Musings on Mortality: How 'death phobia' contributes to xenophobia
In this column, I write about the relationship between an ever-increasing xenophobia, fear of the "other," and human violence as terrorism and war, to what happens when individuals are reminded of their own mortality. While this is not an academic paper, I do draw upon... Read more. #DeborahAlecson #xenophobia #ErnestBecker #TerrorManagementTheory #deathphobia #materialism #mortality #status #deathanxiety #911 #meltingpot
Musings on Mortality: Death-phobic culture lingers in 'grey zone'
Recently, I experienced what I can only call a parallel universe. I was in a neonatal intensive care unit to visit a mother and her extremely premature and critical newborn. This newborn... Read more. #neonatalintensivecareunit #ICU #deathphobic #medicaltechnology #mortality #empathy #compassion #grayzone #neonatologist #thanatology
Musings on Mortality: Life-or-death decisions in the 'grey zone'
The "life-at-all-costs" mentality that we have in our death-phobic culture applies not only to the elderly, but to newborns as well. Not surprisingly, the two most lucrative sources of medical... Read more. #neonatalintensivecareunit #ICU #deathphobic #medicaltechnology #mortality #empathy #compassion #grayzone #neonatologist #thanatology
Musings on Mortality: Quest for immortality drives fear of death
I've been teaching a course called "Ethics of Health Care" for eight years. My students grapple with scenarios and ethical dilemmas... Read more. #DeborahAlecson #TerriSchiavo #abortion #lifeversusdeath #JudeoChristianculture #immortality #Genesis #God #mortality #deathanddying
