Society

Do funerals waste time?

In an article on happiness published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology in 2011, authors Jennifer Aaker, Cassie Mogilner and Melanie Rudd postulate that happiness is a consequence of choices people make.

To increase that happiness, however, it is not about having more money; on the contrary, they suggest that people must spend their time wisely: “Unlike money, time is inherently scarce. No one gets more than 24 hours per day. In fact, there is a bidirectional relationship between time’s scarcity and its value: not only does having little time make it feel more valuable, but when time is more valuable, it is perceived as more scarce.”Nyondo-funeral-pic

It further narrates that to increase happiness, it can make sense to focus on the here and now—because thinking about the present moment (versus the future) has been found to slow down the perceived passage of time.

But how much does time matter when one loses a relation, a neighbour, a close friend or indeed the most beloved one?

Each time there is death of a relative back home in Mzimba, Mwafwachi Banda (not his real name) takes three or four days off his duty station in Blantyre to attend the funeral. For most of the time he is in Mzimba, Banda does nothing, except following traditional and church funeral rites. Some would argue that Banda loses precious productive time.

But Senior Chief Chimaliro of Thyolo contends that mankind shall always have time to do economic activities, but will not be able to replace lives lost.

He further argues that economic transformation and money shall never make mankind happy; hence, there is no need to worry about the time being lost at funerals.

“We, therefore, need to always create enough time to give our beloved one a dignified farewell. It’s our culture. Productivity and economy shouldn’t be an excuse,” says the chief.

Chimaliro also states that it would be an insult to both the dead and the bereaved family to rush burials so as to create time for people to engage in economic activities.

“It’s against our culture to value the economic gains over the importance of the loved life we have lost. Therefore, there’s nothing wrong with spending some time, no matter how long, with the bereaved families. Everything must come to a standstill when there is a funeral to show that you respect the dead,” says the chief.

Traditional Authority (T/A) Mzukuzuku Jere of Mzimba says it would be against the Ngoni culture to rush burial ceremonies on the pretext of saving time for economic activities.

Mzukuzuku Jere notes that rushing burials equals to chasing of the dead from the village.

Says the chief: “Rushing burials is often misunderstood that you hated the dead. This is why we usually create enough time for mourning and visitation before burial.”

He further states that rushing burials would deny friends and relatives who live far an opportunity to attend the funeral.

Father Henry Saindi of the Roman Catholic Church says the practice of allocating a lot of time for a funeral is cultural for emotional relief.

Saindi notes that the burden of suffering the loss is lessened when relatives, friends and neighbour come to console the bereaved.

“Personally, I felt the same when I lost my brother and many people came to offer their condolences. Their presence was a moment of great relief,” he explains.

He, however, states that Malawians need to take stock of this practice and be realistic on how a good thing, overdone can have detrimental effects to the productivity and performance of the economy.

Saindi discloses that developed countries have reached this stage because they regulated burial practices.

He says in some countries, burials cannot take place during the weekdays, but at weekends only.

“I also know that in some countries where people don’t just go to attend funeral ceremonies because they knew the dead person when he was alive. One needs an invitation letter. Cultural practices have to be seriously considered if our productivity is not to be jeopardised,” explains the priest.

Saindi also states that some local companies have incorporated conditions of service that regulate the practice of funerals in an effort to bring sanity.

“Attending a funeral ceremony brings emotional relief and support to the bereaved family. It is very important, yes! However, funerals have to be regulated so that work and productivity in companies does not suffer.

“People must be made to understand that at the rate people are dying, they can’t attend all funerals. Regulation through conditions of service is key to achieving that balance,” he says

Sheikh Dinaar Chabulika concurs with Saindi, saying there is no need to let everything come to a standstill for the sake of giving a dignified farewell and burial to a dead person.

Chabulika says in Islamic teachings, time is a critical component to the social and economic development of families as well as the country at large.

“Islam does not allow you to keep a dead body for two or three days without burying it. One day is enough. This is a very good practice for you and the country,” he explains.

He further discloses that late burials tend to negatively impact the country’s economy while at the same time derailing one’s productivity and creating economic burden on the bereaved families.

“In Islam, that is a reality and that is what Islam teaches us. Death is certain whether some one likes it or not. There is no need for a country or an organisation to come to a standstill because of the death of someone,” he narrates.

But financial analyst Dr Matthews Chikaonda cautions that time management at funeral ceremonies is a ‘very complex topic’ that calls for a number of considerations before one can make an appropriate judgement.

Chikaonda cites ‘cultural sensitivities’ before advancing the regulation of funeral and burial ceremonies.

“Cultural sensitivities shall always come into play above human productivity. Is it possible for someone who has lost a beloved one to value time and economic productivity? That’s why I’m saying this is a very complex topic to tackle,” he notes.

Dr Charles Chilimampunga, a sociologist at Chancellor College, says while time does not count in traditions and cultures, it is important that Malawians should change their mindset towards funerals.

Chilimampunga emphasises that hosting mourners tends to eat too much into the bereaved families’ pockets.

“This means that delaying burials costs bereaved families a lot. As such, we need to change the way we do our things to adapt to the changing world,” says the sociologist. n

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