o c i e ty,tradi ti onal ri tual s are l osi ngthei r meani ng
and new ones have yet to be developed.
A t a r ece n t s u i c i d e a t a u n i v e rs i tyd o rmi tory area, no one knew qui te w hat to do,
how t o ac t . T h e s te re o ss to p p e d fo r a w hi l e, al l gathered to w atch, feel i ng uncertai n,
puz z led an d a f ra i d . T h e b o d y w a s re mo ved,the stereosbl ared agai n,but for days the
s pot wher e th e b o d y h a d fa l l e n w a s a v o i ded. Few emoti ons w ere expressedand the
c hanc e of d e a th b e i n g a tra n s fo rm a ti veexperi encefor the communi ty w as l ost.
There is some death education, of course in the form of Hawaii 5-0, Starskyand
Hut c h, K o i a k a n d o th e r s u c h te l e v i s i on programs. Y et these do l i ttl e more than
des ens it iz eth e re a l i ty a n d p a i n o f d e a th and dyi ng. D eath i s not show n as a natural
pr oc es sbu t a s a v i o l e n t a n d s u d d e n e v ent. The bystander i n K oi ak may be hi t by a
s t r a y b u l l e t , b u t t h e p a i n a n d m i s e r ya c c o m p a n y i n gd e a t h b y c a n c e ro r f a m i n e i s n o t
ex plor ed.
T ec hnol o g y h a s l e a d to th e p ro l o n g a ti on of l i fe. D i seaseshave been conquered,
and A m er ic a n s l i v e l o n g e r. B u t w h e n th e prol ongati on of l i fe and the rel i ef of suffering ar e in c o n f l i c t, th e fo rme r i s m o re i mportant. There i s, then, an i mbal ance between t he q u a n ti ty o f l i fe p ro l o n g e d a n d the qual i ty of l i fe prol onged.
A nd wha t o f th e c o s t o f u n n e c e s s a ryprol ongati on of l i fe? W ho w i l l pay the bi l l ?
T her e is gu i l t a n d a n g e r fe l t b y th e s p o useas hi s or her partner l i es on the deathbed,
s / hehav ing to p a y th e b i l l , a n d y e t w a tc h i ng the unnecessaryagony of the dyi ng one.
Hos pit als a re c o l d a n d e x p e n s i v e .
A n d a l o n g w i t h i n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o nt h e r e n o t o n l y c o m e n e w w a y s o f s a v i n gl i v e sb u t
new way s o f i n fl i c ti n g d e a th - n a p a l m bombs, bi ol ogi cal w arfare, and the nucl ear
bom b, a bo mb th a t i n a fl a s h c a n d e s t roy. . . .
T h e a b o v e i s n o t t h e w h o l e t r u t h . l n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o nc, e n t r a l i z a t i o ni,n s t i t u t i o n a l i z a t ion, m at e ri a l i s m h a v e h e l p e d fo rm th e present death-denyi ngcul ture, but w i thi n
t his c ult ur e th e re a re tre n d s a n d e m e rg ing i ssuesthat may si gni fi cantl y al ter present
im ages of d e a th . A m e ri c a a n d th e In d ustri al W orl d need not be a death-denyi ng
c ult ur e. B u t b e fo re I v e n tu re i n to th e fu ture, i t i s i mportant to gai n an emoti ve grasp
of t he par a d o x i c a l n a tu re o f d e a th , o f the deni al and of the acceptance,and of the
f e a r a n d f a s c i n a t i o n .T h e f o l l o w i n g i s a s a m p l i n g o f r e s p o n s e s( b y U n i v e r s i t yo f
H a w a i i s t u d e n t s ,o f a l l a g e s ,e n r o l l e d i n D e a t h a n d D y i n g a n d i n F u t u r e sS t u d i e s
c las s es )t o th e a s s i g n m e n to f d e s c ri b i ngone' s ow n death. l t i s best i f these can be
read slowly and aloud.
...ldon'twantpain.
My death.Neverheardof it.
Comeon, everybodydies,someday.
Not me, not me.
T her eis n o fe a ro f d e a tha si t s h a l tc o m ew heni tsti me hascome.l t shal lbe w el comed,for I
upon.
togow henevercal l ed
hav eliv e da fu l l l i fe th a t i s a n d h a sb e e ng ood.l am prepared

