The Threshold Project

Obituary

The current standard for most obituaries is abhorrent.  Rather than capturing the spirit of a life completed, they are most often a grim linear narrative written by an ill prepared family member often under duress. Tight space requirements for such notices, on and offline, contribute to this status quo. More importantly, there exists an absence of imagination and a structure of facilitation. Who is in a better position to craft this final public statement than the person whose life is being described?

The Threshold Project sees a tremendous opportunity to make the obituary writing process a gateway to greater self-exploration on behalf of the individual facing their own mortality, while also providing

a forum from which a person can experience meaningful self-expression.

Ceremony

The funeral services industry faces an interesting conundrum. On one hand, their objective is to ensure the deceased’s physical remains are put to rest according to their own wishes. On the other hand, their objective is to ensure survivors are able to receive the closure and satisfaction they require during the farewell process.  In reality, pre-planning is a business arrangement with little to do with exploring the meaning of a life or the extraordinary possibilities available in its celebration.

Recent surveys run by the funeral industry indicate that these two sets of objectives are typically not aligned.  Not surprising, given that the planning process takes place with almost no collaboration between the person and their family.  Additionally, a common vision of the American Funeral sees a stale product of the mid-twentieth century, and a common impression of the funeral industry feels suspicious and resigned.  Quite often, persons advise their families that they wish no ceremony at all, reflecting a rejection of a limited view of what’s possible for their family and community, rather than turning away from an experience of closure

The Threshold Project sees a tremendous opportunity to facilitate processes with people and their families to engage in imaginative, uplifting, and meaningful ceremony planning that aligns with their specific cultural paradigm.

Legacy

Children and grandchildren often experience the death of parents and grandparents before the age at which they are capable of storing retrievable memory.  The pain of this for the adult approaching death is of a depth that is difficult to fathom.  Nothing can change this, however, parents are pragmatic and very occasionally create legacy documents to be encountered by the children as they grow.  (See Kara’s Story.)  The power of these communications is profound and the opportunity is to create structures such that they occur more frequently.

The Threshold Project will facilitate such communication as the completion of birthday cards and digital video messaging for children to receive as they grow and seek to be connected to lost parents and grandparents.