Both Brains and Beauty » Selected Essays

Deaf Parents With Hearing Children

empresstj — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 05:57:44 +0000

My childhood was often very different from what I expected. In fact, my childhood was likely very different from what most people expect anyone’s childhood to be like. Growing up as the oldest child of deaf parents immersed me in a world of responsibility uncharacteristic of most young children. I was often found interpreting for my parents at parent-teacher conferences, ordering food for my parents in restaurants, making any necessary phone calls, and paying attention to all the grown-up conversations so I could fill in the gaps in my parents’ understanding later. Starting at a very young age, I also performed tasks such as proofreading letters, explaining written technical documentation, and interpreting written policies in a way that made it easier for my parents to understand.

The deviation from the norm observed in families consisting of deaf parents and hearing children affects several aspects of the social construction of the family unit. In these instances, the role of the children will change and the children will experience high degrees of anticipatory socialization as their responsibility increases above that of the average child. For these children, a sense of social identity, tactical impression management, empathy, embarrassment and spoiled identity, and high levels of willingness to help for altruistic reasons are extremely pervasive and important in their lives.

It was not always easy for me to be the “little grown-up”, but in the social landscape of deaf culture, many of the tasks I performed were normal and expected of the eldest child in any family in which the patriarch and matriarch were deaf. As time goes on and technology to assist my deaf parents becomes increasingly available, their independence as members of society has begun to grow exponentially. The social landscape and family dynamic of deaf culture has slowly begun to change.

The unique needs brought about by being raised in a family with deaf parents causes a shift in what would be the normal role of a child in the typical United States family. Whereas for most children their role would entail that of a typical child- they are to go play in the corner while the grownups talk and typically will not have a hand in many, if any, of the affairs of the adults in their lives (DeLameter & Myers 2007). For me, however, I could not follow the norm of staying uninvolved as a child. It was critically important for me to make sure that I paid close attention to the conversation so as to be able to mitigate any misunderstandings, if needed.

One benefit I received from my family arrangement is a generous dose of anticipatory socialization. Anticipatory socialization occurs when a person observes or practices a role in which he or she is not currently in a situation to adapt (DeLameter & Myers 2007). While many of the tasks that I performed for my parents were not tasks that I currently needed to perform for myself, I had already encountered many situations and problems by age 10 that I would not otherwise have experienced until 10 years later or longer. Because of my various interactions with my parents in their affairs, there were very few encounters as I entered my adult life that truly felt like my first time accomplishing a particular event.

Although anticipatory socialization may have prepared me for events that would occur later in my own life, sometimes I would have a hard time discovering and creating my own identities. Social identities are important in order for people to understand their roles and expectations as individuals in groups (DeLameter & Myers 2007). I did not choose the identity of “little grown-up” for myself, but nevertheless it was an identity that was very pervasive in my childhood life. Because I spent so much time fulfilling the identity of “little grown-up”, I did not have as much time to focus on creating my own social identities. As a result, when my parents’ need for my assistance on a daily basis became reduced, the lack of my own social identity was fairly overwhelming. I had to do a lot of soul searching and solitary activities before I started feeling I had regained a social identity of my own choosing.

One thing that was very important to me as a child, because it was extremely important to my parents, was practicing a high degree of tactical impression management. Managing the identity that one wishes other people to see influences how other people understand and interpret that individual (DeLameter & Myers 2007). My parents were, and still are, extremely concerned with other people’s perception of them and our family unit. Whether I was with my parents or not, there was a huge emphasis on always looking nice and clean, always speaking in a manner that would cause other people to feel good about themselves, and never talking about anything derogatory or unpleasant that might have happened at home, regardless of how minor the situation might have been.

Because of all the negative stereotypes many people hold about deaf people, my parents took it upon themselves to be the shining example for the entire deaf community. Any infraction against the identity my parents wanted to portray for our family would be met with extreme embarrassment on the part of my parents. If myself or one of my sisters was responsible for spoiling the perfectly crafted identity, all three of us received a long lecture on the importance of maintaining our particular identities and why we had to be certain to act in specific ways.

However, there was one aspect of tactical identity management that was important to me and was not directly influenced by my parents. My mom did not realize how much impression management I had to do on my own until a few years ago when I related to her some stories of things that happened when I was helping them. In order to be taken seriously whether over the phone or in person, I had to be very adult in my manner of speech, in my vocabulary, and in every aspect of my own presentation of myself. I eventually learned to slightly lower my voice and slow down my speech when ordering a pizza over the telephone because many people had hung up on me for being unable to put my parents on the phone line. Frequently, any time I would try to order something over the phone for my mom or my dad, I was accused of playing a terrible prank and was often told off by adults for playing with the telephone. Even as a child, I was frustrated that other people seemed incapable of understanding our predicament and why we had to change our norm from that accepted by the rest of society. Situations such as these caused me to realize the importance of making myself seem as much like an adult as possible, and I began expressing a more adult personality in order to make myself accepted in the adult world.

