Design For Dying

Timothy Leary, high priest of psychedelia and former Harvard psychologist, spent decades enthusiastically investigating the meaning of life with the boundary-breaking, consciousness-expanding assistance of hallucinogenic drugs. It seems only natural that when "Mademoiselle Cancer moved in to share [his] body," he seized the opportunity to examine the nature of death ... and throw a big party. He didn't, as threatened, commit suicide on the Net or have his head cut off and frozen, but instead surrounded himself with good friends at an extended wake in his Beverly Hills home, where he drifted peacefully away. In Design for Dying, his newly released book, Leary shows people how to die happily and well. "There are common-sense, easy-to-understand options for dealing planfully, playfully, compassionately, and elegantly with the inevitable final scene," he states. "Face it. At this point in human history, we're all terminal. It behooves us to focus some time and energy and courage on regaining personal and group autonomy over the dying process.... Talking about death is the last taboo in our society. And as we've learned, the way to overcome taboo is pretty straightforward. As the man says, 'Just Do It!'" The book includes contributions from R. U. Sirius of cyberculture magazine Mondo 2000; a guide to death and dying resources, online tools, and further reading lists; and an addendum of "Timothy Leary's Dying Performance as Remembered by His Friends." Timothy Leary vowed to "give death a better name or die trying," and Design for Dying attempts to do just that. Irreverent, original, and funny as ever, Timothy Leary urges us to face death with courage and joy, if not with laughing gas and a lava lamp.