Power Of Presence Analysis

The power of presence also plays a role in a good death. In the 19th century Americans called this “bearing witness.” To bear witness means being there, being present at the bedside of the dying person as a form of comfort and having the ability to give testimony that the dying person was at peace. As Thomas Lynch stated in “Good Grief: An Undertaker’s Reflections,” the good death is the one that happens when we are among our own, surrounded…by faces of family and people who care. It is the death of a whole person, not an ailing part” (243). In 2015 the power of presence is also important. Though an individual may not want their family or friends around in the time before death, the power of presence is knowing that those you love and care about will be there, even when you do not want them to be in your room, they will be in the other room. I think the power of presence has persisted because it says something about humanity. As human beings we want human contact, we want to be treated with human

Last words translate lived experiences into “a summation of purpose” of one’s life. This is as important in the 19th century as it is in 2015. In the 19th century last words were essential to a good death. Last words served as a narrative of one’s life composed of lessons for the living. Today last words continue to be important. It continues to let one speak their last thoughts to those they care about. It is a consolation for the self and for others, to know that they will be heard even after death. Last words tie the world of the living to the world of the dead. That is why it persists. One last element of a good death that I would like to mention is the idea of keeping something physical that belonged to the departed. In the 19th century and in 2015 keepsakes are symbolic representations of a loved one. Keepsakes help us to remember not only the departed as who that person was, but what the departed meant to us. It is a physical reminder that makes us remember that the departed existed. It is these four elements; acceptance of death, the power of presence, last words and keepsakes from the departed that constitute a good