THE DEFIANT QUESTION · THURSDAY · DF010

Hope Is Not a Gag Order.

August 20, 2026Mortality, Love & Autonomy5 min read

Refusing to discuss death may feel protective, but the silence often serves the people who are afraid to listen.

I have lived with Parkinson’s for thirty-five years, which is long enough to notice that people are often more comfortable discussing the possibility of a cure than the certainty of death.

That is not really about Parkinson’s. It is about being human and our strange belief that refusing to name something may prevent it from finding the address.