Now that the United States is in round 2 of “death panels” (the first occurred in 2009), I want to offer a hearty “thank you!” to those who’ve promulgated the phrase, misbegotten as you are. You’ve gotten the populace talking.
At long last, we’re talking about how we might die. The national conversation has begun, and although it may ebb, this tide will generally keep flowing.
Since thinking deeply and writing between 2005–2008 about how we die, and speaking on it since, I recognize the current national conversation as simply the first step in that “journey of a thousand miles.” As long as we don’t march in lockstep we’ll do fine. There are a million paths up this mountain.
I’ll see you up top. To quote my father (deceased), “oh Heavenly Days!”