Compassion, love and acceptance – the Quaker concern on death and dying
The year-old informal group that calls itself the Quaker Concern on Death and Dying is thriving, both in terms of correspondence and in its gatherings at Woodbrooke
Exploration is the key to our method. The issues that provoked our concern are two: that the process and duration of dying has changed with the advance of medical science, and that the length and quality of care in terminal illness and extreme old age vary greatly. But we throw our net wider than that: including issues like how to make a place for mourning in our lives; how to sustain a long period of caring within a family; how we can best work alongside health professionals and learn how to communicate well with those who are dying and trying to face the legal and moral issues surrounding the making of choices about the end of life. We try not to shirk the ‘why?’ questions – what about ‘the will of God’ where our own life and choices are concerned? – and have spent some dedicated time in that most essential of tasks: thinking ahead to our own death, and how to prepare for it, both practically and spiritually. These are tough things to think about. Why do we want to do it?
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