So. You’re dead. Deceased, expired, done for, defunct--no more. What now? you’d ask, if only you could. But you can’t, because of course you’re history--suffering from the ultimate outta here.
Still, there are decisions that must be made regarding your disposal, decisions that you can’t be involved in. Then again, once a decision has been reached, you’ll be about as involved as you can be-- embalmment, followed by a service, perhaps, and burial, or maybe cremation and an urn? But had you bothered to do a little spadework, you’d know there were other options regarding your recent demise.
For example, if you were a male, you might have wanted to borrow a page from the Tana Toradja, who live on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. During a mourning period lasting months and sometimes years, the corpse remains in his own home. His wife maintains a constant vigil and provides him with food. Later, when the official death notice is made, the whole community parties hearty, even engaging in sporting events. Still later, the body is finally placed in a coffin and buried, much to the relief, no doubt, of the widow, finally rid of the husband from hell.
