O Captain, My Captain…

Image from forevermagicmovies.blogspot.com

Many people will have awoken today to find out the upsetting news that actor Robin Williams has died. After suffering bouts of depression, it is suspected that he took his own life in his Californian home yesterday morning. He leaves behind a wife and three children, who our hearts go out to at this difficult time.

 

Robin Williams was best known for his superb talent in acting, allowing him to assume a wide variety of roles, capturing audiences around the world. Some of his most notable and memorable works are Good Will Hunting, Dead Poet’s Society and Mrs. Doubtfire, no doubt favourites of many a family. He was an actor that inspired many people through the characters he played, bringing a certain unique charm that filled you with hope and warmth.

 

Is it odd that we mourn celebrities that we have never personally met? This death will certainly affect a number of people whose only connection with him is watching a film through a television screen. It seems those we so regularly invite into our homes through a film or series become akin to that of extended family. We are also reminded that no one is immune to death, grief and loss, it happens to everyone, even the celebrities we so often idolise. I certainly haven’t escaped without shedding a tear for an actor I have grown up watching, an actor who has contributed to the shaping of my childhood through his portrayal of the genie in Aladdin, to Alan Parrish in Jumanji.

 

Image from cineplex.com

Much like talking about death is a taboo, talking about mental health is somewhat of a taboo in our society as well. Often when people need help the most, they are unsure who to turn to, but there are a number of UK charities that can support people suffering from a wide range of issues. ‘Mind’ is a nationwide service that provides advice, information and support for individuals and families regarding mental health. You can visit their website HERE.

 

There has been an outpouring of grief and remembrance on Twitter over the last 24 hours, with #RobinWilliams and #depression being in the top 10 trending hash tags. He was a kind-hearted man who inspired us in so many ways and will surely be missed by all of those who knew him.

The Great War: On this day in 1914

Image taken from 67notout.com

2014 marks the one hundred year anniversary of the start of World War One. On August 4th 1914 at 11pm, after a failed ultimatum and the invasion of Belgium, Britain declared war on Germany, embarking on a bloody and horrific war that lasted four years. To mark this devastating moment, an artist has created a ‘lights out’ movement, to last for one hour between 10pm and 11pm this evening, where all lights except one or a candle are turned off to reflect on the events that unfolded a hundred years ago. You can find out more here http://www.1418now.org.uk/lights-out/.

 

Almost every living family today will have some form of connection with World War One, whether a grandfather or great-grandfather fought for their country, whatever the link it is still an emotional subject for many people. Every year on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we mark the armistice at the end of the Great War with a moment of silence in remembrance of those who sacrificed themselves. This year however, there are a number of events taking place across the UK to encourage people to learn more about World War One and share their family histories.

 

Image from nl.wikipedia.org

Maybe this World War contributed to the taboo surrounding talking about death, dying and loss. With grief and bereavement on such a national scale, it no doubt had an effect on the way that people approached the subject. For many it is difficult to imagine so many loved ones leaving for war, the uncertainty and despair, waiting to hear from your father, brother, husband. However for others, this fear is still very real, with family members fighting in conflicts across the world on a daily basis. A phrase we utter is ‘lest we forget’ though in some ways it seems we already have.

 

 

Celebrity Bucket List

Cheryl Cole recently revealed her near-death scare after contracting malaria in 2010 prompted her to create a Bucket List of her own. The large rose tattoo that has been the centre of controversy was one of the items on her list, she shared with Graham Norton on his show in June. However, she did give it rather a different name, which we won’t discuss here! The concept is the same, a near death experience encouraged her to start living life to the full and realise that life is short so make the most of it while you can.

Image from elleuk.com

It is easy to get bogged down in the chores and worries of everyday life; I know this from first-hand experience. But creating a Bucket List is a good way of focussing on what we want to achieve in our lives and what would make us happy. Whether you want to travel the world or bake your favourite cake, there’s no time like the present.

One famous Bucket List is that of John Goddard, an anthropologist. He created a list of nearly 130 adventures at the age of 15 and is well on the way to completing them with over 100 currently crossed off! From reading the works of Shakespeare to climbing the highest mountains, he has achieved a number of life goals that many of us can only dream of. Why not create a mini list today and attempt to cross them off by the end of the year?

Image from telegraph.co.uk

We want to know what is on YOUR Bucket List! Let us know on Twitter or Facebook #bucketlist

Death neatly packaged

Here is a though-provoking extract from our April newsletter written by our very own Rachael McKindley about the food industry. 

