Death positivity: How accepting mortality can help families manage a loss

Grieving can be a long and complex process and being death-positive can help in managing this in the event of the loss of someone close. — 123rf.com

It was sociology professor Dr Morris S Schwartz, the subject of Mitch Albom’s Tuesday’s With Morrie, who gave the world one of the simplest one liners about death.

“Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live,” said Schwartz, in the1997 bestseller written by his former student. Schwartz was 78 when he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He died over a year later. In the book, Schwartz shared with Albom his profound insight about life and death, saying that it is only with understanding and accepting mortality can we live life to its fullest.