The joyous reality of death
Having a full-time job at a funeral service company has always intrigued me. I have always wondered what it’s like for them. Do they sit in their staff meetings examining data sheets and line graphs on elaborate PowerPoint presentations trying to figure out how to boost business? How does the constant nearness of death affect their world view? How do they shape their attitude and aspirations? Last week, I attended a funeral and watched four caskets get lowered into the ground. These moments are always unbearably painful. They bring a rush of emotions as friends and family reminisce and weep and ask questions that no one can give an answer to. The seriousness of such moments reminds us of the fragility of life. One moment we are here and the next, puff … gone! We search for meaning. We ask why. Yet in today’s African culture, it’s still an absolute taboo to discuss death outside a funeral. We never want to make eye contact with the grim reaper lest we catch his ...
