The Paper 061214

Page 1

Volume 44 - No. 24

June 12, 2014

by lyle e davis

“And it came to pass that he would die. Who would attend to him? Who would see that he was buried properly? With honor? With dignity? With compassion?”

Several years ago a scheduled speaker failed to show up at our Hidden Valley Kiwanis Club of Escondido meeting. We drafted one of our members, Richard Jungas, owner of the California Funeral Alternatives as our speaker.

It was one of best, most interesting programs we’ve ever had. Dick Jungas told us all about the funeral profession; he answered any questions posed and no questions were off limits. We got an education about a subject that most of us don’t talk a lot about ..., and that’s a shame because, in fact, it is a fascinating and important subject.

At some point in time each of us will have to face that point in time when we, or one of our loved ones, passes away. What then?

What happens? And why?

We have learned that funeral rites are as old as the human race itself. Every culture and civilization has attended to the proper care of their dead. Every human culture ever studied has three common threads for death and the disposition of their dead: 1) Some type of ceremony, funeral rite, or ritual. 2) A sacred place for the dead. 3) Memorials for the dead.

Researchers have found burial grounds of Neanderthal man dating to 60,000 BC with animal antlers on the body and flower fragments next to the corpse indicating some type of ritual and gifts to the deceased. One of the first examples of this was unearthed in the Shanidar cave in Iraq; Neanderthal skeletons were discovered with a layer of pollen.

With no great intellect or cusThe Paper - 760.747.7119

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toms, the Neanderthal man instinctively buried their dead with ritual and ceremony. This may suggest that Neanderthals believed in an afterlife, but were at least capable of mourning, and were likely aware of their own mortality.

The most ancient and universal of funeral monuments were simple and natural, consisting of a mound of earth, or a heap of stones, raised over the ashes or body of the deceased. Some primitive people exposed corpses in the open, in trees or on platforms. Taking a look at funeral rites

over time we see that in 5000 BC - the oldest known tomb was built around this time - little more than two upright stones with a flat stone horizontally fitted on top.

In 4000 BC - The art of embalming was originated by the Egyptians.

Tears and Tributes Continued on Page 2


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