 

I often wonder how many of the people who aren’t ready to talk about death, are vegetarians? Now, this article is neither for nor against meat eating or vegetarianism. I wanted to write about how we stare death in the face each time we walk in to a supermarket, past a butcher’s window, or pull that neat package of meat from the fridge.

 

Image from howtosurvivealieninvasionnovels.blogspot.com

To survive in life, we need to eat. And a lot of us choose to eat meat as part of our diet. How many of us appreciate that an animal had to die to sustain our life? We actively farm a range of animals to suit our dietary needs. This means animals that are born and bred into a life that consists of them being fed and given shelter, until someone deems them large enough to make a profit. It’s a clinical process that makes money from death. And we (meat eaters) buy in to it.

 

That the nice cut of meat, all neatly packaged, that you might be planning to have for your tea, is only here because an animal gave its’ life. By refusing to acknowledge this, are we disrespecting that animals’ sacrifice? If young children ask what meat they are eating, do you tell them the name of the animal it came from, or do you describe only the food? Is a burger just beef, or is it from a cow? We often try to shield children from death, for fear of upsetting them. Often, it is the adults’ fear that is preventing the child from developing a healthy understanding of where our food comes from.

 

Does it ever cross your mind, when you’re pushing a trolley through the aisles of your local supermarket, how many dead animal bodies you are surrounded by? Why does it horrify some to think of eating road kill? These animals lived natural, wild lives and they died living that life. Why is this worse than breeding and raising animals for the slaughter, just so they can be neatly packaged before arriving in our home? If we ever had to return to our hunter gathering days, would you be able to catch, kill and then skin an animal – to survive? Nowadays, we are in a position to pay someone else to do the farming and butchering. But have we forgotten that this still needs to happen?

 

Image from prlog.com

I think we do the animals that die to feed us a disservice by not honouring their sacrifice. We don’t need to dance around fires whilst chanting and ritualistically slaughtering animals ourselves; let’s just give them an occasional thought, and a thank you; for becoming a delicious meal that helps to sustain us through another day of life. I hope this article hasn’t changed anyone’s eating habits in any way. Though it’s important to note that vegetarians don’t escape guilt-free – many plants will die too, to provide you with those essential nutrients...

You can read more interesting articles like this by downloading our 5th Animal Edition Newsletter from the Downloads Page.

Happy Belated Father's Day

Image from liagriffith.com

Happy belated Father’s Day for yesterday, to those of you lucky enough to have spent the day with someone close to you. Father’s Day is a time where you can take a moment to show a parent that you care. Whether you have a father, a father figure or are one yourself, we should make the most of every day and let the ones near us know they are loved, special and contribute a great deal to our lives.

 

Yesterday however, will have been a very difficult day for many people across the world whose Fathers are sadly no longer with us. I was close to losing my own father two years ago and was lucky enough to be given a second chance to tell him how special he is and how much I appreciate everything he does for me and the rest of my family. Unfortunately, a family close to my heart recently lost their father, a man who was often the centre of attention and always the life of the party. I am sure Father’s Day will have been extremely difficult for them, though I hope they were able to reminisce about the good times spent together as well as mourning their loss.

 

Enjoying quality time with my dad
Image by author

In time for Father’s Day, Marie Curie started a #DadMemories campaign, encouraging people to share memories of their dads accompanied by a picture. They are asking for donations to ensure more fathers are 'fathers for longer' and help those with a terminal illness to spend their final days surrounded by the people they love. Hundreds of people joined in to share their love and respect for the important men in their lives, you can view the pictures at http://www.pinterest.com/mariecurieuk/dadmemories/ .

 

Even though officially it was Father’s Day on Sunday 15th June, why not continue showing the people we care about that they are important? Let’s take a moment out of our busy schedules to let someone know we appreciate them, whether it is a Father, Mother, sibling, partner or friend. You might just brighten their day.

 

Marie Curie is launching the Blooming Great Tea Party 2014 this month. Find out how you can get involved and host your own tea party HERE.

What did you do for Father’s Day? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.

It's Friday 13th!

Image from ravenblackcat.com

Batten down the hatches, the most superstitious day aside from Halloween, Friday the 13th is upon us. Not only has the supposed ‘unlucky’ 13th landed on a Friday, but it just so happens to coincide with a full moon, which won’t happen again until August 2049! Legends dictate that a full moon on Friday 13th will create the most misfortune and be the unluckiest day of the year. Many people will be too terrified to even leave the comfort of their own homes today as there are a number of superstitions attached to this date. Having a fear of Friday 13th is called Paraskevidekatriaphobia.

