What death doulas can teach us about dying well without religion

[NNadir]

7. There is an excellent book written by a physician practicing palliative care that I bought for my sons and wife.

It's called "That Good Night, Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour " by Dr. Sunita Puri.

Palliative care is a new and little known, I think, medical specialty, easing the way out of life. (The reviews talk about "spirituality; that's not what the book is about however; I recommend it highly.)

I'm an atheist and the last thing I want on the way out is being surrounded by mumbo jumbo. Having been close to my parents (who were into mumbo jumbo) when they were dying, I feel that one thing that happens is that people go through unnecessary suffering believing in miracles, grasping for them with medical technology beyond the place said technology actually is capable of working.

There are no miracles. Death is a part of living and acknowledging as much makes living all that more valuable, at least to me.