In addition, it wasn’t understood exactly what caused the Plague, and people were wary to help or tend to the fallen bodies out of fear of getting the Plague themself. So many died that it was impossible for grief rituals and last rites to be given to all who needed them. The Plague is where some researchers point as a starting point for a decline in grief rituals in the West. in Europe and later what would be known as the United States). ![]() It wasn’t always this way in the West (i.e. Yet her crusade to open up a conversation about death and grief was ultimately distorted by her own evasions: the woman who wanted us to confront death unflinchingly came to insist that it was really an opportunity for personal growth among the survivors, as if it were a Learning Annex class.Īs she put it in an essay for an anthology, ‘Death: The Final Stage of Growth’ (1997), ‘Confrontation with death and dying can enrich one’s life and help one to become a more human and humane person.’ "This approach-suffused with an American ‘we can do it better’ spirit-made grief the province of self-help rather than of the community.” How The West Lost Its Death Rituals “‘On Grief and Grieving’ was a personal triumph of sorts for the ailing Kübler-Ross. More recently, grief has even moved to the realm of self-help, where the loss of a loved one can be used, experts say, as a forward-propelling event in your own life. “The question ‘How are you?’ is an expression of concern, but mourners quickly figure out that it shouldn’t be mistaken for an actual inquiry.” We’ve adopted a sort of ‘ask, don’t tell’ policy,” writes Meghan O’Rourke in a 2010 New Yorker article. “Many mourners experience grief as a kind of isolation-one that is exacerbated by the fact that one’s peers, neighbors, and co-workers may not really want to know how you are. In the United States, there is a long history of what is often called the privatization of grief. In the Western world, however, this is so often no longer the case.ĭeath rituals are nearly non-existent in the United States, Canada, and Europe, and death ceremonies often consist only of a wake or a funeral, and then –– well –– nothing. Whether the grief ritual was a public mourning event, in which friends, family and strangers alike attended the event to wail and mourn as one, or if the ritual were a dress code and a family-imposed curfew followed by regular visits from clergy and community to chant the passed soul to the next realm, one thing is abundantly clear about grief rituals and death ceremonies: grievers are rarely alone. These mourning rituals and ceremonies are meant to bring people together, to take the hands of those mourning the loss and lead them astray from isolation. Death rituals are well documented throughout history –– and around the world.įrom the New Orleans jazz funeral and South Korean burial beads to sky burial in Mongolia and Tibet and Balinese cremation ceremonies, these rituals and ceremonies are often associated with religion as communities follow the traditionally prescribed movements in the wake of a loss of life.ĭeath ceremonies and traditions around the world often have a similar central purpose, though –– no matter the religion, sect, or geography of the people.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |