ABSTRACT
People live in a death-denying society. The salient characteristic of death as it is spoken of today is unreality. It is not an appropriate topic of conversation and is a matter best left for experts, most especially medical professionals, funeral directors and clergy. There are two attitudes that chapter reveals to avoid on the subject of denial: the first is the kind of medicalization that people often find in psychology and the helping professions and the second is moral sternness. Tolstoy had a point: resolutely turning people backs on death are not only an act of cruelty to the dying but symptomatic of a profound disconnection from the human beings around us and from life itself. Recognition of death contributes a sense of poignancy to life, provides a radical shift of life perspective, and can transport one from a mode of living characterized by diversions, tranquilization, and petty anxieties to a more authentic mode.
