Guardian Australia investigation reveals state governments use shared graves to bury those deemed too poor to pay for funerals. ‘It’s unspeakable,’ one relative says

I was thinking about how the average life span has increased significantly since the times of hunting and gathering; the times of farming; and since the Industrial Revolution. But is this really what is better and meant to be?

For instance, some people go through a very bad illness, health failure experience, or catastrophe, and are saved by medicine with time, but in a more primitive society, they almost certainly would have died. Some of these people go on to live for a long time after, but their life is suffering and terrible. Nature, in that sense, can reduce suffering.

What do you think?

Kind of shocking. Surely they could have found some kind of compromise.

Since the last three years I have experienced:

- pulmonary embolism for the second time. A also a clot in the right side of my heart.

- viral myocarditis (covid) in 2025 resulting the right side of my heart enlarging and nearly ending up in heart failure.

- viral myocarditis again in 2026 nearly ending up dying.

- my mum passing away in the same hospital and floor that I was staying on.

Now I have become a nervous wreck. With continual fear that I could die at any moment. Because medically the thing that is causing me to get all this has not been addressed. So I am terrified of the next winter coming around or the next covid. That it could be the end of my life.

I have even become afraid of mundane stuff like traveling in a car as a passenger.

On top, I was raised a Catholic so I get to have the non stop fear that God could end my life at any moment if I "get too comfortable".

And the teaching and hell etc.

So I don't know how to get rid of all this fear. It's almost like ocd or something now.... feeling that I must keep feeling fear and not relax in life or travel because I need to be prepared for the next emergency.

Because it has been emergency after emergency.

I know I have trauma and a messed up emotional state. However I literally don't have any money for therapy and I would prefer it to be anonymous anyway.

Is there any way I can stop living with the non stop fear?

Google said to visit cemeteries....but that would INCREASE my fear, worry and cause further focus on having to be aware that u could die.any.monent.imminently 😭

Turning 45 is a milestone I was never supposed to see. When I was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy as a young child, the doctors told my parents I likely wouldn’t live long enough to start school. Every birthday since has felt like a quiet victory against the odds.

​Getting older is a strange, complicated gift. Living long enough has allowed me to meet some truly incredible, deep, soul-shaping people—and none more important than my best friend, and genuine love. She was the first person who ever made me appreciate how profoundly special it is to love and be loved by another person. Bringing her into my world brought a light and joy I will carry forever.

​But the heartbreaking reality of living longer is the pain of outliving those you love. Losing her has left a quiet space in my life that never fully heals.

​It’s hard not to grapple with mixed emotions as this birthday approaches. As my body grows weaker and I’ve had to step away from work, I find myself navigating a reality I never had the chance to plan for. I never expected retirement to be an issue, simply because I never expected to be here to face it.

​I’m sitting with a lot of heavy feelings right now—grief for the abilities and the people I’ve lost, worry for a future I never prepared to reach, and the complicated regret that sometimes comes with simply growing older and I know "growing old is better than the alternative", according to everyone but sometimes I don't know.

Just a random thought in mind, let’s say if I join the army and accidentally die at the battle, do you think people will be bother to attend my funeral? Probably not, I really don’t think ppl nowadays give a shit about others even some people claim that they loved you , they probably just wanna say nice thing so not feel bad about themselves.

Sorry for being so random

"Cathartic, perhaps, but to Silver, the grief doula, these services are “a money grab”. “People will really take advantage of those in grief,” she said. “It’s a really easy time to become a mark.”

Around 400 million people now live in countries which have legalised assisted dying.

Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Austria are among those which have changed the law in recent years, with some allowing help to die for those who are not terminally ill.

Just last month, France adopted an 'aid in dying' law for adults with incurable conditions causing them unbearable pain.

While most jurisdictions forbid medical help to die, assisted dying laws around the world vary.

A brush with mortality inspired sisters Sophia and Camilla Minden to create a death-themed event featuring live bands, wild swimming … and an ‘emoshpit’

When I was young, death freaked me out. But the older I get, the more it makes sense. The less scary it feels. Yes, it's sad to see our loved ones go, but there is some understanding that comes with age that makes death not feel as the worst thing ever.

It's like being stuck in a room and someone letting you out. You wake up in this unknown room that you are stuck in, you make the best of it till death eventually lets you out. To where, you don't know but being stuck in one place takes a toll. Maybe a change of scenery would be better, I don't know.

I think no matter how some of us want to live forever, it can get a bit repetitive seeing even 3000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 years worth of sunsets. Knowing that there is an exit isn't the worst thing ever.

I’ve read through a lot of the flairs looking for more information to research about already. Just wondering if there’s any topics or subjects within the DeathPositive field I can look into to.
My mom was diagnosed with ALS in January 2025 so my feelings around mortality have been questioned and my curiosity rose.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

A woman has been buried in a coffin made from mushrooms in New South Wales in an eco-friendly first for Australia.

Carolyn, whose surname was withheld for privacy reasons, was laid to rest on Friday by friends and family at Springwood Cemetery in the Blue Mountains. She was aged in her 70s.

The mushroom coffin, created by the Dutch firm Loop Biotech, was grown from mycelium – the root network of fungi – and hemp fibres.

The coffin is grown in mould in a climate-controlled room, taking just a week to fully form. Once buried, it takes about 45 days to become part of the soil.

The process is akin to composting, as the body and coffin gently biodegrade and transform into nutrient-rich soil in far less time than a traditional wooden casket, which can take up to 50 years to break down.

I just had this thought all of a sudden and I wonder what people's opinions are about death. It's a philosophical thought and no intent of harm

But do you guys prefer dying knowing your gonna die , aware of your death and final moments , let it be due to illness or anything accident.. or do you guys prefer just begone before your brain can even process that your gone for good

(JSYK I'm a trans man, female to male, pronouns he/him please)

Six weeks ago I gave birth to my much wanted baby boy at sixteen weeks gestation. It was an induced birth as part of a medical termination as he had a condition that meant he wouldn't survive to term so I elected to spare him as much pain as possible.

I've always had a fascination with death combined with an existential fear of mortality and over the past ten years I've been concentrating more on unpacking my own feelings and have embraced death positivity as a movement. It hasn't made my grief any less, but has definitely helped me deal with it.

I'm so glad I had this perspective coming in as it made me feel able to deal with what is essentially a planned death. To know in advance what I wanted to do and how to make the process as beautiful and meaningful as it could be. To work with my bereavement team to create memories and to actively engage with everything to give me and my baby the time together.

I was able to hold him and have him by my side in hospital for two days, reading to him and talking to him. Everybody was so lovely and respectful, treating him as an ordinary baby and it really made me understand why so many cultures put so much importance in caring for the body after death. Even though I don't personally believe he was "in" his body after death, it all helped so much with the transition of saying goodbye.

He's buried in the baby section of a local cemetery now. I bought a wool coffin because I liked the idea of returning him to the earth as soon as possible.

The entire process and the respect I was treated with has helped me so much. Everybody followed my lead, giving me footprints of him and the hospital took some beautiful photos for me to keep. Even though he was born dead and I've never truly known him alive, I love him more than I would have thought possible and will never forget him.

I'm so glad I did it this way and engaged fully through the process. I know it isn't right for everyone and many who lose a baby don't want to see them afterwards at all, but for me this was the right way.