Welcome to Lexicon of Life and Death, a new podcast series from the Completed Life Initiative. In this series, Lynn and Mark Barger Elliott will explore the vocabulary we employ to express beliefs, hopes and attitudes towards life and death. While asking what it means to live a completed life, they will probe ways that language guides us towards embracing full and whole moments in our lives. In this first episode, our hosts discuss the Finnish word, “Sisu,” which literally translates to “guts” or “intestines” – but is informed by political and cultural history to carry much more meaning.

As we come into the world, we inherit language to interpret and to express our experiences and emotions. Language evolves as the world changes – evidenced by the 690 new English words Merriam-Webster added to the dictionary last year. Language can also limit our abilities to interact with and to describe the world we inhabit. As the poet Jane Hirschfield once observed, as humans, we attempt to explain something that already exists fully, on its own, without words.

If you would like to share a response to this episode, please feel free to reach out to us on our social media platforms. Additionally, if you would like to share your story of a Completed Life on this podcast, whether for yourself or a loved one, please reach out to us via email at [email protected]