Why thinking about death helps you live a better life | Alua Arthur

TED Talks Daily

TED

Creativity, Ted Podcast, Ted Talks Daily, Business, Design, Inspiration, Society & Culture, Science, Technology, Education, Tech Demo, Ted Talks, Ted, Entertainment, Tedtalks

4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 6 July 2023

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As a death doula, or someone who supports dying people and their loved ones, Alua Arthur spends a lot of time thinking about the end of life. In a profound talk that examines our brief, perfectly human time on this planet, she asks us to look at our lives through the lens of our deaths in seeking to answer the question: "What must I do to be at peace with myself so that I may live presently and die gracefully?"

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Ted Audio Collective
0:11.0	I'm Elise Hugh, you're listening to Ted Talks daily.
0:13.8	Aelua Arthur is a specialist in a milestone all of us will experience, no matter what.
0:19.9	She is a death doula who ushers many people through this universal transition.
0:25.5	And her touching talk from Ted 2023, Arthur shares what death has taught her about life,
0:31.6	about being human, about being right here, after a sponsor message.
0:39.6	Support for this podcast comes from BCG.
0:42.2	There are so many urgent questions in the minds of business leaders today.
0:46.1	What will the economy look like in six months?
0:48.6	Should you be investing in generative AI for your company?
0:51.9	Is the metaverse real or just hype?
0:54.1	And what can you do to hold on to your best employees?
0:57.6	The So-What from BCG is a podcast featuring award-winning British journalist Georgie Frost
1:02.7	interviewing BCG's leading thinkers and doers to get you the answers.
1:06.8	It's about making sense of today and preparing busy leaders and executives for the day after
1:11.1	tomorrow.
1:12.1	Listen to The So-What from BCG, wherever you get your podcast.
1:18.4	I want to die at sunset.
1:21.0	I want to watch the sky change and turn orange and pink and purple.
1:25.9	As day dies in tonight, I want to hear the wind fluttering through the leaves and smell
1:32.2	very faintly, not chocolate amber incense, but very faintly because scent can be tough
1:36.7	on a dying body.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from TED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of TED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.