First of all, I don't know why we can't just use the words "die", "death", or even something slightly more obscured, like "pass away". There are some pretty silly ways that we refer to death and "going gently into the night" is one of them. Am I too hardened, having experienced death so often that sweet sounding metaphors mean nothing to me? Or am I justified in saying COME ON FOLKS! Let's just accept death for what it is and call it by it's real name!
Secondly, the article equates denial with hope. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hope has absolutely nothing to do with denial. While it's true that some people choose to remain in denial and continue hoping for a cure long after it's clear there isn't one, the two feelings - denial and hope - are separate entities. To say they are the same is to say that a hospice patient has no hope, and I know for a fact that just isn't true.
Okay, my ranting aside, I was left curious as to what other pseudonyms for death drive you crazy. "Crossed over" is one that comes to my mind. Share your annoying metaphor for death and I'll compile them into a future article. In the meantime, here is my take on hospice and hope:
I agree that our society needs to accept death as being something natural and treat it as such. It bugs me when people use terms liek “passing on”, “crossing over”, “kick the bucket” (where did that one come from?) and “croak”.