I utilize four prompts to drive conversations regarding the end of our life cycle:
I am…
Before I die, I want…
When I die, I want…
After I die, I want…
I’ve interviewed about 100 humans (I’ve stopped counting at this point) On Death, ranging from 19 years old to 79 years young. I began this project during my second year of medical school, an attempt to keep my conversational skills sharp as I studied endless powerpoints and anatomical diagrams. Since then, this project has changed and grown dramatically.
One of my guests, Alana Karma, suffered a horrific car accident a few months after I interviewed her: spending weeks in the ICU and lucky to be alive. In the wake of that catastrophe, her friends and family poured in and listened to our conversation, hearing her words regarding what she wants before she dies, when she dies, and after she dies. Before these events, I had no idea the power and potential of these interviews. Then, I re-interviewed her about a year after the accident, utilizing the same prompts, but with a powerful life experience to fuel the conversation.
A new conversation posted every other week available here, on iTunes, or your favorite podcasting app.
For a deeper dive into the ‘why’ of this project, please read these reflections!
February 2016 – On Death: a manifesto
October 2017 – On Death, revisited
March 2018 – On Death revisited, again
Eugene H Kim 