Change of Death Attitude From Traditional to Modern Way Reflective Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Death is part of life; it is inevitable. The perception held by modern societies differs from traditional one. Attitude toward death differs among cultures. Culture is dynamic; people’s views, attitude and belief change with time. People’s culture determines their attitude towards social and natural occurrences.

Traditionally, death was seen as end of life of the deceased whereas in modern society death is taken as a transition period from life on earth to life after death. Traditionally, the rate of death was higher than it is in modern life, people had become “used to” death, and it was seen as part of collective destiny of the species.

Through it was treated dispassionately; it was a ritual rather than a period of sorrow and tears. In modern life, proper medication and improved lifestyle have reduced death rate; however, at one particular time everybody will have to die. When a person dies, he is given prestigious ceremony in the name of “last respect”; he should be treated decently. Although people have the sorrow and feeling of loss, they are consoled by the belief that death is not the end of life but a promotion to another glory.

Which way seems better

Modern attitude, belief and perception of death is better than the traditional method; possible efforts are undertaken in the efforts of safeguarding life, they include proper medication. After death, the body is taken to a mortuary where a postmortem operation is conducted to establish the reason for the death.

Finally, the person is given a decent burial. Modern perception of death has more respect to humanity that the traditional system. In old days, a number of countries had death penalties as part of their punishments while in modern days there are high numbers of advocates against the deals (Quadagno, 2011).

My religion

I am a Christian of Catholic faith; in my culture, there have been changes in perception about death. Traditionally death was feared; people could mourn for a number of days and talked about it in low tones. Currently, there has been the acceptance of death as part of life. When a member of the society dies, family members and neighbors mourn for the death for a lesser period than in the traditional system, they console the family of the deceased. In the community, life is holy; it should be respected and protected.

Mourning ceremonies take place at the home of the deceased or at a family member’s close to the deceased. In cases where the person was a church member, there are mass services in the home of the deceased with the aim of spreading the gospel to the people.

Members of the society consoling family members of the deceased cater for burial expenses; the culture expects that neighbors give financial aid, labor and foodstuffs. When burying the deceased, it is a ceremony with rituals taking place to cleanse and give a decent burial and console the family members of the deceased.

When a family member becomes sick, efforts are taken to ensure that proper medication has been given; the move is in the effort of saving life. When death occurs, the body of the deceased is preserved at a mortuary affordable by the family/ community that the deceased comes from. Mourners, friends and relatives of the deceased meet mortuary charges.

References

Quadagno, J. S. (2011). Aging and the life course: an introduction to social gerontology. New York: McGraw-Hill.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2018, August 12). Change of Death Attitude From Traditional to Modern Way. https://ivypanda.com/essays/change-of-death-attitude-from-traditional-to-modern-way/

Work Cited

"Change of Death Attitude From Traditional to Modern Way." IvyPanda, 12 Aug. 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/change-of-death-attitude-from-traditional-to-modern-way/.

References

IvyPanda. (2018) 'Change of Death Attitude From Traditional to Modern Way'. 12 August.

References

IvyPanda. 2018. "Change of Death Attitude From Traditional to Modern Way." August 12, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/change-of-death-attitude-from-traditional-to-modern-way/.

1. IvyPanda. "Change of Death Attitude From Traditional to Modern Way." August 12, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/change-of-death-attitude-from-traditional-to-modern-way/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Change of Death Attitude From Traditional to Modern Way." August 12, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/change-of-death-attitude-from-traditional-to-modern-way/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1