#297 / Mortal

Atul Gawande, pictured, is a surgeon and writer. My wife recently sat in on a presentation he made at the 2014 New Yorker Festival. He was talking about his new book, Being Mortal.

I haven't yet read the book, but I gather it is mainly about end of life care, and how an acceptance of our mortality could lead us to better endings for ourselves and our loved ones.

I kind of like the title for another reason. It reminds us that "our" world (and our lives) are subject to the rules that prevail in the World of Nature. In that world, the world to which we are ultimately accountable, death is the inescapable reality. In fact, death drives life, and without becoming too "religious" on you, it seems fair to say that life and resurrection are attained through the doorway of death. 

We're "mortal." Let's get used to it.

Image Credit:
http://commonhealth.wbur.org/tag/atul-gawande