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As a death doula, or someone who supports dying people and their loved ones, Alua Arthur spends a lot of time thinking about the end of life. In a profound talk that examines our brief, perfectly human time on this planet, she asks us to look at our lives through the lens of our deaths in seeking to answer the question: “What must I do to be at peace with myself so that I may live presently and die gracefully?”

Alua Arthur is the founder of Going with Grace, an organization focused on redefining what it means to die gracefully. She is the author of Briefly Perfectly Human (to be released in 2024 by Harper Collins).
Running time: 18 minutes
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I’m in the process of figuring out my final wishes/death care, and already feel a different sense of peace about dying (which, I hope, won’t be for quite some time).
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I want her there with me when I die! She’s amazing — and what peace and love and pride and light she brings. What moved me most is when she said something like: “When all those around me will know I breathed my last breath, I want everyone to clap!” Amazing, amazing!
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Yes, she treats death the same way we treat birth, a time of joy and celebration.
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