When asking people about their perspectives with birth I asked them about how dead people are regarded in our society, any rituals their family practices with the care of the dead, how they would like to be buried and their personal opinion about death.
Interviewee #1
The dead are respected to a certain extent. There are laws forbidding people from digging up dead bodies, and even in hospitals they need consent before they can take an organ from a patient.
Interviewee #2
I have never seen a dead body. I have been told to stay away if possible. I wasn’t allowed too close to graves because they were said to have bad luck. We pay our respects to the dead by offering food and burning special paper. The special paper is regarded as money for the dead people. When I die I would like to be buried in a coffin.
Interviewee #3
The dead should be put to rest with dignity. In my culture like most others they dress them up and many of their family members gather to pay their respects. I feel that if everyone was saved and we held onto the promise of heaven then we would be able to cope with losing a loved one and then maybe we won’t feel like we have to take part in these kinds of ceremonies (funerals). When I die I would lie to be cremated. Sometimes I feel that we have so many graveyards and we should instead build things to help those that are still living.
Interviewee #4
I think the social norms in the U.S are mostly funerals and burials. My family doesn’t really discuss about caring for the dead, so I'm not too sure about their perspectives. I don't find caskets or anything else expensive necessary and I wouldn't want anyone spending so much money on my body after I'm dead. Dead bodies/death itself scares me but I understand that it is a normal, natural process we can't avoid. I don't care what's done to my body as long as it’s not an expensive process and if parts of my body can be donated to help those who need it (like a heart transplant) that would be great.
Interviewee #5
I think a lot of people are very obsessive over the afterlife and a lot of believe want to believe that their is something after death because just turning into nothingness is a pretty depressing thought. It's pretty ironic how so many people want to make such a big deal over people's death such as holding wakes and funerals yet no one wants to actually deal with touching said dead bodies. I think it's perfectly fine for people to hold these kinds of ceramonies for the dead if they desire. Dying freaks me out more than dead bodies because while death can happen at any unpredictable time, I know eventually I'm going to end up dead. Although I'm not exactly sure what I'd want to do with my body once I'm dead, I think it'd be nice to at least have a tiny gravestone so that I could imagine my soul/ghost/whatever the heck I turn into chilling there when people come to visit me.
I agree with everything interviewee #3 said regarding gravesites. I also agree that if people understood the promise of heaven and if they knew it was a place they would be going they would no longer be afraid about death. I was once afraid about death but I know that everyone is going to die someday and when I die I know that I will be going to a better place. Interviewee #2’s insight was very interesting because she gave her family perspective about the care of the dead, the way she was taught to avoid dead bodies. It’s also interesting to hear some of the rituals that take place for her family such as burning paper for the dead in hopes that the paper will help them wherever they go.
Interviewee # 1 brought up an interesting point about the laws protecting people from digging up dead bodies and needing permission before taking an organ. I never thought about this and it made me think. Why is it so important to preserve perfection of a dead body? When people die they are dressed in their best clothes and given make up but what is this for? Interviewee #4 also mentioned that she would like her organs to be donated if they are in good health once she dies and I agree with that. Many people are uncomfortable with seeing a loved ones organs be donated to someone else but in some situations I think this may be necessary. Interviewee #5 also brought up an interesting point about the fact that people want to in a sense celebrate death but no one really wants to deal with seeing dead bodies. These insights really helped me to think about insights regarding death.
I found these perspectives on caring for the dead were very interesting and thought-provacative. I also thought you did a good job analyzing these interviewees. One line I found insightful was, "...if people understood the promise of heaven and if they knew it was a place they would be going they would no longer be afraid about death." Though I don't have a clear opinon/belief around afterdeath and heaven I think this is one of the reasons why I fear death. If I had a certainty that nothing negative will happen when I die, than my fear wouldn't be that serious.
ReplyDeleteThe broad variety of opinions that are in this post is what made this especially interesting for me. It seems like some of the people you interviewed made their decisions in large part based on their religion, where others did not. One of the quotes that inspired the most thought for me was, "Dying freaks me out more than dead bodies because while death can happen at any unpredictable time, I know eventually I'm going to end up dead." This seems to be the reason that I (and probably many others as well) do not think about care of the dead as much; the concept of death pretty much overshadows everything that comes after it, as far as human life is concerned. This is kind of unfortunate, because the way that cadavers are dealt with can be beneficial for many people. Your post did a great job getting me thinking, good job.
ReplyDeleteI found these perspective for caring for dead were interesting.I liked that you read threw the interviewees. Nice Job. One line that I liked was the line that said"if people understood the promise of heaven and if they knew it was a place they would be going would no longer be afraid of death ."
ReplyDeleteMom:
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that you mentioned the fact that dead bodies are preserved by putting make up on the dead and trying to make them look as alive as possible. I wonder of in some way we are in denial about the whole thing and don't truly understand what death is. I believe that when you die, you die. Death is not something you should fear if you have some idea of where you are going but after death your physical body has no life. I really enjoyed this post.