A sense of humor can make difficult times easier to bear - Essay Example

Funerals may be one of the saddest events any person can attend but the sadness of the situation may be made lighter when there is humor. A ceremony traditionally enveloped in sorrow is quickly turning into one of levity. Instead of people being morose on the end of a person’s existence, a funeral may be turned into a celebration of his life instead. The customary funeral service of grief has seen recent changes. There has been a new trend of ‘funeral planners’ who customize funerals like Lynn Isenberg who aptly said that “Tears and laughter are twins, and we often cant cry until after weve found the humor inside the sorrow” (as cited by Loyalka, 2005, par.2). Planners organize the event and personalize the funeral through the suggestions of the deceased’s loved ones and according to the personality of their dearly departed.

Furthermore, the eulogies are no longer formal accounts of incessant praise. “Even amid tragedy, todays eulogy increasingly includes anecdotes that point to the deceaseds foibles and quirks, offering a nuanced character sketch” (Rosman, 2011, par.4). To be able to determine the appropriateness of an anecdote or a comment, some clergy take it upon themselves to advise the content of the speech. The growing inclination of people to have a different approach can ease the saddest affair with the infusion of humor.

A good funeral is now measured by the amount of laughter instead of the outpour of tears. Because what is more important than how a person dies is how he lived his life and any life well lived is incomplete without humor.BibliographyLoyalka, M. D. (2005, November 17). Putting the Fun in Funerals. Retrieved September 17, 2011, from Bloomberg Businessweem: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/nov2005/sb20051116_782689.htmRosman, K. (2011, March 31). The Last Laugh. Retrieved September 19, 2011, from Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704559904576230644251930786.html