Curtsy to Don Jim over at Dappled Things for pointing this out. The W. Post has a story today about a movement to forego the funeral home and hold the wake and visitation at home. Don Jim notes that in years gone by, nothing would have been more natural than keeping the body at home until the funeral, and points out that our hyper-sanitized approach to death now makes us more afraid of it than we ought to be. (He especially opposes insulating kids from death and funerals. RC2 agrees with him about that. When she was 9, a good friend of hers --and the friend's mom-- was killed by a drunk driver. RC2 has always regretted not being allowed to attend the funeral).
We're always lamenting the culture's inability to deal with suffering and death, so anything that helps people to face reality ought to be a good thing, no?
Nevertheless, like anything, this seems subject to abuse. It's like natural childbirth and home births. To the extent that such pratices are spawned from a healthy skepticism of what experts say "must" be done and a desire to simplify life, RC2 is all for them. Somehow once the Boomers get ahold of any practice, however, it becomes in itself something that "must" be done --all in the name of the all-important quest for "experiences" that might be enriching.
You heard it here first. If this catches on, soon in addition to hearing about people's "birth experiences," we will have to hear them talk about their death experiences too. Over a fine shiraz, of course. Gag.
