The Death of Prince Philip Reminds Me How Robotic People Are

Here’s what I encourage you to say to someone who’s grieving — hint: it’s neither “I’m sending you love” nor “I’m so sorry.”

Photo by Mitchell Hollander on Unsplash

Of all the knowledge humankind has been resourceful enough to acquire, the one untouchable piece of information is the answer to the question, “What is it like to die?”

Certainly, we can postulate many a suggestion as to what death itself entails. And to an extent, we have some understanding. We know that our hearts cease to beat, our brains become unresponsive, and our bodies no longer move on their own accord.

Scientifically, we comprehend the process.

But beyond tangible facts, we haven’t a clue what transpires.

And this lack of information creates cognitive discomfort. Our brains are always trying to fill the gaps and insert information into empty spaces so that all of the dots connect.

But with death, there is nothing concrete enough with which we can confidently fill the crevices. The spaces remain empty. The gaps stay unfilled. All we have to work with are postulations and theories.

And people don’t like to talk about what makes them uncomfortable. So, it comes to absolutely no surprise that conversations surrounding death are void of the exact thing grieving…