Thailand launches lanterns

[x2mars]

Yesterday I saw a picture of some Thai people sending lanterns up to the sky in memorial to those lost in the tsumnami. They made the lanterns from candles and paper bags. The heated air made them rise into the night sky. The bags glowed. It was just like in Darwinia. [/img]

[xander]

Yesterday I saw a picture of some Thai people sending lanterns up to the sky in memorial to those lost in the tsumnami. They made the lanterns from candles and paper bags. The heated air made them rise into the night sky. The bags glowed. It was just like in Darwinia. [/img]

Indeed. I believe that it comes out of Buddhist traditions, as it is common throughout southeast Asia. In some areas, they float into the sky, in others they are floated down rivers. They are very moving displays, and, it seems to me, the proper way to celebrate a person's life. Unlike my own upbringing (Jewish) which involves no flowers, little song, and a whole lot of crying. I prefer happier funerals -- they are, after all, for the living :)

xander

[sirvoks]

I prefer happier funerals too.
My religion is christianity and our funerals involve a flower-decorated chest with the person in, and alot more flowers on the floor


Anders

[Shwart!!]

My mom went to a funeral today. It was for the mom of one of her co-workers. A lot of the people there had never met the person, yet everyone there was crying. It was apparently quite emotional. Many people spoke about this woman's life.

People seem to desire to speak at a funeral. In my opinion, it's like writing down your experiences. Not only does it help you to let go and get over them, it helps you to remember them for the good things. A patient that tells a psychotherapist about his (or her) problems is making the problems into cohesive entities, that can then be dealt with-and this in itself is often enough to help the person get over the problem. A kid who has been beaten up at school will probably be crying until he tells someone else what happened. Communication is a powerful thing, and in the funeral context, it can be a final way to propagate the core lessons to be learned from the deceased's life.

So while a happy funeral is more enjoyable, an emotional one is almost infinitely more useful.

Shwart!!

[xander]

So while a happy funeral is more enjoyable, an emotional one is almost infinitely more useful.

Happy is an emotion. The point of a funeral is to help those that are still living work through their feelings for the dead, and get past them. For some people, crying is cathartic. I would rather get pissed and sing off key. We all work through grief differently.

xander

[Shwart!!]

Interesting... I hadn't thought about it that way.

Shwart!!