7. Death and Dying: Many societies and cultures ignore or downplay some of the significant issues around death and dying, for a variety of reasons. Others have significant rituals around death and dying. From my work in the NHS, I know intimately the challenges doctors, who face death and dying daily, encounter when trying to manage their own feelings. They often "shut off", and then find it hard to support grieving relatives. This can impact and minimize the significance of the meaning of death and loss for others. Western cultures in particular can downplay the meaning of death. We are obsessed with youth, and remaining young. The media, magazines, the news ("Merchants of Immortality") all play into beliefs around remaining young and defying death. This can leave individuals unprepared and with no 'rites of passage'.