Embrace change and cremate

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I HAVE noted the concerns of funeral home managers about the pile-up of bodies during this period of crisis and would like to suggest that this is the time for everyone to change their views about how funerals are conducted in Jamaica. This COVID-19 crisis is forcing us to review and adjust our entire way of life, and funeral rites should constitute one of the major changes we need to make.

In my view, we should dispense with the massive expenditure, large gatherings, multiple tributes, and long eulogies that have been features of the Jamaican funeral experience for many years. Now is the time to arrange private services for the closest family members with possible, but not strictly necessary, video streaming provided for those who wish to participate.

Those who have had to arrange funerals for loved ones know of the extreme distress, shock, and exhaustion felt during the entire process, and all this is exacerbated when arrangements have to be made for those who are mere spectators, and who, in my experience, care little about the religious rites and rituals surrounding the funeral service and interment.

I find objectionable many current practices that do little to comfort the grieving family members who need genuine expressions of sympathy and care during periods of bereavement.

Considering the reduction of space in Jamaican cemeteries, we should also consider cremation as an option.

Encouraging mourners to provide written remembrances and/or photographs of the person who has died should be part of the revised practices. These personal tributes can then be compiled in a scrapbook or more lasting publication and the family would then have treasured memories of happier times to which they can refer in years to come. Let us embrace change and allow our loved ones to depart in dignity.

CLAUDETTE CARTER