“The idea that death isn’t morbid, but can be a powerful life experience – rich and rewarding - blew my mind.”
We don’t talk much about death in our culture. And yet history shows that throughout the ages, and from culture to culture, the “good death” was something our ancestors thought about and prepared for. Elaborate plans were made to ensure that the passage over (when possible to plan for) was as communal and conscious as possible. Death was seen as part of a spiritual continuity, not an unwanted event or a sign of defeat.
Today, according to speaker Gilles Leclair, a variety of circumstances have robbed people of a “good” death. Too often the dying are isolated and drugged. As well, death is defied by employing the most aggressive of medical interventions, which is seen as the good fight against ‘bad’ disease. “The very power that has lengthened our lives has also separated us from our biological roots. It often denies us the deeper power that comes with facing and accepting death, on our own terms.”
Gilles Leclair’s talk, which has been described as “…brilliant and stunning,” will re-awaken people to the importance of thinking about death long before we die. And to the importance of actively help the dying with the process of searching for the meaning in their life, to discover the themes that made them unique, to forgive themselves and others, and to find peace in their final days. Connecting the process of dying, to Marriage, the building of community, and spiritual growth, this special public lecture is jaw dropping in its insightfulness, and in its capacity to link this topic to our everyday lives. Above all, it will stir the fires of the longing for a full life that ends with a rich death in all who attend.
Speaker: Gilles Leclair has an ongoing interest in spiritual development, group processes and sustainable communities. He lives in Lethbridge with his wife Marie and their two children, and is employed as an internet service representative. Gilles is active with the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lethbridge.