Summary Of Grief, Dying, And Death

Last January, 14 year old California girl Jahi McMath was pronounced brain dead due to complications from tonsil surgery. As The Guardian reports, it was only after a court order that the hospital released her body into the custody of her family who believes her to still be alive (theguardian.com). Around the same time, CNN reported a similar case involving a Texas woman called Marlise Munoz who was also pronounced brain dead after suddenly collapsing on the floor. Medical caregivers refused to take her off of life support due to state law that required all expectant mothers to be kept alive (cnn.com). The long legal battle that followed between the family and the hospital ended two months later with the hospital finally fulfilling the family’s …show more content…
This leads to an irrational fear of death as it overtime becomes an unknown subject to the newer generations. The further development of urban areas and the integration of former rural areas into the greater metropolis of the cities contribute to alienate people from witnessing the natural cycle of life and death. In Grief, Dying, and Death, Rando notes how being increasingly removed from nature can lead to a “lessened sense of community with others” and “fewer common ritual to express feelings and guide behavior” (7). As a result of this removal from experiencing the process of dying in a social environment with a strong sense of community, the younger generation lacks the skills in dealing with the process of death and dying and considers it a forbidden occurrence that should be avoided at any …show more content…
Rando reflects upon the illusion that advanced medical technology gives over the ability to prolong life by noting how as death becomes less frequent, it “is perceived as a failure for healthcare providers and sometimes an inadequacy on the part of patients who were unable to heal themselves” (Grief, Dying, and Death 46). The pressure that the American society puts on the healthcare system is a reflection of the underlying fear that surfaces the minds of many Americans today. Additionally, putting a lot of value into preserving life and continuously trying to make healthy choices to extend life span to the maximal limit automatically paints death with a negative brush because it threatens the illusion of harmony enabled by modern medicine and healthcare practice. Moreover, modernism and technology have changed many Americans’ perception of death when contrasting individual and massive