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Why is death a taboo subject

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MaggieTulliver Mon 25-Oct-21 08:33:35

I struggle with a fear of death (I’m 64) and have associated health anxiety. I think it’s so unhealthy that in our society, death is hardly ever discussed and that we use terms such as “passed away” instead of died, as if people are offended by the idea of death.

Non-western societies seem to almost embrace death but this must be largely down to the fact that religion is an important factor. However given that we’re now a secular society, how can death be something that’s discussed and accepted? I’m interested in people’s views on this and how, if you have a fear of death like me (it interferes with my day to day life), you manage it.

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M0nica Wed 27-Oct-21 07:17:33

Grief is a normal part of life, and the idea that we can control our children's emotions after we die is a delusion.

Some children will dance on their parents graves, they are so glad they are dead, but, after a lifetime of attending funerals, I feel confident to make the generalisation that children are generally sad, and grieve when their parents die, whether their parents want this or not.

It has got nothingto do with children 'suffering'. You cannot ask people to suppress all their negative emotions because it would make their parents unhappy to see them sad, yet expect them to feel all the positive emotions. Emotions do not work that way.

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Allsorts Wed 27-Oct-21 07:31:11

Maggie, you have to examine what scares you about dying, is is the manner of it, the finality? We are all born to die and no one escapes it. I think young people dying hard to accept, but getting older I’m glad for what I’ve had, the way I die is a bit scary but I choose not to think of things I cannot alter. Lots of people I love have gone before me and they live in my heart, as I will hopefully to those that care for me. I just hope they remember the good things. Sometimes it’s hard to see the bright side when things are not going right, but it’s the only way as it all works out in the end. We really should enjoy now.

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