For all the aforementioned reasons, it was and continues to be important that I be highly empathetic to my parents’ emotions. Empathy is an important social motion because it enables us to put ourselves in another person’s shoes and to attempt to see the world as another person sees the world (DeLameter & Myers 2007). Because communication with society at large was primarily my responsibility as a child, it was important and morally right for me to be sure that any emotions, thoughts, or ideas I expressed to other people on behalf of my parents was an accurate representation of how my parents actually felt about a particular topic or situation.

Throughout my childhood I spent an incredible amount of time helping my parents. Helping and altruism are complex topics in the field of social psychology, and understanding the motivations for helping other people gives great insight into social behavior. My motivation for giving help to my parents is multifaceted and difficult to pinpoint on any particular factor or group of factors. Egoistic considerations in my case are born less of a desire for rewards, because any gain I received was because I was the child of my parents and not as a true reward for any help I might have given them day-to-day. My egoistic considerations would be more related to a cost ratio, because my parents would be extremely disappointed in me any time I refused or was reluctant to help them for any reason. Although, as I got older and my capacity for empathy increased, I was able to more understand the situation my parents were experiencing. Knowing how difficult it was for my parents to live in a world designed for people who can hear made it easier for me to accept dedicating so much of myself to helping them. On the occasions when empathetic concern was not enough to convince me to provide help of some form, my mom would take it upon herself to “guilt-trip” me into compliance with her needs and desires. Of course, they are my parents and the evolutionary perspective would posit that I am more likely to help somebody who is closely related to me (DeLameter & Myers 2007).

More recently, technology has become available that mitigates my role in many of the events in my parents’ lives into something that more closely resembles the norm of the parent-child relationship in the United States. Videophones, web-cams, instant messaging, e-mail, online shopping, cell phones with QWERTY keyboards, and numerous other technological advancements have reduced my parents’ need to rely on me to perform various tasks. I have experienced some role discontinuity from the change in my historical role in the family. Most days, I half expect that at least one of my parents will ask me to make a phone call, but the frequency of being asked to do so has been greatly reduced since many people and companies who previously operated only in person or over the phone now allow or encourage live online chat, e-mail, or setting your own appointment using an online form.

As my parents dependence on me is slowly reduced, more and more technology becomes available to assist them in their daily activities. All aspects of the lives of deaf people are being affected by these amazing advances. Currently, studies are being completed on the way to best convert the typically complicated written English versions of health education materials. The typical deaf person in the United States reads written English at a fourth-grade level and speaks American Sign Language as the primary language (Pollard Jr. et al. 2009). In order to ensure understanding of important risk factors affecting their health, people should have access to information written in their native language. Health education materials are available in numerous languages including English, Spanish, Arabic, French, and almost any language any person could conceive. However, education materials have generally not been made available in American Sign Language, either in a visual medium or in a translated written medium. In the past, it has been one of my responsibilities to help my parents interpret information given to them by doctors and other healthcare professionals. The research proposed by Pollard Jr. et al. to make these resources available to speakers of American Sign Language is a giant leap in increasing the independence of deaf people.

As advances in the independence of deaf people continue to increase, the social dynamic of the typical family consisting of deaf parents and hearing children in the United States will continue to change. Deaf people will gain increased independence in communicating with the outside world and will rely less and less on the hearing people in their lives. The lives of the children of deaf people will continue to more closely resemble the norm of the typical American family. In short, the lives of those children will become more of what we expect.

Grief: Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Neonatal Death

empresstj — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:01:11 +0000

The death of a child is said to be the most difficult loss a person can bear. When the death of a child occurs during pregnancy or shortly after birth, the parents are faced with a unique grieving process; the process is different from that of an older child or adult with whom there are established memories and events. The parents are faced with many difficult events following the death. Parents may struggle with the method of death and wonder what went wrong during pregnancy. They may also find great difficulty in making decisions regarding funeral arrangements and memorials for the deceased baby. Relationship strains within the partnership and with extended family and friends may cause additional stress in the mourning process, whereas good relationships will immensely help with the grieving process. Additionally, parents may struggle with the question of whether and when to attempt having another baby.

A parent who has lost a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth may face a lack of closure or may even feel guilty for the death of the baby due to the sudden and unexpected occurrence of many fetal and infant deaths. The most likely cause of death differs depending on the stage of pregnancy. Entirely different factors may cause miscarriage during the first two terms of pregnancy than the factors which cause stillbirth and neonatal death. Miscarriage, or spontaneous abortion, can be caused by a host of factors, including an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, autoimmune disorders, or certain diseases (Berman 2001.) Causes of stillbirth and newborn death often include environmental or genetic factors, such as exposure to dangerous toxins or congenital heart defects (Kohn & Moffitt 2000.) An additional situation causing death is sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), for which there is no definition regarding a specific cause of death (DeSpelder & Strickland 2005.) Each of these cases is difficult for parent because the parents could not have prevented the death from occurring.