128

Sohail lnayatullah

There are times when I conceive death as a black, mindless,void, one where there is no hurt,
no nothing. . . . ln truth it is hard for me to conceive of my own death.
I can't imagine what death is like - although l've imagined what dying would be like. l'm
not af raid of dying - | think it must be like falling through nothing. What scaresme most is
losing what is here right now. I like being alive - like living. t think the f inalnessscaresme
most. I feel really sad - | can't understand(but I have to) why some things are gone forever.
I am also afraid of being alone. I don't want to say goodbye to my family. Maybe these
things won't matter to me when l'm dead. Being nothing scaresme too. And the final moment must be hardest to face. l'm afraid of having any regrets (about the things t did or
didn't do).
.. . . I would like to die quickly and not be a burden to my family.
. . . I would like to be under the influence of a euphoric opium drug and die from an overdose of it.
. . . I think of it as a tremendous source of energy being releasedwithout the limitations of
the physical body.
To think about my own death seemssomewhat vague, so far away. I feel as though l'm just
s t a r t i n go u t i n l i f e .
. . . l'm going to have to say that I just can't imagine what it would be like to be dead!
My death will be rather dull I imagine.
Death is a reality, a hundred percent certainty. As long as I am able to acknowledge and affirm that, then life becomes real.
Everyonedies, everything dies, and you can see this even in a delicate rose that is beautif ul
one day, and a week later it has become wilted and dried. Life now is great, living it is truly
l i v i n g a f u l l l i f e o f b e a u t y ,t h e n d e a t h w i l l a l s o b e a b e a u t i f u l t h i n g .

DeathAccr

Thereare n
ing part of
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and dyingt
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is made.

. . . I don't want to die like my husband and son.

It is importantto note that theseare consciousand intendedreflectionson death,

the unconscious
might revealsomethingaltogetherdifferent.

T H EF U T U R EH: U M A N I S T I CS, P I R I T U A IA, N D T E C H N O t O G I C A t

TRENDS
AND ISSUES
What about the future?Thereare three basictrendsand emergingissuesthat are
shapingthe future. The first is a death-acceptance
trend. This is a humanistic
endeavorconcerningthe reductionof suffering,dyingwith dignityand grace,and a
generalholistic approachto death and dying.The secondtrend is a spiritualone,
which is concernedwith life after deathpossibilities
and the acceptanceof deathas
a gatewayto new mysticalhorizons.The third is a technologicaltrend concerned
with the prolongationof life, the reductionof physicalsufferingthroughmedicaladvances,and the possibilityof immortality.

There is a

Psychology
30,000repli
In additio
its emphas
workshopsa
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members fr
To bring
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To share

The Futuresof Deathand DYing

129

Death AccePtance
- death-acceptance - is becomThere are numerous indicators that the f irst trend
ing par t of A me ri c a n l i fe .
courses on death
Death is more openly discussed.There are presently over 1,100
i
ncreasi
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an
are
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and dy ing be i n g ta u g h t a t A m e ri c a n
death in alternate
movies and television programs which are attempting to handle
effort.
intriguing
latest
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T her e is a l o w e r c h a n c e th a t c h i l d re n wi l l i nterpret death as
to create an enit
is
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greater
death-acceptance
with
awfut, and fearsome. And
feel i ngsconcerni ng
v ir onm ent in th e h o me fo r c h i l d re n to e x pressthei r thoughts and
deat h and dyi n g .
continues at
There is a greater understanding of the dying process as research
between the
relationship
the
to
understand
attempted
have
hospitals. Many studies
the patient, and
staff and the patient, the nature of the communication surrounding
towards
attitudes
open
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is
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he
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knowing
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document
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is reproduced below.
own future,let this
lf the time comeswhen I can no longertake part in decisionsfor my
statementstandas the testamentof my wishes:
expectationof my recoveryf rom physicalor mentaldisability,l,
lf thereis no reasonable

ffi

:;illfl::ih:ffi:lif:J.tli!:'];,Tili
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indignity of deterioration'
one certainty. I do not fear death as much as I fear the
to me for teradministered
dependence and hopetesspain. I ask that drugs be mercifutly
death'
of
moment
minat suffering even if they hasten the
is not legally
This request is made after carefut consideration.Although this document
to follow its mandate' l
bound
morally
feel
hope,
I
witl,
me
for
you
care
who
binding,
you, and it is with the intenrecognize that it ptaces a heavy burden of responsibilityupon
of guilt that this statement
feelings
any
tion of sharing that responsibilityand of mitigating
is made.
Signed:

the magazi ne
T her e is a g ro w i n g d e s i re to d i s c u s sd eath, so much so that w hen
it received
survey,
dying
and
death
a
psychology loday *t"a
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10,000 more than a survey on
30,000 replies
movement with
In addition to this, the growing poputarity of the human potential
to numerous
l
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has
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dying'
and
workshops and seminars being offered on death
grief process'
This opennessis further complimented by a greater sensitivity to the
peopl e face
hel
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ing goals:
community
To draw together peopte with seriousiltness,their families and other
concerns'
mutual
of
membersfor free discussion
illness
To bringthe subiectof cancer,death,dyingand otheraspectsof life threatening
into the open.
To shareour experience,
ioint strength,and our hope'

