most people dont STUDY anything related to death. Coming from a very Southern background: death happens and it's either unexpected or expected. It is mystical because "god calls them home" or they died in their sleep or "we don't talk about that". We never talk about how "your daddy died because he took too many of them pills" or " "your momma died last night and we need to make sure she gets a proper burial" and we sure as shit never talk about that one guy in the family who shot his father and the sisters had to clean up his entrails from the porch. I don't know about other cultures. but Americans do not have a way to talk about death.
Joe Winko, I think, was a beautiful death. He went out on his own terms, and in his own way. He had a death plan and he expected people to follow it. When the average (american) person has a death sentence/wish, what happpens? the family ignores it, the family goes to court over it, the family fights the med system over it. there is nothing healthy about that. when a person is ready to go, they should go.
side note: do you want to get closer to death? kill your meat for food. another way: find an animal skull full of brain and skin meat and boil it down for the bones. live with that smell. understand death stink versus homeless stink. i'm here to tell you, there will be NO mistaking it.