After attending the funeral for xiao Jimmy's mother, I don't think I could hack it in the funeral home or the cemetery business - some of the expressions may be sincere, but I don't think I'd handle playing the part well.
There is something about the experience of death; not the fear of it but the emotions it evokes...
Do morticians aim at making the body look more "life-like" or just decent flattery? I've been to a few viewings, and I haven't seen a body that resembled the living person. In each case I thought that the body looked fake or "unreal" - of course, something was very different or missing. What is the nature of the difference, though? Even materialists can admit that there is a significant change when someone dies, though they may not be able to explain it coherently.
Why is cremation more acceptable than simply chopping a body up into tiny pieces and scattering them? Are we comforted by the belief that the "carbonization" of a body does not leave any significant or recognizable remains? As far as I can tell, arguments for the prohibition against cremation have been aimed at the intention, either of the deceased (if he is being cremated in accordance with his wishes) or of the family. It may be permissible in areas where land is scarce. But is there something about cremation that intrinsically shows disrespect to the deceased or the body? Is cremation more like disposal than burial? Keeping the ashes in an urn in the family room seems very strange to me -- at least put the urn in a niche or bury it.
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