7-

130

Sohail lnayatullah

i l l ness.
T o helpth e p a ti e n ta n d h i so r h e r fa mi l yto bettercopew i th l i fe threateni ng
i
l
l
ness.
p
ersons
seri
ous
w i th
T o im p ro v eth e q u a l i tyo f l i fe fo r a l l
T o pr om o teth e s i mp l eg o a l o f l i v i n ge a chday as ful l y and as compl etel yas possi bl e."
W e c a n e x p e c ta n i n c r e a s ei n o r g a n i z a t i o n s u c h a s t h e s ea s t h e n u m b e ro f e l d e r l y
p e o p t ei n A m e r i c a c o n t i n u e st o i n c r e a s eI.n f a c t m u c h o f t h i s t r e n d h a s b e e n b r o u g h t
a b o u t b y t h e a g e d a n d t h e i r p r o g r a m s a n d o r g a n i z a t i o n st h a t d e a l w i t h s e l f s u f fi c i e n c y ,s e l f - r e t i a n c et,i f e - l o n ga n d c o n t i n u e d e d u c a t i o n ,t h e t r a n s f o r m a t i o no f
i n s t i t u t i o n a tc a r e , a l l o c a t i o n o f i n c r e a s e df e d e r a l m o n i e sf o r e l d e r l y p r o g r a m s ,a n d
p o l i t i c a l a n d s o c i a l a c t i o n ( f o r e x a m p l e ,t h e C r a y P a n t h e r sa n d t h e A s s o c i a t i o nf o r
H u m a n i s t i c C e r o n t o l o g y ) .T h e s e o r g a n i z a t i o n se m p h a s i z e t h e n e e d t o g e n e r a t e
p o s i t i v ei m a g e so f a g i n ga n d f u l l t i f e d e v e l o p m e n ta n d t h e n e e d t o b r e a k p a s t m y t h s
a b o u t a g i n ga n d d y i n g .
A n o t h e r a s p e c t o f d e a t h a c c e p t a n c e i s a p r a c t i c a l f i n a n c i a l o n e . O p e n n e s st o
d e a t h l e a d s t o o p e n n e s sa n d f o r e s i g h ti n p l a n n i n gf o r d e a t h b y b e i n g a w a r e o f t h e
c o s t s o f d e a t h , s u r v i v o r ' sb e n e f i t s ,w i l l s , a n d l e g a l d u t i e s .
I n a d d i t i o n t h e r e a r e n o n - p r o f i tf u n e r a l o r g a n i z a t i o n st h a t a r e d e d i c a t e d t o t h e
d i g n i t y ,s i m p l i c i t ya n d e c o n o m y o f f u n e r a l a n d m e m o r i a l s e r v i c e h o w t o h a v e a
c h e a p f u n e r a lw i t h o u t f e e l i n g g u i l t y a b o u t i t . 1 8
T h e h o s p i c em o v e m e n t ,o r t h e d e c e n t r a l i z i n go f d e a t h ,i s a l s o p l a y i n ga m a j o r r o l e
i n t h e d e a t h a c c e p t a n c et r e n d . l eA h o s p i c ei s a m e d i e v a lw o r d m e a n i n ga s t o p p i n g
p l a c e f o r t r a v e l l e r s .S t . C h r i s t o p h e r ' sh o s p i c e i n E n g l a n d ,f o r e x a m p l e ,p r o v i d e s a
b r i g h t a n d a i r y a t m o s p h e r ef o r t e r m i n a l l y i l l p a t i e n t sw h e r e t h e y c a n d i e i n a c o n . h e s t a f f a t t h e h o s p i c ea r e e s p e c i a l l yt r a i n e d ,h e r o i n
s c i o u sa n d l o v i n ge n v i r o n m e n t T
m ix t ur es are p ro v i d e d to re l i e v e p a i n , and bereavement servi ces are provi ded to
f a m i l i e sf o r u p t o 1 8 m o n t h s .
S h a n t iN i l a y a - a h o s p i c e f o u n d e db y E l i z a b e t hK u b l e r - R o s sa,u t h o r o f O n D e a t h
t o r d m e a n i n g" h o m e o f a b s o l u t ep e a c e . " B e s i d e st r a i n i n g
a n dD y i n g - i s a S a n s r k i w
a n d c o u n s e l i n gf o r t h e i n d i v i d u a la n d f a m i l y i t p r o v i d e se d u c a t i o n a ls e r v i c e sf o r t h e
community.
A nd of c o u rs eth e re i s a g ro w i n g b o d y of l i teraturedeal i ng w i th conceptsof death,
d e a t h a s a s o c i a t d i s e a s e t, h e d e m o g r a p h yo f d e a t h ( w h e n ,w h y a n d w h e r e p e o p l e
d i e ) ,t h e s o c i a l i n e q u a l i t i e so f d e a t h ( t h e p o l i t i c sa n d e c o n o m i c so f h e a l t h c a r e ) ,t h e
d e t e r m i n a t i o no f d e a t h ( m e d i c a ld e f i n i t i o n s )t,h e p a r t i c i p a n t sa n d s u r v i v o r so f d e a t h ,
t h e p s y c h o l o g i c a la n d p h i l o s o p h i c a la s p e c t so f d e a t h , l i f e a f t e r d e a t h , s u i c i d e a n d
s u i c i d e p r e v e n t i o n ,a n d t h e p r o l o n g a t i o no f l i f e . 2 0
F ur t herd e v e l o p me n tsa n d h e n c e e ffe cts of the death-acceptancetrend w oul d i nc t ude ( 1) n e i g h b o rh o o d ti fe /d e a th c e n ters, (2) more movi es and natural and l i ve
d e a t h s o n c a b l e t e l e v i s i o n ,( 3 ) d e a t h e d u c a t i o n p r o g r a m sf r o m e a r l y c h i l d h o o d ,( 4 )
new rituals for dying, (5) legal and attitudinal changes towards suicide and
e u t h a n a s i a(, 6 )c o m m e r c i a l i z a t i o no f d e a t h e d u c a t i o n , ( 7 )m o r e r e s e a r c hi n t h i s a r e a
i n i n d u s t r i a tn a t i o n s ,( B )m o r e " h o w t o d i e " a n d " a r t o f d y i n g " m a n u a l s , " ( 9 ) m o r e
hos pic es , ( 1 0 ) b e tte r d e a th c o n d i ti o n s i n hospi tal s, and (11) an i ncrease of
t hanat olog i s ts .
I n g e n e r a lt h e r e w o u l d b e a n i n c r e a s e de m p h a s i so n t h e q u a l i t y o f l i f e , d e a t h ,d y i n g a n d a g i n go n i n d i v i d u a l ,f a m i l y , c o m m u n i t y ,a n d n a t i o n a l l e v e l s .A n d a n i n c r e a s e d e m p h a s i so n d e a t h e d u c a t i o na n d o p e n n e s sa n d a w a r e n e s st o w a r d sd e a t h a n d i t s
m any f ac e ts .
I t i s i m p o r t a n t t h a t t h i s h u m a n i s t i ct r e n d n o t b e c o m e a f a d , a n d t h a t d e a t h a c c e p t a n c e n o t b e c o m ea n o t h e rb l i n d l y f o l l o w e d " s h o u l d . " A l s o h u m a n i s t i co r g a n i z a t i o n s

