Learning to Die: Detachment and My Last Wishes
In life, there are few certain things, but one of them is that we will all, someday, face death. It may be a difficult thought to address, but by doing so, we give ourselves the power to make important decisions about our final moments. Reflecting on and deciding how we want our health and body to be managed in these circumstances is an act of love and responsibility towards ourselves and our loved ones.
Attachment, Detachment and the Life Cycle
We cling to people, to material objects and to our emotions. These attachments give us meaning and purpose, but they can also be sources of suffering as we face our last moments.
That’s why learning to let go of material possessions frees us from the fear of losing what we own. Setting aside our expectations and accepting the reality that we cannot control everything in our lives is a step toward inner peace. In the end, what really matters is not the things we accumulate, but the experiences and relationships we cultivate. Detachment does not mean to stop loving or valuing, but to recognize and accept the natural cycle of life and death.
Different Ways to Die and Take Control: The Living Will
It is crucial to differentiate between pain and suffering. Pain is a physical experience, a sign that something is not right in our body. While suffering, on the other hand, is an emotional and mental response to pain and the situation we find ourselves in. We may not have control over physical pain in our final moments, but we do have the ability to choose how we deal with that pain and prevent it from turning into suffering.
A LIVING WILL helps us establish our preferences for pain management. Death can come to us in different ways and each situation can bring with it different decisions. Having a living will allows us to establish our preferences about medical treatments and palliative care. Do we want to receive all possible treatments to prolong life, or do we prefer to avoid invasive procedures that only prolong suffering? These are personal decisions that, ideally, should be made by ourselves and not left to chance or interpretation by others.
Making these decisions in advance will not only help us mentally, but will also free our family from having to make difficult decisions. It is a deeply personal act and at the same time an act of love for our loved ones, by making our preferences clear, we avoid conflict and help our last hours be lived in accordance with our values and beliefs.
Javier Aramendia with the support of ileave, we are here to help you navigate this process with understanding and support. Because deciding how we want to live until the end is a way of affirming our life, until the last breath. We believe that we all deserve a dignified death and to be treated with love and respect until the end.
If you want to expand the information attend our courses in the following link, and of course plan the process of dying through us, through ileave.