A write up of Anja and Kate's Death Cafe on the 26th November 2012 by Nigel George
It's a four
hour round trip from Borley Green to Covent Garden, discounting the time spent
staring at the departure board. So four hours to spend another two talking
about death may sound a little strange.
On the 26th
November I visited the Wild Food Cafe in Covent Garden. A Death Cafe was being
held there by Anja Saunders and Kate Hambleton. Thirty people sat in the cafe,
ate and drank and shared their thoughts on life and death. It was a thought
provoking and positive experience
The quote
of the evening for me was 'Today is a good day to die.' Had you lived your life
as you wanted and achieved your goals? What about the important stuff, telling
people you loved them and all the other stuff you mean to say but never do? No,
today would not be a good day to die for me. Too much left unsaid and undone.
Kate spoke
about having a death song. American Indians had one they would chant throughout
their lives and which would then give them comfort in times of adversity.
What would
be my 'Death Island disc' I speculated. Difficult to say, but it would have to
bring a smile to my face, the King Louie song from the Jungle Book perhaps?
A man
sitting next to me, with some hesitation, spoke of the death of his father and of
his love and loathing for him. Did it help I don't know. I've always found
expressing my own thoughts out loud therapeutic.
The evening
throbbed with positive energy. A microphone passed round the room and people
gave us glimpses of their lives and of their loss.
A year to
live, How would you live your life if you only had 12 months to live? It makes
you think.
We were
asked to think about death. Do I fear death? No. Really? Not sure.
Would I be
sad if my children died absolutely. But would I have wanted to live without
them absolutely not.
Several
people spoke of the deaths they had experienced, often quite sudden.
The Death
Cafe made it okay to talk about death, made it natural. After all we must all
die someday.
Well done
to Kate and Anja for a great evening.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Say your piece.