need not
t a n c eo f
truly hol
of accep
alike.

Spiritual

The sec
systems
mind-so
dividua
number
Much
Tibetan
mystica
death.
The b
El i z a b e t
ly explo

( 1 )r
ed, or I

(2)

came \

(3)r

presen

Mood
near-dea
perience

the mass
com mor

Am
pronor
buzzin
this, h
physic
He wa
emotic
Af te
notice
power
Others
havea
b e i n g<
him er
playba
sort of
l i f e .Y e
At this

The Futuresof Deathand DYing

'131

imporneednot only be awareof the necessityof buildingpositiveimages;but'the

pain.
A
the
of
and
harshness
the
of
tanceof seeingthe negativitiesinvolvedin death,
powers
healing
and
truly holisticimageneedsto emergeso that the transformative
nation
of acceptingdeaih can be realizedby individualfamily, cornmunity'and
alike.
Spiritual Trendsand Life After Death
belief
The secondmajor trend dealswith the increasedinterestin life-afterdeath
the
that
view
the
accept
who
individuats
systems.There are a growingnumberof
inThese
physical
body.
the
of
mind-souldoes in fact survive the termination
growing
a
also
but
spiritualists
and
mystics
dividualsnot only includethe traditional
numberof scientistsand other professionals'
Much of this hasbeenthe directand indirectresultof the influxof Indianyogis,
Tibetan monks, and Buddhists.In addition to this influx there are numerous
mystical,religious,transpersonaland humanisticgroupsthat accept this view of
death.
The best "scientific" work has been done by Dr. Raymond'Moodyand Dr.
Moody'sstudiesand his tandmarkbook Lifeatterlife baiicalElizabethKubler-Ross.
;'
ly exptorethree typesof experiences:
afterhavingbeenthought,adiudewhowereresuscitated
of persons
(1)Theexperiences
clinicallydeadby theirdoctors'
ed,or pronounced
or severeinjuryor illness,
who,in thecourseof accidents
of persons
(2)Theexperiences
death'
cameverycloseto PhYsical
who,as theydied,told themto otherpeoplewho were
of persons
(3)Theexperiences
present.22

these
Moody addsthat despitethe wide variationin the conditionsthat surround
exthe
of
content
the
in
simitarity
near-deathexperien."r, there is an amazing
in
recur
which
elements
so
or
pick
15
out
to
themsetu"r.lt is in fact easy
periences,
the
has
all
which
experience
idea!
and
brief
the massof data that he hascollected.A
is reproducedbelow:
common elementsof theseexperiences
hehearshimsgtf
physical
distress,
thepointof greatest
A manisdyingand,ashereaches

