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Antemortem Funerals

Premise

I just finished a story which ended with a mother and father attending the last of their children's funerals. It of course brought to mind the saying "no parent should have to bury their child," but in this context those sparked another rather unrelated thought:

Why do we host funerals after one's death?

Musing

My initial tangent from that premise was that it would be interesting to have mid-life "funerals;" a congregation at say, 40, to tell stories and appreciate what a person has brought into the world. Part of the beauty of funerals is that they draw people of all levels of involvement, from all periods of one's life. Weddings are limited by size and invitation and do not scratch the same itch for me.

I realized that that would come with problems. It would not have the "oomph" - would people with valuable things to say care about these "funerals" enough to travel? A lack of attendees (or anticipated lack and not hosting one) would also be a punch in the gut regarding one's social life which isn't exactly what many need in these modern times. So, the other way around: Keep them as actual funerals.

How many people have you known to be on their deathbed, sometimes long before they pass? Individual visits can start to accomplish the same thing, but those not in as close of contact may be unaware of their old friend's struggle. Also, stories shared in a group setting like a funeral often trigger another's memories of other endearing moments.

The Antemortem Funeral

I think it would be wonderful for one to plan a party anytime their health is at significant risk, and once at an old age. At the very least it would allow one to sit in on their own funeral to be reminded of stories from throughout their lifetime, learn what impacts they had on others, and make farewells to most people that were important to them.

If you survive, great! You get to throw another party later! You also may have reconnected with people that you had forgotten about or fallen out with. You had a pick-me-up with all of your friends during a trying time and now get to let them all know that you are going to be okay.
Let's say it went terribly and noone came, or you did not throw one for fear of noone coming. That sucks. But hey - you're alive! Let that be a kick in the butt to get you started, because you have however many years to work with that you had thought were lost to you.

I hope this document survives long enough and comes to my attention, because I know that my memory is not up for the challenge. I would like to put this into practice.

After writing this at 1am and now searching (I did expect this to exist, but hey, let's reinvent the wheel before I color my mind with others' ideas), this is commonly called a "Living Funeral."