THE VALUE OF DEATH: Dr. Richard Smith on Mortality, Medicine & Dying Well | S4 EP6
Description
Can facing death help us live more fully?
In this powerful episode, former BMJ editor Dr. Richard Smith explores why we need to rethink how we talk about — and prepare for — our own dying.
Why do we struggle to talk about death — even though it’s the one thing guaranteed to happen to all of us?
In this powerful episode of Mind Cake, we’re joined by Dr. Richard Smith — former editor of the BMJ and lifelong advocate for better conversations around mortality.
We explore:
💀 Why our culture hides from death — and how that avoidance affects our mental health
🧑⚕️ The medicalisation of dying, and why families and communities should take a bigger role
⚖️ The ethics of assisted dying, and how medicine is failing many at the end of life
🌍 What we can learn from how other cultures face mortality
🧘♂️ Why confronting death now can help us live with more purpose, connection, and peace
Dr. Smith also discusses his widely debated view that cancer can be a “gentle” way to die, and why embracing discomfort around death might just be the key to a better life.
🎧 This is not a morbid conversation — it’s a hopeful, honest one. Tune in.
LINKS
United States