loud ringing or
pronounced dead by his doctor. He begins to hear an uncomfortable noise, a
tunnel' After
through.?
buzzing, and at the same time feels hiriself moving very rapidly
!"ng
immediate
tfe
still.il
but
body,
this, he suddenly finds himsetf outside hi1 oyn-physical
is
Spictator'
he
a
though
as
distance,
a
from
body
own
his
physical environment, and he sees
in
a stati'of
is
point
and
vantage
this
unusuat
from
attempt
He watches the resuscitation
uPheavat.
emotional
his odd condition' He
After awhile, he collects himself and becomes more accustomed to
with very different
and
nature
different
of
a
one
notices that he still,has a "body," but
begin to happen'
things
other
Soon
behind.
left
has
he
physicat
body
powers from the
of relatives and friends who
spirits
glimpses
the
him.
He
heip
to
and
meet
to
come
Others
before - a
have atready died, and a loving, warm spirit of a kind he has never encountered
to make
nonverbally,
question,
him
a
asks
being
appears before him. This
being of light
instantaneous
panoramic
him
a
showing
by
along
him
helps
him evaluate his iife and
some
playback of the major events of his life. At some point he.finds himself approaching
next
the
life
and
earthly
sort of barrier or border, apparentty representing the limit between
yet
come'
not
has
death
for
time
the
that
life. yet, he f inds that he must go back io the earth,
by intense'feelings
At this point he resists,and does not want to return. He is ovenrhelmed

Sohail InaYatullah
he somehow reuniteswith his physical
of joy, love, and peace. Despite his attitude, though,
body and lives.
doing so. ln the first place' he can find no
L a t e r h e t r i e s t o t e l l o t h e r s ,b u t h e h a s t r o u b l e
episodes'He also f inds that others scoff'
human words adequate to describethese unearthly
a f f e c t s h i s l i f e p r o f o u n d l y ,e s p e c i a l l y
s o h e s t o p st e l l i n g o t h e r p e o p l e .s t i l l t h e e x p e r i e n c e
l
i
f
e
.
,
3
t
o
his views about death and its relationship
have in their encounter with death
Furthermore, Moody rerates how individuars
knowledge through all time is theirs; as
experienced a state of timelessnesswhere atl
the rearization of the inherent meanis a deep feering of inner contentment and
ingfulness of life and death'
deals with past life regression'
There are other related studies. One, for example,

return to chi l dhood, and then preHer e a s u b l e c t i s h y p n o ti z e d a n d to rd to mental l y

past l i ves, i n i mmedi ate and di stant
bir t h. M a n y s u b l e c ts h a v e re c o u n te d stori esof
w i th accuracy even w hen i t
pas t s .A n d i n s o me c a s e sth e i r s to ri e shave checked out
know n i n any " normal " w ay about
was es t a b l i s h e dth a t th e s u b j e c t c o u l d not have
c er t ain p e o p l e , p l a c e s , a n d e v e n ts ' 2 o
who have had the nearI n M o o d y , s a n d K u b l e r - R o s s ' s t u d i e tsh e s e i n d i v i d u a l s
and l i fe-l ovi ng!Thi s
deat h ex p e ri e n c efo u n d th e m s e rv e sto be more death-accepti ng
regardl essof
i
mportant
w ere
at t it ude, a n d re l a te d a tti tu d e s s u c h a s meani ngfutness
w el l as the
as
horrors,
i
ts
and
pr ev ioustyh e l d re l i g i o u sv i e w s .Al s o th e concept of hett
deal i ng w i th death'
ac t of s u i c i d e * " r" ," " n a s fa l s e a p proachesof
expl
ai n thesef i ndi ngs.Thesei ncl ude
to
a
ttempt
th
a
t
th
e
o
ri
e
s
T her e a re n u m e ro u s
p h y s i o t o g i c a l 'a n d n e u r o l o g i c a l )a n d
s u p e r n a t u r a l ,s c i e n t i f i c ( p h a r m a c o l o g i c a l ,
sati sfactory' l t seems that
ps y c hot o g i c a l th e o ri e s ; h o w e v e r, n oi u of these are
death and other such
per haps a n e w p a ra d i g m i s n e e d e d to understand l i fe after
areas.

