Art of Dying Art of Dying_Volume III_joomag | Page 39
Through them
we learn about
how we want to
live our lives.
Living in Humanitas over four years I’ve learned that if you say ‘elderly’ you're targeting a
group. People here are not a group. They are individuals. Each resident’s room is a world
of different backgrounds and experiences. Everyone shares stories that impact me as a
human being.
I think my neighbors are happier than they were before students started living here. All
of us benefit from our mutual happiness. We can revive their youth. Through them we
learn about how we want to live our lives.
When I was younger, I wasn't at ease with death. I thought it was a terrible thing, a
loss. Living here has made a real difference. Now I know that when life is finished, you
experience whatever you believe in. Most of the people here are really fine with dying.
They think "Well, I had a great life. I put my children through school, they have a great
life, and now I'm finished."
In a sense their life is finished because they start losing their identity the moment they
move in here. People had lots of hobbies and items that related to their individual
character. And when they come here, their family says "Okay, we will sell the lot. You
don’t need what doesn’t fit in your room.” It's like, “You're settled now. You're being
cared for.” But nobody really wants so much care because care is the same as losing your
freedom. Your character starts falling away. Days become the same.
Some people have lived here sixteen years. I'm 23, so they moved here when I was in
preschool. What they have done and what I've done in sixteen years is incomparable.
They've done a couple of things, maybe knitting, or something like that. Why aren't they
doing what they used to do?
We as students try to say, "What do you like to do? What are we going to do now?" The
residents say "I used to ... I did this in the past…I had.” Who they used to be is more alive than
who they are. Their past defines them. There’s no definition about who they are now.
It’s not always good that we do things for them. We want to know what they can do for
themselves. “Are you going to do something with your life, or not?" It's a shame that I'm 23
and ask that, but sometimes I have to.
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