HW 46 - Initial Thoughts on the Care of the Dead

First of all, I am terribly scared of death and I suspect this unit will not be easy for me. Coming from a different country I have already noticed a difference between the two cultures when it comes to the fare of the dead. 

One major difference is the type of burial. In America, graveyards are, from what I've seen, usually grassy fields with very simple tomb stones. In Poland, however, cemeteries have a more serious look with classic graves and decorative engravings. This is probably influenced by religion and beliefs. Poland is a Catholic country and most of our traditions, including those concerning the dead, are rooted in Christianity. In America, however, one religion is not implied for everyone (as stated in the first amendment). While in Poland it is difficult to come across a cemetery which is not the traditional type, America has a wide variety of different kinds of graveyards.

In my lifetime I have only experienced two deaths in my family, one of which I was too young to remember. I am lucky to still have all of my grandparents and one great-grandmother and I try not to think about their death, which may in fact happen relatively soon *knocking on wood*. I have only been to one funeral, which was of my grandmother's sister. I remember catching a glimpse of her, lying in her coffin at the altar. Even though I was sitting in the last row, I simply could not take it and had to leave the Church for a while, terrified, crying my eyes out. It did not help that Polish funerals are often very sublime and are accompanied by beautiful mourning music.

Here are some questions I have concerning the care of the dead:

• What exactly happens during cremation?
• How do people in different cultures deal with, and get over, the death of their loved ones?
• What happens if someone ends up being buried alive? (is that possible?)
• Why did people start burying the dead?