🔢 Key Takeaways
- The funeral industry has become detached from cultural traditions of caring for the deceased, resulting in a strange and uncomfortable relationship with death. Returning to customs of communities caring for loved ones can bring closure and comfort.
- Death positivity is about embracing the concept of death and advocating for more intimate, less expensive alternatives in the funeral industry such as natural burials, funeral pyres, and home ceremonies.
- Caitlin Doughty's memoir reflects how confronting and accepting death is an essential part of life. Her experience provides insight into ways we can approach death and its rituals with an understanding of the natural process of life.
- Witnessing the physical process of cremation can help us come to terms with our own mortality and appreciate the transformation the human body undergoes after death, ultimately allowing us to embrace death rather than fear it.
- In the past, people preferred to die at home and be surrounded by loved ones, but the rise of hospitals and funeral homes has led to a general discomfort and fear surrounding death. However, it's important to know that home care for the dead is still an option.
- Women are increasingly entering the historically male-dominated field of mortuary science, proving their capability in handling the physical and emotional aspects of death.
- Caitlin Doughty wants to change the way society approaches death by shifting the focus from profit-driven funeral industry to embracing death as a natural part of life. She documents her personal experiences and encourages others to discuss death openly.
- American culture's unhealthy obsession with death stems from a uniquely American perspective on individualism. However, individuals like Ellie Doughty are working to change this narrative and help people cope with their underlying fear of death.
- Being honest and open about the processes of death and funeral preparation can help families handle the reality of death better. By connecting with the process and finding closure in their own way, they can experience a more meaningful funeral experience.
- Funeral homes have diverse roles, including removal drivers and funeral directors. Cremation takes around two hours and the fragments of bone are ground into a fine consistency and placed in a temporary urn. Despite the nature of the work, some find meaning in considering death.
- Through her experiences, Caitlin Doughty offers a unique perspective on death, including its historical and cultural significance, as well as the beauty that can be found in saying goodbye to loved ones.
- Witness cremation offers families the opportunity to personalize their loved one's funeral and gain comfort and transparency in the cremation process. It is a meaningful way for up to 20 people to participate in a communal experience.
- Families have the right to choose funeral arrangements that are personalized and meaningful to them, and it's important to have an advocate to help navigate options beyond traditional burial or cremation. Green death options are also available for those who prioritize environmental sustainability.
- The funeral industry has seen innovations like water cremation and composting, but honoring the natural return of bodies to the earth with simple burials is also meaningful. COVID-19 has brought new challenges to this industry, but respectful handling of the deceased is still a top priority. Death is a natural part of life.
- Taking time to make decisions around after-death arrangements is important and can be helpful for both the deceased and their loved ones. The funeral industry often creates unnecessary urgency around body removal, and COVID-19 does not make handling bodies particularly dangerous.
- Obtaining relevant credentials and knowledge is crucial in gaining recognition and challenging traditional industries, but it may still be difficult to disrupt deeply ingrained cultural beliefs and norms.
- Donating your body to science requires careful consideration and research to ensure your wishes are met. When expressing sympathy for those who have lost someone to Covid-19, it's important to avoid comparisons and show ongoing support.
- Change laws to allow more competition in the funeral industry and embrace the concept of ars moriendi to prepare emotionally and practically for death. Taking care of a loved one's body naturally and with love is a beautiful and meaningful way to say goodbye.
- Caitlin Doughty encourages families to take charge of their loved one's funeral and move away from expensive, impersonal services. By normalizing death, we can grieve in a healthy way and create more meaningful connections with the deceased.
📝 Podcast Notes
The Business of Death: How the Funeral Industry has Deviated from Tradition
Death has become a big business in the United States with an annual revenue of $20 billion. Funeral homes are now corporate entities that have detached themselves from the personal and cultural traditions of taking care of dead bodies. Our relationship with death has changed drastically in the last 150 years due to the professionalization and commercialization of the funeral industry. Caitlin Doughty's book Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory sheds light on the strange and uncomfortable relationship Americans have with death. She advocates for returning to the traditions of families and communities taking care of their dead loved ones that have been practiced for tens of thousands of years of human history.
Caitlin Doughty's Vision for a Good Death
Caitlin Doughty discusses her philosophy about death, emphasizing that we cannot push death to the margins of society. The fear of death drives both creative and destructive impulses, and the closer we come to understanding it, the closer we come to understanding ourselves. With the current mass-death event brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Doughty hopes for reform in the funeral industry, advocating for a more intimate and less expensive approach to the business of death. She champions alternatives such as natural burials, funeral pyres, and intimate ceremonies in the home. Her vision is to achieve a good death, which may vary for each individual but embodies death positivity - an attitude that embraces, rather than runs away from, the concept of death.
