Neda’s Legacy:Death has a heart in our work life existence

A teacher of mine taught me well over 15 years ago that death has a heart, a voice, a consciousness. Volunteering in a nursing home during the height of the AIDS pandemic I witnessed the passing of many men and women who left certain legacies behind. Many were at the height of their careers. News of their deaths reverberated throughout their respective workplaces, communities, and in the media. Their lives were cut short, but not without meaning.

Some wrote of their process, others created art, many chronicled their last days for posterity, and sadly some would never be able to speak their truth. AIDS sparked a new consciousness forcing society to look hard at discrimination, human rights issues, and how we treat each other in the workplace.

In death, a deeper expression of a person’s inner sanctum can manifest in meaningful rich messages which impact others. The process might be as simple as vocally forgiving a loved one, or as globally complex as it was during the height of the AIDS pandemic, which made daily news headlines. In the case of Neda Agha Soltan, the Iranian woman being hailed as a martyr after she was reportedly killed by Basij militiamen at a protest; her death impacted the world deeply in an instant.

The haunting images of Neda represent not only the attempt to silence those opposed to the current Iranian regime, but also the voices and rights of women in Iran as articulated in this article on Bloomberg.com, Neda’s Death Highlights Women’s Role in Iran Protests .

News of Neda’s death crossed the globe in mere seconds. Whether at home or at work, the world received her message of discontent in pictures and in words. Her message is not lost on a world that was eager to listen. But in our personal lives that might not always be the case. Bombarded by media, work and life issues, we’re not always listening in death with the most alert ear because we are consumed by information barely keeping our head above the water suffering from the “attention crash.”

This morning, while still at work after anchoring the morning shows I had the opportunity to speak with an old friend who is dying. He’s the father of one of my oldest friends from high school. Deeply centered, I spoke softly to him over the phone, although he could not respond. At this writing he is passing. His legacy is an incredible daughter who has touched the lives of many people as an actress, teacher and a very good listener and friend. While all I could hear on the phone was his labored breath on the phone, it was a soothing closure.

I could have waited to get home from work to call, but time was of the essence. Why must I wait until I get home to call? It was just another sign of our times, the working and living experience is merging in a new way. As our society ages, and more people work longer, we will inevitably be faced with enduring the dying process in our workplaces.

A few questions came to mind: Are the programs in place to handle such occurances outdated or cutting edge? And in our 24/7 world will we take the time – even in the workplace or in our busy lives working from home – to listen to the messages being expressed in the dying process. Death has a heart, and it will be a real shame if we don’t take the time to listen to the messages that might be coming our way.

I’d like to hear from you. Please share your thoughts or programs that might be in place at work to handle the end-of-life process.