In death or illness, we try to retain our humanity

13 March 2025·budding·Sabiqul Hoque

In disease and death, individuals feel they begin to lose their identity. In an effort to not appear as a weaker version of themselves (i.e. to save face), they might make effort to retain their humanity.

Follow On Thoughts

Sometimes you see this in terminal patients. They often do not want to present to the hospital for their deterioration, as to do so is to admit defeat. As a result in palliative care medicine, often a high priority is to support patients to returning home (as opposed to dying in the hospital).

Connected Ideas (Similar / Opposing Ideas)

Probably connects in some ways to the concepts of dying with dignity and voluntary assisted dying.

Life

Sources

Books that explore this include:

Metamorphosis
Being Mortal: Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End: Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End
When Breath Becomes Air

Cite this note

@online{hoque2025in,
  author = {Sabiqul Hoque},
  title = {In death or illness, we try to retain our humanity},
  year = {2025},
  url = {https://sabicool.github.io/Braindump/notes/20250313214726-in_dealth_we_try_to_retain_our_humanity.html},
  organization = {Braindump}
}