This book is hard (though not as difficult as The Five Invitations).
We’ve entered a new phase in humanity where most of us will suffer an extended period of dying. Medicine most likely won’t let us just keel over on the sidewalk.
We need to plan on navigating a harsh decline as time slowly eats away at our bodies.
The book explores this new phenomena, how we’ve dealt with it in the past century, and proposes better ways for managing our final days.
Ultimately it’s an upbeat book about a dreadful subject.
Though it’s gonna take some hard work to make it happen.
䷧
“A Better Life” (chapter 5) is one of the most inspiring things I’ve read as an architect. It’s a full throated endorsement that small improvements to an environment can improve lives. But as an owner, I am now keenly aware of the operational constraints push against such initiatives. Tellingly, it was a doctor who proposed (and realized) the changes that greatly improved patient outcomes. If we want to stay relevant as an industry, we can’t settle for being as service providers. Effective architecture is not just designing the structure, but challenging the entire system.