Exploring Death and Acceptance: Reflections from a Crematory Worker.
In her memoir 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes', Caitlin Doughty discusses her experience working in a crematory and the profound final moments she shared with a dead man. This experience prompted her advocacy for families to have the opportunity to be with the body during the cremation process. Doughty's interest in death and medieval studies were driven by a desire to turn fear into understanding and acceptance. This perspective is important as society continues to evolve in its rituals of mourning and relationship with death.
Embracing Death: Lessons from a Funeral Director
Caitlin Doughty's experience in the funeral industry taught her that dead bodies are profound reminders of our own mortality. In a society where death is often hidden away and handled by professionals, Doughty believes that being exposed to dead bodies can help us come to terms with our own eventual demise. By witnessing the physical process of cremation, she developed a deep appreciation for the human body and the transformation it undergoes after death. Doughty sees death as a natural and necessary part of life, and encourages us to embrace it rather than fear it.
The History and Evolution of the Modern Funeral Industry
The modern funeral industry is a recent development in human history that was largely influenced by the American Civil War and the subsequent efforts of embalmers to convince people that professional intervention was necessary for preserving, sanitizing, and enhancing the appearance of dead bodies. Prior to the late 19th century, most people died at home and preferred to be surrounded by friends and family during their final moments. The medicalization of death in the 1930s led to the rise of hospitals as places for people to undergo the indignities of dying without offending others. Today, many people are unaware that they have the option to take care of their dead loved ones at home without the need for a funeral home. Despite this, there continues to be a general discomfort and fear surrounding death and dead bodies in modern society.
Women Breaking Barriers in the Funeral Industry
Women are reclaiming their historical role in caring for the dead, which was born out of necessity and tradition rather than a natural inclination. While the funeral industry has been historically dominated by men, over 50% of mortuary school graduates are now women. Although the job can be challenging, loud, and dirty, women are proving to be just as capable as their male counterparts. Working at a crematory allowed author Caitlin Doughty to connect theory and practice, as she explored both the physical and emotional aspects of death. Her book offers a unique perspective on the modern funeral industry, building on the legacy of Jessica Mitford's 1963 exposé of the same topic.
Embracing Death as Natural: Caitlin Doughty's Mission
Caitlin Doughty's mission is to help people overcome their fear of death and embrace it as a natural part of life. She believes that our society's unhealthy relationship with death is due to the funeral industry's focus on profit rather than acknowledging the reality of mortality. Doughty advocates for a more realistic and empowered approach to death, which she documents in her writings and personal experiences. Her private blog, where she shared her experiences with death, allowed her to capture meaningful moments and insights. Her early experience of witnessing a death in a mall at a young age had a profound impact on her and motivated her to help others talk openly about death without feeling uncomfortable.
Unpacking America's Fear of Death
American culture radically pathologizes death, which is universal and profoundly unknown. While it is natural to fear death, the layers of fear wrapped around the dead body in America are uniquely American. The obsession with preserving and reusing graves as permanent residences reflects American individualism, as opposed to many other countries where grave sites are leased. Even though Ellie Doughty's job at a crematory may partly reflect her desire to fix her childhood, it is also about changing how we see death and help people alleviate their underlying terror about death.
The Importance of Transparency in Death and Funerals.
The funeral industry has created an artificial process of making corpses look natural through various techniques like closing the mouth and eyes, and charging a fee for 'setting the features'. However, these tricks fail to reflect the biological processes of death and may not actually be what families want to see. Mortician Caitlin Doughty argues that giving families the opportunity to be involved and ask questions about the preparation can help them handle the reality of death better. By being transparent and honest, families can connect with the process and find closure in their own way.
Understanding the Roles and Processes in the Funeral Industry
Funeral homes employ individuals with varying roles, including removal drivers who pick up bodies and bring them to the crematorium and funeral directors who handle bureaucracy and paperwork. Depending on the location of the body, there may need to be one or two removal drivers. The cremation process takes about two hours and involves the body being burned down to bone fragments, which are then ground into a fine consistency and placed in a temporary urn. The funeral industry is diverse, with some employees specializing in specific tasks, while others perform a variety of duties. Despite the potentially morbid nature of the work, some individuals find meaning and inspiration in considering the issues surrounding death and dying.
