Wednesday, October 8, 2008

More Visual Research



















"Think about death, but enjoy your life"

- Future planning
- Achievement
- Public vs. Private

"Live your everyday as if it was your last"
- Self-expression
- Self-confidence
- Own identity
- Customization

"No one is dead until they're forgotten"
- Visualization of memories
- Memory collecting
- Tangible
- Moment when people gather together to talk about blablabla...
- Experience
- Puzzle/Maze

"Death is interpretation"
- Negatives
- Self-satisfying



Audience Profile

Young Adult is a person between the ages of 18 and 39

• Free to choose their own path
• Opportune time to try new things
• Should not be wasted or lived unintentionally
• Begin to hold full-time jobs and take on other responsibilities of adulthood.
• Become individuals and will set themselves apart.
• Self becomes the main reliance.
• Become independent from parents.
• Take responsibility for themselves and make their own decisions.
• Start to think in a more mature manner and take issues more seriously.
• Try to focus on the construction of a better future.
• Learn value in both tangible and intangible objects.

Don’t fear death and don’t take it seriously yet.

• Passionate
• Enthusiastic
• Active
• Gathering
• Free minded
• Opportunities
• Accident
• Responsibilities
• Adulthood
• Individuals
• Self
• Hang out
• Love
• Friends
• Identity
• impulsive

20 Things To Do in Your 20’s

The twenties are an amazing time in life. For most of us it is the first time that we are truly on our own and free to choose our own path. It is an age where we essentially get to start with a clean canvas and begin painting the type of life we have dreamed of since childhood. It is an opportune time to try new things, new jobs, develop new habits and enjoy the lifestyle that comes with having little responsibility and endless amounts of energy.

The twenties are also foundational years for us and should not be wasted or lived unintentionally. With the help of some friends and mentors, the following are some of the best things we could think of to do in order to make the most of your twenties:

1. Surround yourself with wise mentors - you don’t know how to get somewhere you’ve never been. that’s why you need mentors– insight and help from people who are where you want to be.
2. Become a lifelong learner - as mentioned above, the awesome thing about your twenties is that you gain a tremendous amount of freedom to pursue whatever direction in life you choose.
3. Travel - the practice of leaving home to experience new locations and cultures is fundamental, and one that nearly everyone I posed the idea of this list to told me to include.
4. Learn to listen and handle criticism well - if there’s one deadly mistake I’ve seen made by many of my peers over the past few years it is the inability to receive criticism.
5. Develop an active, healthy lifestyle - by adopting healthy habits such as eating well and exercising regularly in your 20’s you are setting yourself up for a much better quality of life.
6. Read a classic - even though we are required to read a few classics here and there throughout school, if you’re like me you have forgotten most of the characters and plot twists by now.
7. Go on an overseas missions trip - Traveling is wonderful, but it is possible to travel the globe without ever really stepping outside of yourself.
8. Create a monthly budget - often the big advice from financial planners for young people comes in a cheeky remark about cutting back on the Starbucks lattes.
9. Start a Roth IRA - I know of no better retirement vehicle than the Roth IRA. A Roth is unique because your money grows tax-free meaning at retirement age (currently 59 1/2) when you finally decide to pull out the money you have accumulated, you don’t have to pay any taxes on any of it.
10. Buy a used car - it may be tempting to show how independent you’ve become by pulling up to your friend’s house in a brand new car, but fight the urge.
11. Understand basic investment principles - there is no doubt that financial illiteracy is rampant among young people mainly due to it’s weak to non-existent standing in secondary school curriculum.
12. Go to a concert - Ever noticed that many people’s fondest memories start with, “One time we got tickets to (fill in the blank).” There is something amazing about live music and thousands of screaming fans that turns up the volume of our lives in all the right ways.
13. Learn a foreign language - there’s something wonderful about communicating with someone in their native tongue; it breaks down cultural barriers like nothing else.
14. Start a blog - the ability to communicate one’s ideas in writing is an incredibly valuable asset.
15. Get your college degree - according to a recent report from the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau a college graduate can expect to earn approximately $900,000 more over their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma.
16. Pay off credit cards - We’ve all heard the alarming stats yet few seem to be changing their behavior.
17. Stay in a hotel that costs over $200 a night
18.
Read the Bible cover to cover - no other book has been cited by others, recounted in the arts, or debated in the public arena more than the Bible.
19. Explore your family of origin issues (positive and negative) and pursue growth
20.
Figure out the type of person you want to marry

Target Audiences

People who are in their 20s~30s.
:Don't fear death/Not serious about death
:Don't prepare for the future dates





Death of a loved one

Some open discussions on death of a loved one


A.

