Barcelona"I would like my farewell to be like a twilight in the Arctic Circle during the summer. That is to say, long and beautiful." This is how the wise man and professor of psychology Ramon Bayés, who died this Thursday at the age of 94, wished—and left in writing—for his final moments of life. Bayés dedicated a large part of his life to people, to understanding their behavior during life and their suffering when death approached.
Born in 1930 in Barcelona, the professor specialized in health psychology and palliative care. During his career, he earned recognition in the world of psychology and health sciences, both in the academic, collegiate, and professional fields. He stood out for being one of the pioneers of behavioral and experimental psychology in Catalonia and Spain, along with his colleagues and friends, Drs. Josep Toro and Joan Massana.
Before dedicating himself to psychology, however, Bayés studied at the Industrial School and worked as an industrial expert. In an interview with ARA in July 2023 He recalled how, after a while, he realized that the profession of expert was not suitable for him, and then Professor Francesc Gomà, who was looking for teachers at the time of the creation of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), convinced him to obtain a degree in psychology so he could work as a professor.
Bayés graduated in psychology from the University of Barcelona, where he earned his doctorate two years later with the highest distinction. After graduating, in the 1974-1975 academic year, Bayés began working as a professor at the UAB, where he met Toro and Massana and where he also became the first professor to reach retirement age from his department. In total, the scientist has published more than 700 scientific and informative articles in areas such as oncology, HIV, geriatrics, and palliative care.
"I would like to be remembered not for my writings or words, more or less accurate, but as a man who, despite his mistakes and limitations, has tried to be close to other men and, as a teacher, to learn from the sick, from his fellow psychologists or from other disciplines and, very importantly, from his young students." The psychologist who sought serenity [Plataforma Editorial, 2010].
Caring for those who are approaching death
During the 1980s and 1990s, Bayés delved into the field of psycho-oncology, exploring the relationships between stress and health and the study of the difficulties of adopting preventive measures against HIV infection. During these years, he also researched and published studies on the assessment of people's quality of life and the factors that can facilitate or hinder therapeutic adherence in cancer and AIDS patients.
It was in the late 1980s that he focused his work on the psychology of suffering and death. "When I became a grandfather, I saw that people were dying poorly. I saw the birth of palliative care, and I went with it," he explained to ARA about this change in direction in his research.
In the same conversation, Bayés asserted that he was not afraid of death. "I'm afraid, like everyone else, of pain, of terrible illnesses that drag on," he added. another interview published in this newspaper in 2016, reflected: "Death is part of life and we must accept it, just as we accepted birth and were not asked for permission. Ideal dead people surrounded by family are very few. And we must improve this aspect."
A life of recognition
Throughout his life, the psychology professor received a long list of awards, such as the Pavlov Prize for his lifetime achievement, awarded by the Catalan Society of Behavioral Research and Therapy, and both the College of Psychologists of Catalonia and the Valencian Community named him an honorary member. He also lent his name to the Ramon Bayés i Sopena Prize, awarded by the Catalan-Balearic Society of Psychology of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.
In addition, he was recognized as an emeritus professor at the UAB and named a doctor. honoris causa in psychology from the National University of Distance Education (UNED). Before pursuing formal psychology studies, Bayés also served for three years as director of the School of Middle Management in Barcelona and as one of the founders of the Galton Center for Psychological Research.
Two years ago, Ramon Bayés explained to ARA how he would like to end his life's journey: "Look, how the father of a Serbian friend of mine ended it. It happened half a year ago. He went out for a walk in a park, there was a bench, he sat down like this and died."
The farewell ceremony will take place at the Les Corts Funeral Home on August 9 at 2:00 p.m.
Twilight in the Arctic Circle
Excerpt from 'The Psychologist Who Sought Serenity' [Plataforma Editorial, 2010]
On one of my trips to the Great North, I had contemplated a wonderful twilight that seemed to have no end. Sitting on a hilltop above the fjords, I knew night would come, but I also knew that the transition from the light of dusk to the darkness of night would be long and gentle. Night will surely catch me one day, I thought, but I would like to enter slowly and without fear. The singing of the scythes; the passing ferry; the white clouds that, little by little, are tinged with yellows, reds, and oranges; the farewell of a group of beautiful, bright-eyed girls, wearing flower crowns and lit candles in their blond hair.
The length of twilight varies depending on the latitude of our location; it's very short in the tropics, where the transition from day to night is very rapid, but it's very long in the Arctic Circle summers. I'd like Arctic Circle twilight as close to the summer solstice as possible, naturally.
On the other hand, Arctic Circle twilights have another important characteristic: they are often accompanied by changes, sometimes very spectacular and curious, in the illumination and color of the part of the sky where the sun sets. This phenomenon is due to the refraction and dispersion of sunlight that occurs in the various layers of the atmosphere and the number and heterogeneity of these layers, as well as the greater or lesser degree of humidity in the air. I would therefore like, if possible, not only for my twilight to be long, but also for it to be beautiful, that is, for it to have many very heterogeneous layers and a good level of humidity—generous, I dare say—in the atmosphere that will accompany me until I reach the haven of the stars.
And the night fell without me even noticing, along with my partner Àngels, with whom, given the current circumstances, we could soon achieve the Guinness World Record for the longest-term couple; my daughter Mireia, my grandchildren Marc and Jordi, and also the friends, like so many of you, with whom I maintain close emotional ties.
I would like to be remembered not for my writings or words, whether more or less accurate, but as a man who, despite his mistakes and limitations, tried to be close to other people and, as a teacher, to learn from the sick, from his fellow psychologists or from other disciplines, and, very importantly, from his young students.
Simone de Beauvoir wrote that in the final moments of a dying person, one can find the absolute. I don't know what the absolute is, nor do I have much hope for an afterlife, but I would like to feel at peace with everyone. I want to ask forgiveness, from each and every one of you, for what I have done wrong and, more difficult, for what I may have failed to do out of laziness, ignorance, or cowardice.
In short: I'd like my farewell to be like a summer twilight in the Arctic Circle. That is, long and beautiful.
![Ramón Bayés conversant amb Esther Vera](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 9"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
