HW 46 - Initial Thoughts on the Care of the Dead

The other day I turned to my friend Kady and said, "If I were to die, I'd want you to throw a party". I'm not sure where the initial thought came from, I don't think we were even talking about death. She looked at me confused and said, "What, are you planning on dying anytime soon?". I explained to her that I wasn't, but that the idea of a celebration seemed nice. Instead of associating death with sorrow, we could associate death with happiness. This conversation reminded me of when Beth came in to speak to us. I remember that she mentioned that instead of having a sad funeral for Erik, they celebrated his life with friends and family. That sounded nice to me.

My general belief in what should happen to bodies once death has taken place, is that bodies should be treated with care, with no alteration, unless otherwise specified by the subject's will, and whether the body is cremated or buried is up to the "loved ones". I personally would probably like to be buried. I have nothing against cremation, I think that spreading someone's ashes can actually be a beautiful ritual, but I don't think that there's any place I'd want my ashes spread.

During class I said this wouldn't be a hard unit to do. I think I lied. This wont be hard for me emotionally, but it's a tough subject to work through. I can't even get my first thoughts down. My mind just keeps jumping from subject to possible subject, and I don't know where to begin. There are so many different subjects of possible examination; funeral homes, cremation, religious rituals, the cost. 

Some questions I have left over after all of this thinking:

- What are some rituals practiced in other countries surrounding the care of the dead?
- Why do we bury our dead? Why do we cremate them?
- How does cremation work?
- Are coffins completely sealed?
- Six feet under- any other specific reasons other than stench?