Sarah,
This post was very straightforward, well structured and concise. Well done!
You ask good questions (like "Shouldn’t we trust the ones we are close to, to bring together something we would of liked? Why does the ceremony make such a difference to us, considering we are the guest who is not really invited? Is it something they have dreamed about since they were little?I began to wonder if the reason why religion is such a common trend in death is merely because people find comfort in it...How can we be so sure? What do either of those symbols have to do with the core of what the holiday is actually celebrating?") because they are thought-provoking, often have more than one answer, often have answers that affect many people, and contain unique insights.
I also wondered why people are drawn to the funeral industry...I had always thought that perhaps they were creepy and thus had twisted logic, but perhaps they are simply less afraid of death and more interested in money than many of the population.
Natalie,
I enjoyed several things about your post. I thought it was prudent to mention the fact that your parents' opinions (and their childrens') are the same as a result of living together for a long time. You did not leave it to the reader to make this important inference.
"I think it would be better to cremate me and then put me in a place where people could come remember me, rather than a cemetery filled with death.”....I thought this quote was especially thought-provoking because brought about the possibility that the real cause of preferences between cremation and burial come down to the fundamental question: Which one is more filled with death?
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From Protege:
Case,
The subject itself was really interesting, but what really adds spice to the interviews is how you managed to discover and then proceed to incorporate the effects of religion on how death was perceived! As in how B's religious upbringing perhaps lead him to believe the body should be cleansed. Alternatively, J's atheistic upbringing leads to his purely literal interpretation of death. Perhaps it's coincidence, but I think you've illustrated quite the phenomenon!
From Natalie:
Casey,
I thought this post was very well written. This line struck me in particular:
"Perhaps that is another reason why death and treatment of the dead is rather taboo in our society; there are so many different, sensitive, deeply engrained opinions and unpleasant emotions associated with it."
I agree with you in the sense that death is taboo amongst the people of our society. Because it is so deeply ingrained in religion, it causes a lot of conflicts of interest between people I think, when it is brought up in conversation. Hearing someone deny the afterlife I imagine can be brutal for someone who has envisioned this idea their entire lives. I believe however that it is not only because of religion, but as you said, the emotions attached to death. People would rather believe that they are invincible and will never die. Therefore if they do not speak of death, they will not experience it.
From Sarah:
Casey,
I found the contrast between your interviews to lead you to some very insightful ideas. This was evident in these sentences, "I think that many teenagers in this society have not yet experienced their most painful moments in life, because they have not experienced many deaths of close friends and family. I wonder if there is something that youth can do to prepare for such an experience." As a teenager who has experienced what death feels like, I can say personally I really don't think we can mentally prepare ourselves. I think after one death you begin to realize that mourning doesn't last forever, it is always with you but it gets better. Yet the feeling of shock and denial are emotions that are inevitable... However, I think it is very important to have your feelings and understand that death is just another part of life, although it is something we wish we could all avoid, it's better to deal with it than to ignore it. I really enjoyed your post, good job!
From Mentor:
Casey,
A very nice survey here. I liked how you tried to explored the link between one's worldview about an afterlife with their impression of death. To expand on that, I wonder how that same worldview would affect their daily lives as well. For example, if subject B had an opinion that the afterlife was a conscious state, mildly pleasant, and (he hopes) continuous for his mind & memory, then how does that affect his daily life? Does he believe that he can engage in high-risk behavior, say sky-diving for example, because he believes there is much more to experience after death?
And likewise, would a subject like J consider himself to be extra cautious, given that his worldview limits his experience to the time he has in this life?
Or are the opposites true? Would B remain extra cautious in order to attain the better outcome in the afterlife, and would J consider himself reckless, given that the consequences could only be short-term?
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