Sunday, February 08, 2009

Death Without Dignity

Attending a funeral this morning has left me thinking, partly about the depressing inevitability of growing old - but that's for another time.


My question today is this: why are such ugly hearses used in Hong Kong? I don't know about other countries, but in Britain or the US, most people are carried to their final resting place in a sleek black (or sometimes white) Rolls Royce, Bentley or Cadillac, something with a bit of class. Here the coffin is unceremoniously conveyed in what looks like a blue and silver cargo van which might otherwise be carrying sacks of rice.

What's the deal here? Even deceased celebrities and multi-millionaires get the same treatment, so it can't be inability to afford anything more dignified. Can someone explain?

Spot the difference

3 comments:

Paul Lewis said...

That's actually a pretty ugly Roller there.

At least the hearses don't have "Goods Vehicle" printed on the door any more.

Hong Kong funerals punish the surviving relatives.

I've been involved in a few, and relatives spend hours, or overnight, at the funeral homes.

This business of dressing in white, kneeling on the floor and having people bow to you can be very distressing.

My brother in law died a few years ago, and the wife had to go in and put a red cloth over his body. terrible.

All this gold and silver that is burnt is a complete waste of time.

My father died in HK. Cremated without any religious ceremony at all.

Did this mean he is in the afterlife with no gold or silver, or house or car etc

Death is handled in many different ways by different cultures, but some are just painful.

Thank god I'm an atheist.

Troika said...

And what's with all these Chinese restaurants around here? It's really starting to piss me off.

LottieP said...

Speaking of death without dignity... completely agreed with your comments about the laceration of Jade Goody on Fumier's blog.