Let's face it, nobody likes to talk about dying.
You'll never get together with a friend for a casual lunch and have that friend begin the conversation with, "So, when do you think you'll die?" A discussion about death is simply not something that a person navigates toward unless it's necessary.
Benjamin Franklin once penned, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." I think that people would be more inclined to discuss taxes than death. Regardless, death is a certainty of life that cannot be avoided. New research commissioned by the Dying Matters Coalition shows that only 29 percent of people have discussed their wishes around dying, and only 4 percent have written advance care plans. Seventy percent of those surveyed said they wanted to die at home, yet 60 percent of us currently die in hospitals. Of those people who had not discussed any aspect of their end of life care, 45 percent felt it was because death feels a long way off, and a further 18 percent said they were too young to discuss it. Even 8 percent of those age 65-74 thought they were too young to discuss dying.
Clearly, there is a reluctance to discuss death.
I am 54 years of age and in very good health. I require no medications and my annual physical exam shows that physically I am several years younger than the average person my age. My wife is also physically fit with no health concerns. Even though I don't have any health issues, I've planned ahead for my death and I know that my wife -- and my two stepdaughters still living at home -- will be just fine if I were to die. There's a real comfort and security that comes with that knowledge. For instance, maintaining a life insurance policy should be something that every married person should have, particularly if there are children in the relationship. A new study shows that while 84 percent of Americans say that most people need life insurance, only 68 percent say they personally need it and only 59 percent own some form of it.
The average life expectancy in the United States is 78 years. According to the United Nations World Population Prospects report, approximately 7,452 people die every day in the United States. In other words, a person dies in the U.S. approximately every 11 seconds. Heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, chronic lower respiratory diseases, and stroke remained the leading causes of U.S. deaths. The three most common preventable causes of death in the U.S. are smoking, high blood pressure, and being overweight.
The photo accompanying this blog post is of a headstone reading "STASO." I'm aiming to keep my headstone as far off into the future as I possibly can. My father is currently 85 years of age and quite fit. He and my mother reside in their Alaska home that my father built with his own hands when he was in his 70's. I hope to be as fit as him when I reach my mid-80's! Age is just a number, but it's a number that we do look at more as we get older. I'm going to make the most of the years I have in front of me. As certain as I am that I'll be paying taxes until I die, I am also certain that death will one day come -- and on that day I want to go to my Father in Heaven knowing that I was prepared.
From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),
Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek
Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:
- United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
- Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
- Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
- Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
- The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
- Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
- Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
- Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
- Some Cycling Moments From The Past
