33 Meditations on Death
Want to understand a subject as complex as death and dying, then turn to an expert. David Jarrett (He/Him) the author of 33 Meditations on Death, has spent his life in the NHS as a Doctor working alongside death and the dying.
I find that as a nation we tend to avoid talking about death and have quite an unhealthy avoidance of the subject. We do not like to think about death or dying, and become uncomfortable when others bring it up. In turn, I feel that this is one of the reasons that the speciality of bereavement counselling is such a popular one. When faced with our own death, or the death of others we want to talk about it, we want to understand the feelings that come up, so we turn to those few who are willing to talk about it.
In 33 Meditations on Death, we get a glimpse into a world rarely talked about, and David Jarrett talks about it in an open and very honest way. Reading through this book, we are forced to think about death in different ways, forced to consider in ourselves what is a good death and how we wish to go when the time finally comes. David Jarrett talks about how the landscape of NHS practice has changed across his career, and how its views and practices of death have changed along with it. They talk about not only their professional experiences but close personal ones as well. David Jarrett explains that when we talk about dying, we have to talk about ageing, and care as well. He explores the ageing, and eventual death, of both his parents and the impact that those times had on him.
I get a lot of clients who are in a position where they know that they will soon have to manage the feelings that come with the death of a loved one, they feel that it is approaching, and they are suddenly faced with thoughts of death for the first time. In moments of curiosity, need for information, and understanding, I often find myself recommending this book to those clients. However, each time I do I always warn them of chapter seven “A Journey Into The Past” which shares the experience of David Jarrett working in India as a junior doctor. In this chapter, he talks about a lot of suffering and death in excessive descriptive detail, but in particular, a traumatic abortion which I feel neither fits really with the rest of the book, whilst going far too far into the details, and as a consequence I always recommend skipping over this chapter as the book reads well without it.
Overall, I find this book very sobering in the best possible way. Reading it has afforded me an opportunity to reflect on topics I have been conditioned to avoid. It has also made exploring such topics with others easier, and has given me an insight in to a world which we rarely get a glimpse in to. I am glad I have read this book, but I definitely need a minute before I jump in to my next one. If you are looking to get a better understanding of how our NHS treats the dying, or expand your own views of death then 33 Mediations on Death is definitely a recommended step on that journey, just skip chapter seven.