Philosophical Aspects of the Funeral Process

Title
Your name
Subject and Section
Professor’s name
Date
Funerals in America have evolved, and today’s funeral is not similar to the funeral years ago (Petry et al., 2021). At this juncture, many families are dealing with unforeseen and massive fatalities and even online funeral and interment services. Thus, funerals have changed in various aspects.
The gathering and interaction of bereaved family members and guests are referred to as the sociological aspect of the funeral. However, there are times when the gathering and interaction may cause conflict due to significant differences between individuals (Walter & Bailey, 2020). Thus, the collective society helps the families in coexisting harmoniously. The family is the smallest unit of society. It is the first society to which a person belongs; therefore, the family members’ thoughts and actions must reflect the group and not the individual. They must give importance to the group’s harmony, respect for others, and the group’s needs.
Next, the economic aspect of the funeral process refers to the finances in the entire funeral process – prior, during, and after. The financial capacity of the families will also have an impact on the funeral process. Well-off families may provide excellent and extravagant funeral services for deceased loved ones. In contrast, poverty-stricken families may only be able to provide a simple funeral service, or worse, are unable to do so. When there is financial stress, people’s attitudes toward funerals may be more damaging. Thus, this reveals that planning for death is essential.
Furthermore, the psychological aspect of the funeral process is meant for the bereaved. They are all grieving and confronting reality. A person may not be able to accept the death of a loved one all at once; the person must go through the grieving process, which has no shortcuts. At this point, a person’s fear of death may also arise. Attending a funeral exposes a person to thoughts and notions about death, heightening their fear. As a result, someone attending a funeral may avoid discussing death.
Finally, the theological and philosophical aspec...