Settle's fifth Death Cafe
A write up of Settle Death Cafe
Settle’s fifth Death Café on 25th June had a very welcoming feel. The four tables were all laden with tablecloths, cakes and little vases of flowers. A total of eleven people came to the café, and most were there from the start. It felt like there were enough people for several discussions to be happening at once, but it was a small enough number to feel like a very relaxed and safe space. We changed to different tables about halfway through. Even though not everybody decided to move, the shift meant that the groups changed subtly, and it was a chance to take stock and think about different issues if we felt like we wanted to.
I found that the conversations naturally evolved. Even though my own thoughts and feelings about my own death are fairly settled, the conversations I took part in brought up some new and unexpected feelings – including my own negative reaction to the idea, expressed by some other participants, of voluntarily dying alone. I was really interested in their reasons for considering this – and for the positive way in which they saw such a choice. It gave me a new perspective, which I always enjoy.
All in all, it was a heartening and thought-provoking morning. Thank you to all involved.