So far, the experience that I have had with dominant social practices associated with care of the dead has been extremely simple. In other words, I haven't really put a lot of thought into the issue at all. I have only been to two funerals, and although I was pretty young, I was still able to make some basic observations. I noticed that almost all those who pass away choose to have funerals in honor of their death. The body in the casket is often dressed up in nice clothing as well as bathed, and the eyelids are always closed. Based on these simple observations, it seems like a typical practice of our society today is to respect the bodies of those who have deceased, possibly to ensure that they are not haunted by the souls of the dead.
Another thing that I have noticed is that even people who are religious, such as my family, are still often mourning the death of their loved ones despite the fact that their beliefs tell them that they have moved on to "a better place" now. It seems like this could be because of our natural selfishness and our desire to be with the people we love no matter what the cost. After all, if they are in a better place, why should we be sad unless we can't handle living without them? This leads me to another possible reason for some people, which is that their faith in their religion is not actually that strong, and therefore they remain uncomfortable with the deaths of their loved ones.
Some questions I have about the upcoming unit-
Why is it that people remain sad even though funerals are meant to be the celebrations of the dead's lives?
Why are bodies often dressed up and bathed before being buried or cremated?
What are the other dominant social discourses that are associated with care of the dead that are not as normal as they seem?
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