Being a funeral director gives me a unique laboratory to study human nature.  We in the business are passionate about telling the life story of the deceased.  We use buzz words like, “Celebration,” and “Tribute.”  We encourage brining food and posting family photos on video tributes.  Sounds like it should be something for the public to look forward to, and yet they don’t.  Ever wonder why funerals and visitations are dreaded so much in our society?  The obvious reason is that there has been a loss, and that loss leads us to confront several uncomfortable truths. 

One is our own mortality.  We are inherently reminded by seeing someone else’s casket (or urn, or photo) that we too will travel a similar road.  While many of us have varying amounts of faith in what comes after this life, the truth is that none of us have proven that faith.  We prefer…