HW#48: Family Perspectives on the Care of the Dead

One of my family member told me I can make the final decision about what happens to her when she passes away. She prefers to be cremated over a casket though because of how creepy her body will become physically as it rots underground. I can also carry her cremated bones in a jar until I can decide where to place it. The only close one she had lost was her grandparents who have passed away when she was very young. She says those deaths havn't affected her though. She is not religious but her grandparents are buddhists. She rather have me pray to her instead of having a buddhist monk over though-she dosn't see the point in that. When I asked her what she thinks happens after death, she simply answered "I don't know. Nobody knows until we die." When I said that some people have a clear idea of what happens after death, she told me that "Some people are brainwashed as a child to believe in a certain religion. But, I havn't been raised that way, so I have no idea."

The other family member wants to be buried in Japan. He also mentioned about having some sort of celebration on every anniversary of his death. He dosn't want his death to be grieved or have people be depressed over his funeral. Losing his own father made him want to spend his time with the people in his life and make it more valuable. He dosn't have a strong belief or religion, and though he is not clear on what he thinks happens after death he wants to still be remembered after death.

The two family members had similar uncertainties of what happens after death. This was something I found in my own opinion and my peers perspectives. We can never know for sure, and I think the people who do seem to have a clear idea of what happens-they are influenced deeply by religion. Another similarity would be the avoidance of causing grief over celebration. Death is not what people want, but society makes it seem as if we have to be depressed and mourn for the dead-it dosn't have to be this way. Most of the people I interviewed in general leaned towards cremation over caskets. I think religion has some affect on thsi decision. Those who aren't too religous prefer cremation and those who are in more favor of caskets have a religous belief-but this is an over generalization. It's something I'm curious about though.