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Why do you think people are
afraid to talk about death? Should
people talk about it more openly? Would
you rather be cremated than buried?
How does your idea of your funeral differ from Caitlin’s? What do you think would be the advantages
and disadvantages of having a job like hers?
I am sure everybody thinks about death from time to time. However, nobody really talks about it. But why? It is natural and inevitable part of life. Therefore, I admire how openly Caitlin talks about her job and the death. As she said, the people are morbid and have questions about death, and I personally do not see any reason why we do not talk about it, for example, during the afternoon tea. Further, I find her book “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory” very interesting as well as her videos on youtube. I do not know where else I could find out what happens to the hip, knee or breast implants after the cremation.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, I consider Caitlin’s job very fascinating although I cannot imagine myself doing it. However, I would like to try to put make up on the death body or prepare it for the last rest. Mortician is a rare job but I agree with Caitlin that in fact, it is not very different from other jobs. You have to go through the similar interview process as if applying for more usual working position. You also have to do a lot of paperwork and spend hours sitting on the phone and discussing the necessary issues.
Next, after reading the article, I realized how uninformed I am when it comes to the burying and cremating. For instance, it was a surprising fact that the cremation is very popular, in urban areas nearing 50%, or that there are people who prefer DIY funerals. I personally do not want to end up in any of these ways. In fact, I have not thought about my funeral yet. Anyway, I am sure a do not want to be a food for warms as Caitlin does. I like more the idea of being classically put into the coffin and having there all the people I love throwing flowers into my grave.
Firstly, I got really excited seeing this type of an article here, as business around death has for long been a thing that interested me. Moreover, I think that the term 'behind the black curtain' perfectly desribes the situation of world as it is right now. I think people do not talk about death mostly because of stereotypes and because in religious societies, death is considered a sacred state of mind which should be left to the deceased and, persumably, God. Also, huge part of the decision not to talk about death lies in the fear of it, fear of oblivion. Now, this opinion has lived on and keeps people from talking about it even now. However, I absolutely agree with the article and the interviewee about the fact that people should get educated about death and such matters much more. I would even like to expand it and include the fact that it surely should stop being taboo too. Furthermore, one of the factors that I really value on Mrs Doughty is surely her passion for showing how this business around death actually functions. The fact that Mrs Doughty had had this idea and started the 'Ask Mortician' type of discussion is great. In order for people to learn about death, real-life mortician to answer their questions is a great opportunity.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, the specialization of Mrs Doughty is, I think, not a problem at all. I would even say it is the exact opposite. Because, not only she has the opportunity to draw light onto mortician's business, she can also show people that cremation, which is still oftenly considered a violation of one's sacred state, is absolutely normal and widely used techinque. Even I was surprised how commonly used it is - I would have never guessed that it reaches astounding 50% in certain areas. In my opinion, cremation will become more and more prevalent and important for mankind as urbanisation progresses and living space becomes smaller and smaller. It not only saves a lot of place and quickens death processes, but also allows the 'customer' to have more freedom on deciding what to do with a dead body. In the end, you always can just spread the ashes in the wind by the sea - this is in my opinion a perfect disposal of a dead body. And I think that as education on this matter rises, more and more people will find about advantages of cremation and forget the used stereotypes.
Everything on the Earth has its own cycle. Everything means no matter whether it is something living or non-living. The first stage of the cycle of living organisms is called a birth. Next part could be named existence and the third, unfortunately, death. We have information about each part from every day dialogues. However, we do not have so much to talk about regarding the last stage. The question is: why we do not talk about death and topics connected with such events as funeral. Not to be morbid, just to look polite in society? One day I found a dead bird. When I wanted to bury the body my father told me not to be morbid and banned me to do so. The question is: "Is it morbid to be interested in death?". Certainly not. My definition of "morbidity" would start with "a kind of disease". Either we are all sick or it is not morbid to talk and think and whatever to do with death. I guess Caitlin would agree.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, to keep our lifecycle for many generations, every single kind of job has to be done by somebody. There are doctors who help us from the first minute in the world. There are teachers who make us intelligent. There are so many professions that we even do not know about and if it had not been for them, then we would start to see problems and threats of life. Imagine what to do with a dead person. A dead animal may be buried. However, you cannot just take the body of your grandmother and bury it next to the flowers in your garden. For this kind of service there is a job called a mortician. This is also the answer whether it is a good job or not. Actually, this question does not require answer yes or no. We need somebody who looks after death. We need those people like morticians. They are not anything less then we are, they need to be educated and sometimes they are more intelligent than we are. For example Caitlin. Personally, I cannot see so many advantages as it is not so interesting position for me. When I would be offered the position of a mortician, I think the idea of "working" with the dead ones would make me say “no, thank you”.
Lastly, if I was Caitlin, it would be easy to talk about the funeral. Although I agree with her in many ideas, for example that we should not be worried to talk about death, I would not choose the same way of funeral or at least my reasons would differ. I do not really know what would I choose. The cremation makes me feel like a garbage. When there is so much garbage, the mass is burned. When there is a dead body, the body is burned. Burying seems to me a bit more natural. On the other hand, if I was cremated I would like my ash to be thrown on the place that would mean a lot for me. So I am waiting for the technology. I imagine one day the scientists invent a cure against aging or maybe a pill for disappearing forever.