We are born, we live, and we die. This trinity may have options, but not death — at least up to now. Our bodies may be frozen, defrosted, and we resume life — at least that’s the theory.

Recently, the joy of a 14-year-old girl, whose body the British courts allowed to be frozen upon death, was touching. Wracked by suffering, she still had a zest to live once a cure for her cancer was found. People should die in hope, and if a pod at Cryonics UK Ltd gave her assurance, fine!

Can this really happen? Man pursued life extension for ages — a fountain of youth — today most try weight loss, healthy eating, jogging, the gym. When Cryonics came to London years ago I was wary of the promise, but loved the research, as dying is ignored. Now some 400 frozen bodies later we know some find it a backup plan to Jesus’ eternal life.

A girl seems well placed compared to a wealthy socialite to be defrosted in 2050. Do Jesus people’s new resurrection bodies have an edge over Cryonics? As a child, my soda bottle burst in the fridge, as liquids expand when frozen, so some good anti-freeze must be put into frozen bodies. And thus started my reflection on death and resurrection.

The secrets of the afterlife are safe, as we have no returnees, but still people fear death or talk of dying as “goat mouth might catch wi”! Birth is our start, and we know a lot about it. In pre-history, women gave birth doing the chores, swaddled the baby, and kept going. Today, birthing is heavily medicalised — rituals, procedures, institutions, specialisation, each with its hazards. We have antenatal and postnatal activities and males are now involved and know dilation, contraction, breaking water. In much of Asia and Africa, birthing detail is not well dissected, though they have most births. Pregnancy is not an illness, and in the West birthing rituals are embedded; women and men are paid maternity leave of up to 18 weeks.

Living is the most risky of the trilogy given our decadal murder spree — men, women, kids die before time. Also, our economy has a dark side and the effect is the poor are not as poor as the data suggests, and the rich are more affluent than we think, and this inequality creates social friction; yet 90 per cent plus have opportunity to grow through education, but most don’t do well and drag down our nascent prosperity. People need to take responsibility for their personal success.

Dying is a leveller, as heritage-DNA, sensible assets, privilege, make birth and living unequal states. It is much neglected and not as medicalised. Cryogenic preservation and the Dignitas Clinic for assisted dying are new. Birthing is well documented — conception, gestation of nine months ending with two options. Living is three score and 10 (shorter in our murderous nation), plus “braata” in the

Bible, and has many options. Dying is poorly documented, has one outcome, but the requisites to a fine death are not depicted.

Is death terminus or gateway? The

Bible enjoins us to celebrate death and mourn birth. We are most disobedient. We plan births well, yet for death we are perfunctory, sombre, uncreative. Only our dancehall kings and queens observe the biblical aura of celebration — bright caskets, bunting, lively music, colourful dress; motorcycles jousting in the streets to mark the death of a “name brand ” person; good authentic fun and games. Christians are intransigently disobedient, wear sable tones with long faces. Information on birth and living abound in books; not so dying. What is a death rattle? We even refuse to say “death”, but euphemise it as “passing”. Superstition? Fear of the unknown?

Dying is the inevitable one in the trilogy — no options. Is this why we are uncomfortable with it? When does dying begin? Does death, like birth, have a gestation period? Assisted birthing and assisted living is normal, but assisted dying is not. Why?

I was close to Dad as he was dying and saw changes in his energy, desire, capacity, attention, appetite, but what did it mean? We can delineate the last lap to birth, but not the final click to death. Why? Dad chatted up a storm — his funeral, past lady friends, joked, and we also enjoyed beautiful silence when nothing remained to be said or done. Is innovation around death in abeyance because we are uncurious? I am enjoying my 102-year-old mother’s last days. I am taught devolution of life; her cycle is natural, not guided by a schedule: hungry, she eats; tired, she sleeps; wakes refreshed — I envy her.

I see old people begging, on a mission to find food; who loves or cares? Where are their children? If the State cannot prosper productive, working people, what of wasted old people? A dishevelled man with the earnest look of a civil servant; a lady in a bedraggled, flowing dress which may have once graced King’s House; she flounced off as she did not get what she wanted, “Only a $500, Sir, I have bills!” We are a hard people governed by hard people.

Conversations about death are important and not some kind of “goat mouth” curse. We even think making a will is a bad omen. The irresponsibility of a Bob Marley — family, health, assets — is no role model nor enure to order and development. There is no good life or sustainability without solid appreciation of death. The ziggurats and pyramids of the ancients tower over modern lives and inspire their heirs to success and they now build monoliths to their scion yet unborn. We are a poor, contentious people with no sense of history or place; we ape great nations, consume what we do not produce, but add no innovation to the global stock. The negative virtuous cycle — who was backward is backward still and who was great is still great — can be broken by an extraordinary commitment to self-development and production; to export more than we import and cultivating curiosity leading to innovation. Most are born, live squalidly and die, adding no value to family or nation. Some wreak havoc, create national fear and mayhem; but understanding death may lead to productive living, personal satisfaction, and value-added to our nation. Stay conscious!

Franklin Johnston, D Phil (Oxon), is a strategist and project manager. Send comments to the Observer orfranklinjohnstontoo@gmail.com.