.I

death" i s not death per se' i n

Cr it ic s p o i n t o u t th a t i t i s c ru c i a l to note that " near
openi ng the door to the real m of
t hat t he i n d i v i d u a rd o e s re tu rn . A ts o s ome add that
present,may soon l ead to the
t he s upe rn a tu ra l ,a l th o u g h a p p e a l i n gand pteasantat
of deal i ng w i th death'
ac c ept a n c e o f d e m o n s a n d v e rs i o n i of hel t as strategi es
prove the exi stenceof l i fe after
M ood y , h o w e v e r,d o e s n o t c l a i m that hi s studi es
" feel i ngs,questi ons,anal ogi es'and
deat h; in fa c t, h e b e ti e v e sth a t h i s s tudi esoffer
that hi s and other rel ated
puz z lin gfa c ts " y e t to b e u n d e rs to od.' ul t seemsobvi ous
to those offered by E astern
book s a re o ffe ri n g n e w m a p s o f d y i n g that are si mi rar
religions.
(the body
put t o g e th e r w i th v i e w s th a t a c c e pt the mul ti -di mensi onal i tyof the sel f
a forced
, e a th t hen bei ng a refocusi ngof aw areness'
s een as e n e rg y o r a w a re n e s s d
experi ences, psychi c
de- iden ti fi c a ti o n o f th e b o d y ), th at expl ore out-of-body
medi tati on, there emergesqui te
r es ear c h ,ES P,c l a i rv o y a n c e ,p OS i ti Vei magery,and
that i ournal s,books' cl asses'
an im pr e s s i v ei ma g e -c h a n g i n gtre n d . Moreover i t seems
w i t h t h i s t r e n d a r e b e c o m i n ga n
w o r k s h o p r ,o r g u n i r a t i o n s ,u n d i n d i v i d u a l sd e a l i n g
ac c ept e d Pa rt o f Ame ri c a n l i fe '
w o u l d i n c l u d e :( 1 )d e c r e a s e df e a r
S o m e p o s s i b l ef u t u r e d e v e l o p m e n t sa n d e f f e c t s
(3) i ncreased i nterest i n psychi c
of dea th , (2 ) i n c re a s e d a c c e p ta n c e of death,
p o s s i b r ef a r r e a c h i n ge f f e c t so n
p h e n o m e n a- a c a d e m i ca n d p o p u r a r t h i s h a v i n g
( 4 )i n c r e a s e dd e m a n d ' i n c r e a s e d
m a n , sc o n c e p t o f w h a t i s r e a l ,a n d w h a t i s p o s s i b t e ,
i
n c l u d i n gm e d i t a t i o n ,d r u g s ' a n d
e
x
p
e
r
i
e
n
c
e
s
,
s u p p l y o f m e t h o d st o s i m u l a t ed e a t h
( 5 )a n e w p a r a d i g mo f m a n
p h y s i c a la n d b i o l o g i c a lt e c h n o l o g i e sy e t t o b e d e v e t o p e d ,
This new imageof man would
d e a l i n gw i t h m a n b e i n g p r i m a r i I a s p i r i t u a lb e i n g .

post
phvs
pos
dea
tran
aca
t r ov
t ec h
i n cr r
ever
youi

Tecl

The
tain
thirc
T}
prol
of nr
ing.
ln
1 50C
the r
with
ly pt

and
This
the !
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h

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eme
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The
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The Futuresof Death and DYing

mental , and spi ri tual bol

pos it t hat h u ma n s a re c o m p ri s e d o f p h ysi cal ,

mentalandspiritualneeds'Lifean.d!,1atny::'1?:":,::l::
physical,
i n the val ues of i nsti tuti onsdeq

pos e in a la rg e rc o s m i c s c h e me ,(6 )a c h a nge

w o rd s and phrasesrepl aci ng" she di ed" w i dl
v ve
r v e l o p me n t o f n e w
L I I ve d
deat
U E c t L l l ,h, \(. 7)
t , , th
(9) increasct

(g) new theoriesattemptingto expraintife after.death,

transcended,,,
with a
pastlife regression
academicinterestin life afterdeathand
9:"11":J."tj:T
emphasi s on
(10)

a decreased
subi ect,
t r ov er s y a n d i n te l l e c tu a l d e b a te o n thi s
(12)
(1 1 ) i ncreaseddi sapproval tow ards tu;t1ds'
t ec hnot og i c a l l i fe -s a v i n gme th o d s ,
(13)
and
rel
i
gi
ons,
and f undamental i st
inc r eas edc ri ti c i s m o f th i s tre n d u v ' u rtu tri shed
H
ave
beyond'
been
t-shi rts readi ng " r' ve
ev en c omme rc i a ti z a ti o nw i th th e s a re of
you?"
TechnologY: The Prolongation of Life
the spi ri tual l i fe-after-l i fetrend w i l l cerT he hum a n i s ti c d e a th -a c c e p ti n gtre n d and
but perhapsnot as deep an affect as the
t ainly hav e a p ro fo u n d a ffe c t o n th e fu ture,
t hir d t r en d - th e p ro l o g a ti o n o f l i fe '
l t has vari ous aspectsthat deal w i th the
T his t r e n d i s p e rh a p sth e te a s tw e l l -k now n.
hearth methods,through the use
pr or onga ti o no f ri fe th ro u g h th e u s e o f arternati ve
through the study of the bi ol ogy of agof num er o u sa d v a n c e d me d i c a rte c h n orogi es,
ing, and t h ro u g h th e u s e o f g e n e ti c e n gi neeri ng'
(A ' D '
at 20 (A .D . 500),30 (A ' D ' 1200)'35
I n t he p a s t, l i fe e x p e c ta n c yw a s e s ti mated
esti
mates'
onl
y
A l though these are
(A
1g75).' 76
1500) , 40 (A.D . 1 9 0 0 ) a n d 7 0 y e a rs D .
sci enti i ts i n thi s f i el d forecast that
i
s
crear.
t he upwa rd d i re c ti o n o f ri fe e x p e c ta ncy
rangefrom 160 to 300 years'and eventual wit hin 50 y e a rs ,th e a v e ra g el i fe s p a n may
ly per haP si n d e fi n i te l Y .
of death, ti fe after death'
W her e a sth e p re v i o u stre n d sfo c u s ed on the acceptance
has qui te a di fferent i mage of death'
and t he o b ri g a to ry n a tu re o f d e a th , th i s vi ew
A ugustasK i nzal (former presi dentof
T his is illu s tra te db y th e fo l l o w i n g q u otes from
D e B e a u v o i r ( a u t h o ro f A V e r y E a s y
t h e S a l k I n s t i t u t e o f B i o t o g i c a lS t u d i e s )S, i m o n e
and the Biological Revolution)
Death),and Robert veatch (author of Death, Dying
r es pec t iv e l Y:
the onso that accidentswiil be essentiaily
we wi1 tick the probremofagingcompretery,
ly causeof death.
' nce
to man i s evernaturalsi
happens
T her ei s n o s u c hth i n ga sa n a tu radl e a th:nothi ngthat
is
death
hi
s
man
every
for
but
di
e,
A l l men must
hispr e s e n c cea l l sth e w o rl d i n to q u e s ti on.
violation'
uniustitiable
it,
an
to
consents
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134

