People's responses to death take many forms, particularly in different cultures. But even in Western societies, reactions to death and dying are quite diverse. For instance, is it better for a man to die after a full life in which he has raised a family and been successful in his job, or for a courageous and valiant young soldier to die defending his country in wartime? Has one person died a better death than the other? The answer depends on one's values, which reflect cultural and subcultural teachings, often shared through religious beliefs. Some societies view death as a punishment or as a judgment about one's contributions to the world. Others see death as redemption from an earthly life of travail. Some view death as the start of an eternal life, while others believe that an earthly life is all there is (Bryant, 2003)." This quote stood out to me because of how vastly the perception of death can be culturally. I find this especially interesting because I've found that not every Westerner has the same perception, especially with America consisting of different cultures. I think the answer is very subjective. "Dr. Jack Kevorkian became well known in the 1990s for his invention and promotion of a "suicide machine," which allowed patients to push a button and release anesthesia and a drug that stops the heart. By supplying the machine and the drugs, which patients administered themselves, Kevorkian was participating in assisted suicide, providing the means for a terminally ill person to commit suicide. Kevorkian spent 8 years in prison for second-degree murder for his participation in an assisted suicide shown on the television show 60 Minutes. Assisted suicide continues to raise bitter conflict in the United States, and the practice is illegal in most states. Today, seven major jurisdictions (California, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, DC) have passed "right to die" laws, and Montana has legal physician-assisted suicide following a court order. In Oregon alone, more than 1,100 people have taken medication to end their own lives (Edwards, 2015; Oregon Death with Dignity Act, 2016)." I found this quote interesting because of the controversal topic on assisted suicide. I can understand both points on either side of the issue and see why Dr. Kevorkian created the invention. "The suddenness of the death also affects the course of grieving. People who unexpectedly lose their loved ones are less able to cope than those who could anticipate the death. In one study, people who experienced a sudden death had not fully recovered 4 years later. In part, this may be because sudden deaths are often the result of violence, which occurs more frequently among younger individuals (Burton, Haley, & Small, 2006; De Leo et al., 2014; Kolves et al., 2019)." This quote was shocking to me because I wasn't aware that grief can take multiple years to process. Even though the memories of the loss of a loved ones are things a person may not forget, I think there's a common misconception that grief is within stages a person can go through and completely recover from without any setbacks, when that's not really the case. Make a comment on this students post