No One Teaches Us How to Die
and our learnings with the Cyprus Anticancer Society
In a recent board meeting with the Cyprus Anticancer Society, where we’re leading their brand transformation, Dr. Sofia Nestoros, Medical Director, shared something quietly profound.
“We avoid talking about it, as if it’s not there. But people who are closer to it are more okay with the idea of death.”
That sentence stayed with me. Because she’s right. We are constantly taught how to live, how to behave, succeed, and be accepted.
But no one ever teaches us how to die.
At school, I was cautious with what people thought of me.
Every action passed through a mental filter: “How will this look?”
I avoided risks. I distanced myself from love. I lost friendships because I chose safety over honesty. I wasn’t really living. I was following a script.
Now, as a father, I do what most parents do. I teach my kids how to live.
How to eat. How to speak. How to act. How to make sense of the world.
But lately I’ve been asking myself:
Am I also showing them what truly gives life its weight?
Not just how to succeed or fit in, but how to find meaning.
How to live in a way that nothing important is left unsaid or unlived.
The truth is, we are all going to die. And we should be okay with that.
Many philosophers believe that the value of life is revealed through death.
Remembering our impermanence is what sharpens our presence.
Memento Mori — remember you must die.
The more we distance ourselves from death, the more we lose touch with the urgency to live fully. It’s okay to talk about death. It’s okay to get comfortable with it.
Because when we do, we embrace the now. We show up better for ourselves, our loved ones, and the society we’re shaping.
This is the heart of our work with the Cyprus Anticancer Society.
Helping them become a brand that doesn’t just treat the issues around the disease, but builds trust by embracing difficult truths.
Because trust doesn’t come from polished language or perfect campaigns.
It comes from the courage to say what others won’t.
Not to live forever, but to live completely.
