opportunities from being realized.
Death Activism could take the form of
simply learning about death—and its
symptoms and stages. Basic human
support, kindness and solidarity help
anyone facing death. The knowledge
will eventually be useful to everyone!
Other forms of Death Activism
could be volunteering to improve care
for the dying. It is also useful to lobby
locally and nationally for increased
investment in palliative care and
bereavement services; and for more
enlightened legislation in support of a
person's right to die with dignity.
Death Activism can also address
JON UNDERWOOD
Jon is the founder of Death Cafe. He is 43 year old, married with two children and
lives in Hackney, East London. Jon is also a student at Jamyang Buddhist Centre.
Jon works on projects about death. These include:
Death Cafe, offering group directed conversation about death over tea and cake.
Funeral Advisor with the Natural Death Centre, a ‘Trip Advisor’ for the funeral industry.
Find Me Help with Dying Matters, UK’s most comprehensive directory of services
for dying people, their families, carers and friends.
JON UNDERWOOD
WWW.DEATHCAFE.COM • [email protected]
how we live. Research shows that
problematic feelings about death play a
significant role in generating troubling
human behavior. This perspective stems
from the work of Ernest Becker, an
American academic who died in 1974
and later won the Pulitzer Prize for his
best known work, “The Denial of Death.”
Becker’s views are that humans’
unique cognitive abilities place us in
an awkward psychological position of
knowing that we’re going to die. In this
context we are fundamentally unable
to deal with the idea that life could be
meaningless. Humans have a pressing
need to create systems of meaning in
which we are personally significant.
Becker called this ‘culture.’
Fast forward thirty years from
Becker’s death and interest in his work
has grown, largely due to an academic
school called, “Terror Management
Theory” whose proponents have
tested Becker’s theories.
Some tests involve raising a
subject's death awareness through
flashing the word ‘death’ on a screen
twenty-six times a second, influencing
their subconscious mind.
The results, in over 500 experiments
worldwide, are startling. When
reminded of death, people fall back
onto their cultural world views and
prejudice, embracing racism and
homophobia. They become favorably
disposed to bombing fictitious rogue
states. When reminded of death,
where people, often strangers, share
experiences, thoughts and feelings about
all aspects of death and dying, often for
the first time in their lives.
In just five years, over 3,000 Death
Cafes have taken place in 36 countries.
A profound revelation of these events
is the genuine affinity generated when
death is discussed. It is my hope that
this format will continue to awaken a
positive change in attitudes toward
death and dying.
Our history is rife with conflict
people want more money and more
and oppression. We face a future of
role as a death-denying symbol.
and social challenges. We are creating
expensive goods, establishing money’s
Work to change cultural attitudes
towards death is also Death Activism.
I consider my projects, such as Death
Café, to be an example of shifting cultural
thoughts about death to inspire more
positive perspectives about life. Death
Café is a casual “tea and cake” format
daunting economic, environmental
more advanced tools for killing, making
humanity a threat to itself. We could
become the first species to disappear
through self-imposed extinction.
I would argue that Death Activism
can preserve life through transforming
the fear of death.
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede or direct social,
political, economic, or environmental change with the desire to make
improvements in society and to correct social injustice. WIKIPEDIA
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