Aiming to address how people in the western world struggle to cope with the loss of loved ones, Marcela Biven and Madeline Park of ___less are creating a community where those in grief can connect with others and receive mental health support.
Both Biven and Park lost their mothers in their twenties. Bonding together with a shared sense of sorrow, the two found that having mutual support was integral to healing.
“Western society keeps death and dying at an arm’s length,” says ___less. “We dread funeral homes, the smell of stale flowers, the tin-foiled casserole on the doorstep, letters beginning with “Sorry for your loss.” We ward off thoughts of sickness and hold off on conversations about death for old age. With this approach, death’s stigma pulls the rug out from underfoot. We are unprepared and vulnerable. We are alone in an experience that is ultimately universal. But it doesn’t have to be this way.”
“How can we be proactive about death and dying, not reactive?” questions ___less. “How can we help one another learn and prepare for “the inevitable” sooner? How can we die, grieve, and honor the bereaved more visibly?”
The name ___less is quite interesting. According to Biven and Park, the blank space at the beginning symbolizes the inclusion, or lack thereof, of death in cultural conversations.
In addition to developing an app where strangers can connect and share their stories, ___less is planning to build a website that offers mental health check-ins, a resource bank, and gifting service that is said to help communities “give better and to support healthy avenues for comfort and reflection.”
Marcela Biven and Madeline Park are currently raising funds via Kickstarter to get ___less up and running. If you are interested in backing the project, consider pledging.
Visit ___less’s Instagram to learn more.