Not the most happy topic- I had no religion in my family. I guess I believe in spirituality and the cycle of life but not in heaven of any kind.
I've been thinking that I'm very scared of being weak and that because of that maybe my childhood was spent playing army games with plastic guns and running around shooting people and trying to be all powerful. When deaths happened in my family it was a big shock to me, to the extent that I blocked it out- 7 years ago when my mom died I kind of blocked it out when it was happening, even though I knew she was dying it was a massive shock when it happened- I couldnt beleive it and it took me a few days of blindly wandering around before I could pick myself up and do anything.
But I'm still angry I think, Angry at death maybe? I remember being very young and running into my parents room at night because I'd relaised I was going to die and I was very scared. I cant remember how old I was or what suddenly caused the feelings- possibly the death of neighbour's dog. My mom told me "it's ok because when you get old you're not scared of death, you're ready to die"
Which, now that I've written it done, sounds f'ing ridiculous.
Could that moment really have made me so angry now. It feels like that might be it. I just have bursts of uncontrollable anger- maybe at my mom for dying- maybe for ignoring her out of fear when she was dying.
But even now when I think about death I have this urge to hit a wall as hard as I can. I don't know why. Just trying to escape something?
It's something I really want to deal with and become less angry about. I feel a little bit stuck even after all this time and I think it's perhaps because of my views of death. I'd love to have some advice on this subject.

B.
I'm very sorry to for your loss. I'm sure even seven years seem like yesterday And I do hear often people who have lost their loved ones are often angry & just upset, partly because it's not something people expect or want to accept as it happens when you can truly understand why it had to happen even if there was a reason. For many dying at old age & becoming weaker is more acceptable yet many people have lost their loved ones as a result of illness, accidents and other tragedy that would be hard to swallow. Your anger could stem from so many reasons in that sense. Yes, a lot of your anger comes from the fact that death took your mother away. You're angry for a fact that she left you even if it wasn't her fault, you don't understand why people have to die, why people leave so early, why you are left alone and so many unexplained reasons people want answers for.

A co-worker recently lost her best friend who was only in her early 30's. Just all of a sudden, speculating brain aneurysm but still waiting for toxicology report to come back. The friend who never woke up one morning had a 9-year old daughter. I just can't imagine what that will do to someone let alone finding your loved one just sleeping in bed but never waking up.
Hang in there...as much as it's hard for you to accept, death surrounds us but should not be afraid & take each moment to look around and see there are more life then death. And your anger can be used in a positive way from working out harder, studying, and for everyday obstacles. I'm sure your mother is watching you from heaven praying the best for your life

C.
I also feel terror at dying sometimes, and it makes me angry and sad that people get taken away from me by death, and I fear dying because I have a little 2.5 year old that I want to grow up, knowing me.... but you know what is the worst for me? No matter how affraid I am, no matter how much I worry about it, WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER IT, and that is maybe what scares me most.
It can become an obsession, and it can make you miss the life you are supposed to have, before it happens.
The only thing that is left for us to do, is live every day to the fullest, make sure you tell your loved ones that you love them, be good to your friends and keep your estate in order. From there, LIVE LIFE. I often hear the saying that life is not Death it is the Journey that counts. Look, we are all going to die at some point, but what sets our souls free is how we spent our living years.
I'm trying to spend them as best I can, touching as many lives as I can, and being the best person I can be. I'm still affraid, but then I try and LIVE.

D.
I've lost a number of dear old friends in the past few years and been overjoyed to hold them close on their deathbeds, tell them of my love, and bid them a safe journey. All were resigned to their fate as their eyes gleamed.
I look at death as the finale to a fascinating passage. I'm not whistling past the graveyard but can understand a need for an end.
We wear out, and are replaced by others like ourselves.


Deal with death of a loved one:
Yearning is primary emotion after death of a loved one
Prepare for the death of a loved one




Grief


What is Grief?
Grief is the painful emotional state that occurs following the loss of a close friend or family member. As human beings, close relationships regulate our physical and psychological well being. In other words, our relationships can affect our bodies as well as our minds. Therefore, when someone close to us dies, both our bodies and minds react to the loss as a threat. Grief is the natural way of coping with this threat.
  • feel strong emotions, such as sadness and anger
  • have physical reactions, such as not sleeping or even waves of nausea
  • have spiritual reactions to a death — for example, some people find themselves questioning their beliefs and feeling disappointed in their religion while others find that they feel more strongly than ever about their faith
Grief is not a disease but it can become one. Grieving individuals are at greater risk for infections, cardiac problems, more frequent doctor visits, alcohol abuse and depression. In fact, research has shown that if left untreated, depression that follows grief can still be present two years later. Another problem occurs when grief is blocked, and "traumatic grief", similar to post-traumatic stress disorder, can develop.


More research links:
Death and Grief
Death, Grief and Suffering
Suffering and Grief
Suffering from Grief
Grief Information
Grief Recovery





Illustration of Death vol.2