The origins of the superstitions surrounding this date are unknown, but attributed to a variety of possible sources worldwide. The number 13 is regularly thought of as unlucky, which may have a religious explanation.  There were 13 guests at the last supper, where Judas betrayed Jesus, who was supposed to have been crucified on a Friday. It was also speculated that Cain killed his brother Abel on Friday 13th, possibly giving an explanation for death and misfortune being closely linked with the date. A quirky interpretation is that numerologists view the number 12 as a ‘complete’ number (12 months in a year, 12 apostles etc.) which then makes 13 unnerving and ‘incomplete’.

There are many other mythical explanations for the unlucky association with 13. In Nordic myth, 12 gods attending a party were interrupted by a 13th, Loki an evil God who caused the death of a member of the group. In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Friday was referred to as a very misfortunate day and was reportedly ‘hangman’s day’ in Britain creating an explicit link with death.

Similarly, there are a number of superstitious beliefs attached to a full moon, some are positive such as asking a full moon for money in your wallet will supposedly bring you wealth. Though famously, the full moon has been used in works of science fiction as a trigger for supernatural beings such as werewolves to transform and wreak havoc in the world. Many superstitions surrounding the full moon coincide with those of Friday 13th. Check out this list below of popular superstitions and spooky ‘facts’:

-    A haircut on Friday 13th will cause a family death
-    A passing funeral procession on Friday 13th means you will be next
-    It takes 13 witches to form a coven
-    Sleeping under a full moon will mean serious harm or death
-    Tarot card 13 is the death card depicted by a grim reaper
-    If 13 people sit at a table, the first to leave will die

 

Image from gaizy.hubpages.com

So why are we obsessed with death and superstition? People purposely avoid driving and other activities on Friday 13th as they truly believe it is a day full of misfortune and danger. These beliefs seem so rooted in modern society that many high rise and apartment buildings to this day omit the 13th floor and some airports do not have a 13th gate.

A psychology professor, Stuart Vyse suggests "If nobody bothered to teach us about these negative taboo superstitions like Friday the 13th, we might in fact all be better off”. Interestingly this statement applies to the taboo surrounding talking about death. Children are very matter of fact when it comes to this subject; it is only when as adults we impose our fears and superstitions on younger generations that issues become forbidden and taboo. One superstition that affects many people is the idea or fear that talking about death will make it happen sooner; in a sense you are ‘tempting fate’. But this is simply not true. Death is not a subject that we should think or talk about all the time, we should enjoy and make the most of life, however, we should not be afraid to discuss such an important topic and prepare for that certain eventuality we all will face.

A Successful Dying Matters Awareness Week!

Dying Matters Awareness Week 2014 was a fantastic success for The Bucket Project, with a number of events held across a wide range of venues. We met some very interesting and insightful people along the way who have been helping us to keep the topic of death alive. In case you didn’t get the chance to visit any of our events, here’s what happened during the week.

 

Monday 12th May

 

There were two launch events, at the Central Library and the Walker Art Gallery debuting our Remembrance Tree and ‘life’ and death’ interactive lettering, respectively. It was fantastic to see so many people contributing to our displays, building a better picture of what life and death means to the community in Liverpool. A number of school groups got involved and enjoyed writing and drawing on the 4ft lettering throughout the week, leaving some valuable interpretations.

 

Life and Death Letting @ The Walker Source: Author

 

Over four hundred people wrote touching messages to their departed loved ones and placed them on our Remembrance Tree. We made the tree out of recycled paper and packaging tape and printed a popular poem called ‘Dust if you must’ by Rose Milligan on the back of the leaves. We are currently discussing how the leaves will be displayed in the future. If you didn’t get a chance to leave your message to a loved one on our tree, don’t worry as we are planning on touring it around a number of popular venues in the near future.

 

Remembrance Tree @ Central Library Source: Author

 

Tuesday 13th May

 

On the second day of Dying Matters, we held a ‘Dead Write’ workshop at Central Library, where we discussed a wide range of topics and assessed how death, dying and loss is incorporated in works of poetry and ways you can approach this subject yourself. We were working in partnership with The Windows Project who facilitated this session. There was a small turnout for this particular event; however the discussion was fantastic, with members reading their own excerpts of poetry to the group and suggesting ideas for future work.