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f r o z e n a t e x t r e m e l yI o w t e m p e r a t u r e sa, n d s p e c i a l l yt r e a t e dw i t h c h e m i c a l si n t h e
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a s s o c i a t i o n sO. n e p r o b l e m i s t h e c o s t o f m a i n t a i n i n gt h e f r o z e n b o d y , b u t w h e n t h e
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t r o l l a b l e ,( 3 ) f r e e r a d i c a l s
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b o d y ' s d e f e n s e a n d r e p a i r c a p a b i l i t i e s (, 4 ) n e u r o t r a n s m i t t e r i m b a l a n c e so f
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M o r e i m p o r t a n t l yt h e s ed i f f e r e n tt h e o r i e sa r e c o m p l i m e n t a r ya n d b y e m p l o y i n g
t h e s et h e o r i e sr e s e a r c h e rhsa v ea c h i e v e ds u c c e s si n r e t a r d i n ga g i n go f m i c e - a 1 0 0
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t o 1 5 0 % "l i f ee x t e n s i o n . A
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s a sh e l d a h e a r i n go n l i f e - e x t e n s i ot ne c h n o l o g i e s . "
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life extensionA
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t h r o u g hg e n e t i ce n g i n e e r i ntgo l i v e i n d e f i n i t e l y .
y elieves:
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w i t h a n a n t i - a g i n gp i l l w i t h o u t a n y a d v a n c e n o t i c e .
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climateamongst
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t e c h n o l o g i e sm i g h t d r i v e t h e
c e r t a i n s e c t o r so f t h e n a t i o n . S o m e w a r n t h a t t h e s e
- t h e e l e m e n t o f u n c e r t a i n t yi n a
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to be far too great'
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a g r e a t n u m b e r o f p e o p l ew h o
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a l t e r n a t i v eh e a l t h t h e r a p i e sw i t h s o m e h a r d t e c h n o l o g y ) ,
u s e o f g e n e t i ce n g i n e e r i n g '
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g r e a t e ri n e q u a l i t i e s
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c\ari{y death and dying iutures.
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n a t i v ef u t u r e st o b e d i s c u s s e dF. o r e x a m p l e ,i n d u s t r i a l i z a t i oann d s e c u l a r i z a t i o n
d e v e l o p i n gn a t i o n sw o u l d t e n d t o r e d u c e t h e i m p o r t a n c eo f l i f e a f t e r d e a t h a n d
; nd lack of funds or a strong antimerger into ultimate reality type strategiesa
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I
138

S o h a i ll n a v a t u l l a h

U . S . , p r o p o n e n t s b e l i e v e t h a t c h a r a c t e r i s t i c ss u c h a s g r o w t h o r i e n t e d
economic
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d o m i n a n c e ,l e i s u r e
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continue
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b e s o l v e db y p r e s e n t i n s t i t u t i o n asl t r u c t u r e s( o r f u t u r e s i m i l a ro n e s ) ,a n d i n d i v i d u a l
talent.
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a s l o n g a s t h a t p r o j e c t e d b y t h e p r o l o n g a t i o nt r e n d . N o r w o u l d
the spiiitualtrend
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be accepted,
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it mainly beingdeathdenying. America would, however, in time, because of
social and human
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would lead
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n f p o w e r a n d o f m a j o r i n s t i t u t i o n s h a r et h i s i m a g e .
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the quality of life
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w o u l d f l o u r i s hi n a
C o n s e r v e rS o c i e t y 'L o w e n e r g ya n d o t h e r s o ft t e c h n o l o g i e sw h o s e
impacton society
c o u l d b e e a s i l yp r e d i c t e dw o u l d b e u s e d .H e n c el i f e s p a n i n c r e a s e s
w o u l d c o m ea sa
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a t t i t u d e st o w a r d s l i v i n g .
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Sohail lnavatullah

