Nothing is sacred, not even death.
I have heard the phrase "nothing is sacred anymore" a lot lately, and I agree. There are things in life that should not be posted on social media for the entire world to see, comment on, and screenshot. Our private lives are put on public display because that has somehow become the norm. We now live in a society where even our president is more worried about tweeting than his constituency and where selfie filters are more important than self care. I have snickered before at the ridiculous ideas of things like funeral selfies and graveside Instagram posts. Honestly, I never thought I would witness such a thing. Sadly, that is no longer true.
This past weekend I attended the funeral of a wonderful woman that led a noble life. She was not related to me, but you would never know it. She was funny, bright, and talented to say the least and, as the preacher noted, the full church was a testament to how many people loved her and how many lives she touched. My parents have been friends of the family since before I was born, and it is a family that means a lot to me personally.
As anyone that knows me will attest to, I am protective of people I care about. So, when I saw the spectacle I am about to describe, I imagine my face got as red as my hair. The director of the local baptist association and his son were both in attendance of this funeral. The director said a few words, delivered her obituary, and delivered a lovely prayer and song at the graveside service. His son, however, decided that the receiving line of the public visitation, while well-meaning friends and family are delivering their condolences, would be a good time to ask the children of the deceased to gather in front of the casket so he could TAKE A PHOTO WITH HIS PHONE! I have known him most of my life and, admittedly, try to avoid him in any situation. However, I did not think that social awkwardness could take him to the point that he do something so inappropriate
This makes me fume inside. Here this family, fresh with the worry of arrangements, grief, and the hugs of comforting friends, and this individual decides that this is the perfect opportunity to ask them to say "cheese?" Not only is it entirely inappropriate for the situation, it is tacky and invasive. Is a funeral something we really feel as though we need to document for social media? What did he plan on posting with that? Possibly something as equally tacky as the act itself, like
"Great day for a funeral! #sorryforyourloss"
Perhaps some would say I am being too cruel, but I do not think that this being the society we live in is an excuse for tacky things like this, especially when done by adults that should know better. People of my generation and older should have some sense of decorum, some sense of how to act in certain situations, but I guess that particular lightbulb did not get turned on for certain people. I do not know if it is a lack of teaching, or a lack of observation, but somewhere, someone needs to flip the switch.
This past weekend I attended the funeral of a wonderful woman that led a noble life. She was not related to me, but you would never know it. She was funny, bright, and talented to say the least and, as the preacher noted, the full church was a testament to how many people loved her and how many lives she touched. My parents have been friends of the family since before I was born, and it is a family that means a lot to me personally.
As anyone that knows me will attest to, I am protective of people I care about. So, when I saw the spectacle I am about to describe, I imagine my face got as red as my hair. The director of the local baptist association and his son were both in attendance of this funeral. The director said a few words, delivered her obituary, and delivered a lovely prayer and song at the graveside service. His son, however, decided that the receiving line of the public visitation, while well-meaning friends and family are delivering their condolences, would be a good time to ask the children of the deceased to gather in front of the casket so he could TAKE A PHOTO WITH HIS PHONE! I have known him most of my life and, admittedly, try to avoid him in any situation. However, I did not think that social awkwardness could take him to the point that he do something so inappropriate
This makes me fume inside. Here this family, fresh with the worry of arrangements, grief, and the hugs of comforting friends, and this individual decides that this is the perfect opportunity to ask them to say "cheese?" Not only is it entirely inappropriate for the situation, it is tacky and invasive. Is a funeral something we really feel as though we need to document for social media? What did he plan on posting with that? Possibly something as equally tacky as the act itself, like
"Great day for a funeral! #sorryforyourloss"
Perhaps some would say I am being too cruel, but I do not think that this being the society we live in is an excuse for tacky things like this, especially when done by adults that should know better. People of my generation and older should have some sense of decorum, some sense of how to act in certain situations, but I guess that particular lightbulb did not get turned on for certain people. I do not know if it is a lack of teaching, or a lack of observation, but somewhere, someone needs to flip the switch.
