Worldcrunch
It’s not easy coming out to your family as gay or transgender, nor for every family to accept it, especially in conformist societies like Latin America’s. But, unlike decades ago, today families can seek out sensible information and professional help to avoid hurting their children.
Thanatology or the study of death has entered Italian academia, led by the University of Padua, which is taking an interdisciplinary approach to our fascination with mortality.
Two years of restrictions and millions of deaths brought on by the pandemic might have had us reflect on the reality of suffering and death, but as booming pharmaceutical and retailing figures suggested, nothing can distract modern folk from their love of distraction. A view from an Argentine physician.
When the author’s father died suddenly two years ago in Colombia, the Catholic Church mourning rituals offered little comfort. Two weeks ago, by chance in Mexico City for the annual Día De Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations, she discovered how these ancient rituals for the departed could finally help her face the pain, and find true peace.
Family members who lost a loved one in the early months of the pandemic, at the height of the restrictions, are now demanding a national day of mourning.
Violent death is a regular ocurrence in Rio’s infamous slums. But that doesn’t make it any less excruciating for the families of the departed.