The
overwhelming majority of people in the world don’t do death well which makes
complete sense. Regardless of whether a person has the strongest faith and
spirituality in the world, or if an individual is an agnostic or atheist, most
people would agree that when someone we care about dies, it is a very, very tough
time, to say the least. Even people of faith who believe that death leads to
something better can recall that even “Jesus wept” when discussing the recent
death of his friend (John 11:35). Losing
someone is never easy for anyone.
However,
for now this is not about to be a discussion on spirituality or atheism or
anything in between. From a therapeutic standpoint, there is one practical
thing that many people take some time to reflect on after someone dies,
particularly after attending some kind of funeral or memorial service. It is a
natural inclination to think about our own death when someone else passes. “How will I be remembered?” can be a
thought that can be extremely motivating.
So for a
few minutes as a group, from a positive and motivational perspective, with an
eye on self-improvement, consider what kind of “name” that you want to one day
leave behind for yourself with the time you still have.
Questions for discussion:
What is
something that impacted you that you learned from someone who has passed away,
either through their words or their good (or bad) example when they were still
alive?
What are a
few words, sayings or memories that you would want people to think of when
remembering you after you’ve passed away?
After
reflecting on these questions, what is something positive that you think that
you could increase your focus in your life on in order to leave a good name for
yourself?
To end on a
positive note, discuss 2 or 3 three things that make you feel grateful to be
alive today (whether or it is the simple things in life or something more deep,
personal and meaningful, there’s no wrong answer)