 

The ‘Death in Art’ tour took place at the Walker Art Gallery in the afternoon with many people extremely excited to learn about pieces of art on display that had themes of or were inspired by death. This tour then finished at our interactive lettering display, sparking discussion about life and death and the role that art can play in the formation of our interpretations.

 

Death in Art Tour @ The Walker Source: Author

 

In the evening, we rounded off Day 2 with an exclusive tour of the Science Fiction: New Death exhibition at FACT. This intriguing display dealt with themes of death in the future and was closely linked to the development of technology. This exhibition is open to the public until the 22nd of June 2014.

 

Wednesday 14th May

 

For Day 3, we held another ‘Dead Write’ session at the Central Library. We also met some interesting people at our information stands throughout the different venues, where our promotional pens were a hit, alongside our specially designed day of the dead coffin bookmarks. It was wonderful to see so many people filling in our chalk wall inspired cards, which asked ‘Before I die I want to…’ and 'In my life I want to...', producing some interesting results! From travelling the world, to finding the one, everyone has their own goals and dreams.

 

Thursday 15th May

 

Day 4 of Dying Matters Week and a busy one at that! We held another Death in Art tour followed by our very first Life and Death Café at the Walker, discussing elements of life and death whilst eating nourishing food and drinking delicious tea and coffee. It is always an enlightening experience, discussing such an important topic with like-minded strangers. You never leave without having learned something new about the world and how different people perceive death.

 

People enjoying the Death in Art Tour @ The Walker Source: Author

 

Friday 16th May

 

One of my favourite events was the Vintage Tea Party we arranged to inform people about what is happening in their local Marie Curie Hospice, Liverpool. This event was a huge success with staff, patients, volunteers and visitors enjoying our homemade cakes and free refreshments. People who don’t often come in to contact on a daily basis had a chance to get to know each other and the roles each of them play in the hospice. It was refreshing to hear patients talk about how they appreciated many different services the hospice provides, such as complementary therapy. This conversation gave us an insight in to the still prevalent issue that people do not know what services are available to them until they are in a vulnerable position. We believe that it is an essential part of the project to not only break down the taboo around talking about death, but to inform people in the community of what care and end of life care options are available to them, even if they are not necessary at the present time.

 

Some of our delicious homemade cakes at the Vintage Tea Party @ Marie Curie Hospice,
Woolton Source: Author

 

We continued serving homemade cake throughout the evening at our Life and Death Café at Siren, 54 St James Street, to celebrate Light Night. Not only was the venue beautiful but we met sixteen amazing people, from a diverse range of backgrounds who came together to discuss the topics of life and death. So many subjects were discussed, from archaeology and complementary medicine, to the symbolism of colours and the feelings they provoke inside us.

 

Our fantastic Life and Death Café discussion group @ Siren Source: Author

 

Saturday 17th May

 

It was an early start for the penultimate day of Dying Matters Awareness Week in The Garden at Fact by Leaf. We hosted a ‘Dead Good Cookie Decorating’ session for children and parents. We had some superbly decorated day of the dead- style cookies that tasted just as good as they looked! Have a peek at the pictures below to see some of the weird and wonderful designs!

 

A creatively decorated cookie
Source: Author

Decoration in action! In The Garden @ FACT by LEAF
Source: Author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then strolled over to the World Museum where two ‘Meet the Mummy’ sessions were taking place. These were unique performances specially opened to the public for this occasion, providing an insight in to the ancient world of Egyptian practices of mummification with the children taking centre stage, playing the roles of embalmer, high priest and Anubis.

 

Sunday 18th May

 

What could be better than a celebration for the final day of an amazingly successful Dying Matters Awareness Week? In partnership with the Treasure House Theatre at the World Museum, we put on a ‘Day of the Dead Drop-In’ where nearly seventy people attended to make masks and put a wish on the Mexican Wishing Tree whilst listening to Dia de los Muertos music.

 

Day of the Dead Drop-In celebration @ The World Museum Source: Author

 

All in all, this week was a fantastic success, with our events reaching roughly 700 people directly and potentially reaching in the region of 380,000 through our very own Rachael McKindley being featured on the BBC Merseyside Drivetime show throughout the week! Taking in to consideration visitor numbers to each venue, we estimate to have reached over 400,000 people with this years Dying Matters theme 'You Only Die Once'. We are extremely grateful to our many partners who made the events possible and thank our members and the public who continually support the project and help keep the topic of death alive.

 

Why not become a member? Email us at amy.king@mariecurie.org.uk and be the first to find out about our upcoming events! You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.