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1 . O . W . M a r k l e y , " C h a n g i n g l m a g e so f M a n , " R e n a l s s a n c leJ n i v e r s a l
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A d d i s o n - W e s l e yP u b l i s h i n gC o m p a n y , 1 9 7 g ) ,p . 4 2 .
12. tbid., p. 43.
1 3 . l b i d . ,p . 4 6 .
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1 5 . l b i d . ,p . 5 .
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and Dying, ed. Robert
F u l t o n ( R e a d i n g ,M a s s . :A d d i s o n - W e s l e yp u b l i s h i n gC o m p a n y , 1 9 7 g )p . 2 3 .
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1 8 . W r i t e F u n e r a la n d M e m o r i a l S o c i e t yo f H a w a i i , 2 0 0 N o . V i n e y a r d B l v d . , S u i t e 4 0 3 , H o n o l u l u .
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21 See Robert Neale, TheArt of Dying.

2 2 .R a y m o n d M o o d y , L i f e A f t e r L i f e ( N e w y o r k : B a n t a m B o o k s ,1 9 7 5 ) ,p . 1 6 .
2 3 .l b i d . , p p . 2 1 - 2 3 .
1 A

S e e l a n S t e v e n s o n ,T w e n t y C a s e sS u g g e s t l v eo f R e i n c a r n a t i o ns; e e . la n e R o b e r t s ,S e t h S p e a k s ;
and see
J e f fr e y M i s h l o v e , f h e R o o t s o f C o n s c i o u s n e s s .
2 5 .R a y m o n d M o o d y , L i f e A f t e r L i f e , p . 1 8 3 .
26. K u r t z m a n a n d C o r d o n , N o M o r e D y i n g , p . 1 1
2 7 .K u r t z m a n a n d C o r d o n , N o M o r e D y i n g , p . 3 6 ; S i m o n e D e B e a u v o i r ," A V e r y E a s yD e a t h , , ,i n D e a t h :
Curr e n t P e r s p e c tvie s ,e d . E d w i n S h n e i d m a n( P a l oA l t o , C a l i f. : M a y f i e l d P u b l i s h i n gC o m p a n y ,
1 9 7 6 ) ,p 5 2 6 ;
R o b e r t V e a t c h , D e a t h , D y i n g , a n d t h e B i o l o g i c a l R e v o l u t i o nq u o t e d i n A m e r i c a n
Council of Life lns u r a n c e ,D e a t h , D y i n g a n d L i f e E x t e n s i o n p
, . 4.
28.K u r t z m a n a n d C o r d o n , N o M o r e D y i n g , p . 3 7 .
29. l b i d . ,p . 6 5 .
30.J i b F o w f e s ", E x t e n d i n gt h e H u m a n L i f e - s p a n , "T h e F u t u r i s t , l 20 u n e 1 g 7 g ) , 1 8 3 .
3 1 .c a m e r o n s t a u t h , " H e a l t h a n d L o n g e v i t y , "N e w A g eJ o u r n a f + ( F e b r u ar y j 9 7 9 ) , p . 4 1 .
3 2 .. l i b F o w l e s ," T h e l m p e n d i n g s o c i e t y o f r m m o r t a l s , " T h e F u t u r i s t , l 2( J u n e 1 g 7 g ) p, 1 8 3 .
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34 Kurtzmanand Cordon,No More Dying,p. 169.
3 5 . R a s aC u s t a i t i s ," O l d v s Y o u n g i n F l o r i d a , " S a t u r d a yR e v i e wZ ( F e b r u a r y1 6 , 1 9 8 0 ) ,p .
10.
3 6 l b i d . , p 1 0 ; A m e r i c a n C o u n c i l o f L i f e I n s u r a n c e ,D e a t h ,D y i n g a n d L i f e E x t e n s i o (nA m e r i c a n
Councilof
L i f e I n s u r a nc e , 1 9 7B ) ,1 5 .
3 7 . K e n D y c h t w a l d , " T h e E l d e r W i t h i n , " N e w A g e l o u r n a l , F e b r u a r y1 g 7 g ) , 2 9 .
3 8 . A l b e r t R o s e n f e l d ," P r o l o n g e v i t y :T h e E x t e n s i o no f t h e H u m a n L i f e S p a n , , ,
T h e F u t u r i s t 1, ( F e b r u a r y
1977),22.
3 9 . J a m e sD a t o r , " T h e F u t u r e so f C u l t u r e o r C u l t u r e so f t h e F u t u r e , , in
, Perspectlveson CrossCultural psyc h o l o g y ,e d . A n t h o n y M a r s e l l a( N e w y o r k : A c a d e m i c p r e s s ,I n c . . 1 9 7 9 ) ,p p .
376-388.

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