Each chapter is named after the country or U.S. “From Here To Eternity” could in one sense be classified as a travel book with an emphasis on death and dying.
She also believes that we have fallen behind many cultures regarding “proximity, intimacy, and ritual around death.” Death And Travel By dodging the talk about our inevitable end, we put both our pocket-books and our ability to mourn at risk.ĭoughty rightfully states that it is wrong for us to think that our Western rituals related to death are superior to the rest of world. Why do we refuse to have these conversations, asking our family and friends what they want done with their body when they die? Our avoidance is self-defeating. One of the chief questions in my work has always been why my own culture is so squeamish around death. In fact, in her introduction to the book she writes:
And the differences can be quite striking.ĭoughty poignantly questions whether American funeral rites as they are practiced now actually serve the bereaved. Throughout the book, she compares these methods/ceremonies of caring for the dead to our own practices here in the United States. She weaves historical narratives among vivid descriptions of the various cultural practices she was able to witness firsthand.
She wanted to show that there is no one, correct way to understand or deal with the deaths of our loved ones. Doughty, herself a funeral home owner, was inspired to witness how death is dealt with in other cultures. “ From Here To Eternity” by Caitlin Doughty is a fascinating look at funerary practices from around the world.
0 kommentar(er)
