Didi (Death of the Endless) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
living_endless) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2015-09-11 09:41 am
living_endless) wrote in fandomhigh2015-09-11 09:41 am
Entry tags:
Philosophy of Loss, Friday, 2nd Period
The classroom contained the same circle of comfortable chairs and beanbags as it had the week before, with a similar table of snacks and drinks to the side. A TV had been set up near the head of the circle.
Didi smiled once everyone seemed to be in their places and comfortable. "Good morning," she said. "Welcome back. I planned to talk about funerals today anyhow, but I got lucky with the news -- they found a species of ancient humans they didn't know about before. The interesting thing is, these incredibly ancient people buried their dead. I'm going to show you <ahref="http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/10/africa/homo-naledi-human-relative-species/">how CNN covered it.
She watched the clip as keenly as the students, though of course she'd seen it before. "So, even more than a hundred thousand years ago, even in a form most people today wouldn't consider human, people had the urge for funeral rites. It's not just Homo Naledi, either. Neanderthals have been found buried under flower pollen, as though their clans put flowers on their graves. Funerals tend to be one of the most stable and uniting customs in a society,and they're as different as the cultures that invented them. For example, Hindus cremate their dead to return the body to the five elements, while Orthodox Jews regard cremation as sacrilege. In New Orleans, there's a tradition called the jazz funeral, where upbeat music is played to celebrate the life of the deceased. The list goes on" -- and there she paused to pass out a handout from Wikipedia.
"Of course, funerals aren't really for the dead," she added. "They're for the living, so people can mourn the loss and say goodbye to someone. And what I'd like to talk about is what value you see in that. Do you like the idea of funerals? Or would you rather process a loss on your own? I'm also interested in any general thoughts you have on funeral customs, especially any traditions you have at home."
Didi smiled once everyone seemed to be in their places and comfortable. "Good morning," she said. "Welcome back. I planned to talk about funerals today anyhow, but I got lucky with the news -- they found a species of ancient humans they didn't know about before. The interesting thing is, these incredibly ancient people buried their dead. I'm going to show you <ahref="http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/10/africa/homo-naledi-human-relative-species/">how CNN covered it.
She watched the clip as keenly as the students, though of course she'd seen it before. "So, even more than a hundred thousand years ago, even in a form most people today wouldn't consider human, people had the urge for funeral rites. It's not just Homo Naledi, either. Neanderthals have been found buried under flower pollen, as though their clans put flowers on their graves. Funerals tend to be one of the most stable and uniting customs in a society,and they're as different as the cultures that invented them. For example, Hindus cremate their dead to return the body to the five elements, while Orthodox Jews regard cremation as sacrilege. In New Orleans, there's a tradition called the jazz funeral, where upbeat music is played to celebrate the life of the deceased. The list goes on" -- and there she paused to pass out a handout from Wikipedia.
"Of course, funerals aren't really for the dead," she added. "They're for the living, so people can mourn the loss and say goodbye to someone. And what I'd like to talk about is what value you see in that. Do you like the idea of funerals? Or would you rather process a loss on your own? I'm also interested in any general thoughts you have on funeral customs, especially any traditions you have at home."
Re: General Class Stuff [9/11]
That was a perfectly appropriate joke.
Re: General Class Stuff [9/11]
"You might say that's the point," she said. "Though, there is the idea of making them a celebration of the dead person's life, too."