Funerals and Body Disposition Summary

A funeral is one of the most important rites of passage between birth and the end of one’s life. While contemplating the significance of funeral activities, it is also necessary to evaluate this rite of passage because concerns arise about who these rituals serve, which might be the dead or the living. It is also necessary to assess the psychological and social significance of this rite of passage (Despelder and Albert 295). In the same manner that members of a social structure gather to celebrate significant events in an individual’s life, such as marriage or birth; memorial activities are meant to honor the life lived as well as acknowledge an individual’s passing and transition to the afterlife. Notification of the death is in a systematic pattern and usually begins with members of the immediate family and then the rest of the community. The community is often notified through obituaries or notices the publications such as newspapers.

Supporting the bereaved family

Once the passing of an individual is made known to the community as a whole, people will gather up to support the bereaved family. People travel from far and wide to be with the family that has lost someone to express care and concern. The congregation of individuals is also a form of communication. Assembling as members of one community is an assurance that the bereaved family belongs to a larger community, and this provides the family with strength to cope with the loss.

Funeral services and criticism

In the United States, very few families handle the care of their lost member. It is common practice for the family of the bereaved to seek professional services. In the past, this role was reserved for the undertakers, whose roles, to begin with, was the provision of goods to the family of the deceased. However, with time, this role evolved to the deposition of those, who have passed on. Funeral services have experienced a significant amount of criticism since time immemorial. For instance, Herodotus in the 4th century BCE expressed what he considered to be lavish spectacles for the deceased. In the United States of America, such criticism has been also made, and it was partially directed at the arrangement itself and not just the accompanying practices.

Innovative funeral options

Currently, there are innovative funeral packages that have been made possible by the discovery of the internet. Presently, it is possible to make purchases for the funeral paraphernalia such as caskets. Moreover, it is available to undertake funeral services online, also known as Memorial webcasting. Online pages allow individuals to express their condolences as well as grief (309). Further innovations have brought about electronic memorial gravesites, and now one has got an opportunity to put together a visual eulogy.

Traditional ceremony vs. memorial arrangement

Commemoration of the passing of an individual involves making a choice between a traditional ceremony and a memorial arrangement. Funeral arrangements include a body in a casket, while a memorial arrangement typically does not involve the body itself. Once an individual passes, the family is presented with numerous tasks that require proper attention (Despelder and Albert 311). Purchasing the services that mark the passing rite of a person is unique and needs proper attention so that the customer experiences few episodes of regret.

Understanding funeral service costs

For this reason, the NFDA (National Funeral Directors Association) has established cost categories applicable to the funeral services. These classes are directors’ services, dispositions, memorialization as well as miscellaneous charges. Today, it is a standard requirement for the funeral service providers to offer the itemized information so that customers can make their choices (Despelder and Albert 314). However, even after itemization, it has become challenging to compare the cost of the funeral services provided by different directors. This multiplicity is attributed to the differences in presentation of the services such as embalming, use of caskets, or burial containers.

Approaches to the deposition process

The approaches employed in the deposition process vary from community to community. Most societies catalyze the decomposition process by washing off flesh under partial decomposition. Most other communities prefer open air disposal, where the deceased is left in the open. A number of Indian communities preferred the platforms, on which bodies were left to decompose. The mariners of the ancient era undertook what is known as water burial, where the body is dropped off the side of a ship.

Choosing personalized funeral arrangements

Currently, there are the established directions that govern the deposition of bodies. Previously, grieving families had only two choices to make – the place of the burial and the expenditure. Today, everything has changed, including the process of selecting a casket. Families can now choose the funeral arrangements that have meaningful experiences. Also, grieving families can find solace from leave-taking rites that are different from the typical funeral services.

Dealing with loss and death

Instead of operating under conventional funeral arrangements, grieving families are knowable to choose services that permit adaptation of practices from secular and religious traditions (Despelder and Albert 338). There are various ways to appropriately and meaningfully deal with loss and death. Most individuals prefer minimal involvement in the funeral process. Others, at the same time, prefer total and active participation.

Work Cited

Despelder, Lynne A., and Albert L. Strickland. “Last Rites: Funerals and Body Disposition.” In The Last Dance: Encountering Death and Dying. New York: McGrawHill, 2015. 295-338. Print.