The other day, as we were preparing postmortem brain for processing, I was staring at the piece in front of me and was once again struck by the finality of death. That piece of tissue which once upon a time was a part of life and carried a lifetime of experiences and memories. Now, it is lying frozen on a petri dish, ready to be further dissected, churned up, broken down, analyzed. Then, it will forever be gone from this world. Is that also what happens to the life to which it belonged?

Yes, the dead do teach: Diseases. Pathologies. End points.

But let us remember the other lessons:  Commonality. Generosity. The fleeting nature of life. Experiences and memories to be shared, passed on, and cherished.