Funeral Planning Research Paper

590 Words2 Pages

Funeral planning probably isn't high on your list of things to do. However, planning ahead has many benefits: reducing stress and family conflict; saving money; and giving the time to create a meaningful, memorable "good goodbye." These ten tips will help you and your family get the conversation going with a light touch on a serious subject. 1. Lighten Up and Laugh! Woody Allen, who has always had a visceral fear of death, said in a New York Times column, "I sometimes imagine that death might be more tolerable if I passed away in my sleep, although the reality is, no form of dying is acceptable to me with the possible exception of being kicked to death by a pair of scantily clad cocktail waitresses." Have a sense of humor about making final arrangements. Planning in advance gives you the emotional room to laugh. 2. Face Facts Humans have a 100% …show more content…

Consider Costs Funerals are expensive undertakings, when you add up all the elements. On average, a traditional funeral costs more than $10,000 these days. A traditional funeral includes the products and services of a funeral director, a cemetery plot, grave opening and closing costs, a memorial marker, obituaries, programs, flowers, and a reception after the service. 4. Decide Disposal Consider the choices available in terms of the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire or Water. Earth = burial, with added costs of vaults or liners and a memorial marker. Air = donating your body to science, as it disappears into thin air and there's no disposal cost to the family. Fire = cremation, which can cost a tenth of a traditional funeral and offers many options for the cremated remains. Water = whole body burial at sea is an option for veterans, and there are some private companies that will do the same for civilians. Alternatively, it represents alkaline hydrolysis, an increasingly available eco-friendly way to reduce the body to its basic building blocks while avoiding the carbon footprint of cremation. 5. Going

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