Caitlin Doughty's Insights and Horrors of Death
Caitlin Doughty's experiences with caring for the dead have provided her with moments of both insight and horror, leading her to contemplate the historical and cultural significance of death. From the crumbling skull of a cremated body to hot fat pouring into her lap during a cremation process, Doughty's experiences have given her a unique perspective on death, which she shares with the world. Despite the grisly details, there are also moments of beauty, such as the ash-scattering boats that provide a touching and meaningful way to say goodbye to loved ones.
Witness Cremation: A Communal and Personalized Funeral Option
Witness cremation is an alternative funeral option that allows families to spend time with their loved one before the process, put small personal touches and even participate physically in the event. This transparency creates comfort, dispelling fear and distrust around cremation process, taking away questions if the ashes are indeed their loved one’s. In this era of personalization, witness cremation serves as a meaningful communal experience, that can be shared among 20 people at once. Despite being a taboo topic, a growing number of people are realizing the importance of discussing death and funeral options to give a personalized and dignified farewell to their loved ones.
Families Have the Power to Choose Meaningful Funeral Arrangements
Families have the right to make choices regarding funeral arrangements, including choosing not to embalm, use an expensive casket or have a particular type of ceremony. It is important to have an advocate who knows the transparency questions and can help you make informed decisions about funeral arrangements. There are many options available beyond cremation and traditional burial, including green death options that prioritize environmental sustainability. The funeral industry is undergoing a reform, and families have the power to make choices that are meaningful and personalized.
Innovations and Challenges in the Funeral Industry
Innovations in the funeral industry include aquamation, or water cremation, human composting, and natural burial. Caitlin Doughty, a funeral director and author, prefers a simple and natural burial, and believes that our bodies are organic material that should be returned to the natural world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, funeral directors have had to adapt to new challenges, but advancements such as refrigerated trucks have allowed for a more respectful and dignified way to handle the deceased. Despite innovations and advancements, death remains a natural part of life, as two people die every second around the world.
Slowing Down After Death: The Benefits of Thoughtful Decisions
Death is not an emergency and bodies do not need to be removed immediately. Taking the time to slow down and make thoughtful decisions about after-death arrangements can be beneficial for both the deceased and their loved ones. The funeral industry often creates a sense of urgency around body removal that is not necessary. In most cases, dead bodies are not dangerous and do not require hazmat suits or gloves. This information is especially relevant in the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as there is little risk associated with handling the bodies of those who have passed from the virus. Slowing down and taking the time to grieve and make decisions is an important part of the process.
Becoming a Credible Voice in the Funeral Industry
Going to mortuary school was a necessary step for Caitlin Doughty to become a credible voice in advocating for reform in the funeral industry. Despite the conspiracies and criticisms, having all the credentials in place made it harder for the established and older men in the industry to disregard her ideas and opinions. Similar to Shinmon Aoki, who became a reputable mortician in Japan by dressing in medical garb, being qualified and having the relevant knowledge and experience is key to gaining legitimacy in any field. However, Caitlin’s experience also highlights the challenges in disrupting traditional industries and practices, especially when they involve deeply ingrained cultural beliefs and norms.
The Complications of Donating Your Body to Science and Expressing Sympathy during the Pandemic
Choosing to donate your body to science may seem like a lower-cost option for death, but it comes with complicated issues that should be researched before making a decision. The donating organization may reject your body, leaving loved ones to deal with cremation or burial. Additionally, private organizations may use the body for purposes that don't align with personal values. It's important to do research and make an informed decision. When expressing sympathy for those who have lost someone to Covid-19, it's important to acknowledge that the situation is unprecedented and to avoid comparing it to personal experiences. Instead, show support and continue to check in with them even after the pandemic fades from public attention.
Reforms Needed in America's Death Care Industry
Death care in America is in need of reforms which are achievable through changing laws that create barriers for new entrants in the funeral industry. The current approach is geared towards economic protectionism, restricting options for families dealing with death. A good death means different things to different people, but it is crucial to be prepared for it through emotional and practical means. The concept of ars moriendi, or the art of dying, empowers individuals to prepare for death and approach it as a process rather than a biological event. Taking care of the dead body in a natural state and with love is a beautiful way to say goodbye to a loved one.
Caitlin Doughty strives to revolutionize the funeral industry with her mission.
Caitlin Doughty, a funeral director, is trying to break the norms of the funeral industry and promote educated and empowered families to take care of their own dead. Her goal is to eliminate the need for her services and to help families have a meaningful goodbye with their loved ones without spending a fortune. Doughty has written multiple books on the topic, including the acclaimed Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. Doughty's mission is to normalize death and get rid of the taboo surrounding it so that people can grieve in a healthy way. This shift in the funeral industry could lead to more personalized services and connection with the deceased, ultimately fostering a healthier relationship with death.