Parents who have lost their baby face difficult decisions regarding the funeral arrangements and memorials for the child. Decisions need to be made regarding the desire to have an autopsy performed to discover the cause of death, a funeral home must be chosen, and many options regarding the funeral itself must be sorted through. The decisions made regarding these aspects of the death will help provide closure and comfort during the grief process, so parents must carefully consider their wishes during this difficult time in their lives (Schwiebert & Kirk 1998.) After the funeral, parents often look for ways to memorialize the child. Choosing how to memorialize a deceased child is difficult for parents because the death occurred so early in life that there are no established traditions or memories of the child with which to form the memorial (Kohn & Moffitt 2000.) Frequently, parents may choose to honor the life and death of the baby by naming the child, sending birth/death announcements, obtaining keepsakes such as a lock of hair, or keeping pictures of the baby (Schwiebert & Kirk 1998.) Parents may also choose to hold small memorial services on certain anniversaries, such as one year after the death or one year after the due date (Fumia 2000.) Some parents may also choose to baptize a baby who died during or after birth (Davis 1996.)

The marital or partner relationship often suffers as a result of the death. A mother and a father will inevitably handle the death differently than each other, and sometimes this will cause strain in the relationship (DeSpelder & Strickland 2005.) Mothers who are grieving the child have the additional burden of physical recovery from the pregnancy. The mother will have all the symptoms of giving birth, such as postpartum depression and uterine healing, but there will be no baby (Davis 1996.) Additionally, a mother may feel a sense of having failed the baby’s father or herself (Kohn & Moffitt 2000.) Grieving fathers often feel restricted by social norms- men are not supposed to cry or show emotion- and may either suffer in silence or respond with anger or addictions to substances, gambling, or sex, to name a few (Davis 1996.) Fathers do not experience the baby the same as the mother does during the pregnancy. He does not feel the baby kicking nor does he feel the physical effects of pregnancy on the mother’s body. Regardless, the father experiences a strong bond with an unborn child and may have feared for the mother’s safety during pregnancy. In the face of grief, many fathers feel the urge to “be strong” for the mother and do not allow themselves to work through their own grief (Kohn & Moffitt 2000.) The death of a child may permanently alter the relationship between the mother and father, though some relationships may find themselves strengthened through the experience (DeSpelder & Strickland 2005.) It is important for grieving couples to allow themselves time to grieve both together and apart, and to be sure both people are ready before attempting to conceive again (Kohn & Moffitt 2000.)

The response of people outside the parent relationship will often affect the parent’s grieving process. Some parents discount the importance of grandparents in the grieving process. Sometimes people make insensitive remarks regarding the loss of the child in an attempt to comfort the mourning parents. Also, the presence of a support network is an important part of the grieving process. Relationships take a high status during the grieving process, even though it seems no one can possibly understand the grief. Just as the parents are mourning the death of their baby, the grandparents are mourning the death of part of their legacy and have difficulty watching the suffering of their own children during such a difficult time (Schwiebert & Kirk 1998.) Oftentimes, grandparents, extended family, and other acquaintances do not understand what the parents are going through, and they may say or do something “wrong” or insensitive in an attempt to comfort the parents. The statements made by family and friends do not always acknowledge the loss. Statements such as, “You can always have another baby,” or, “It was for the best,” do not help parents through their grief, yet these remarks are frequently made to mourning parents by people who do not recognize the fetus or baby as a member of the family (Kohn & Moffitt 2000.) Hearing comments such as these may make parents withdraw from their social support networks, even though social support is an important part of working through grief. Parents can feel especially vulnerable after the death of the baby, and it helps to see family and friends crying and mourning with them (Kohn & Moffitt 2000.) Friends who support and try to understand what the parents are going through provide the greatest support to grieving parents, and friends usually will help the parents if parents will let them know what they need (Davis 1996.)

Eventually, parents may wish to attempt having another child. Typically the biggest factor in this decision is not whether or not to have another child, but rather how long it is appropriate to wait before trying again. Certain medical and emotional aspects must be taken into consideration before attempting to conceive. Medically, the parents should wait for at least three months to allow the body time to recover and return back to a healthy state (Kohn & Moffitt 2000.) Emotionally, parents should wait until both are ready to handle the stress of a pregnancy again. Many parents who conceived soon after losing a baby wished they had waited longer to allow the parents time to heal (Schwiebert & Kirk 1998.) The exact amount of time it will take to be emotionally prepared for another pregnancy will vary from person to person. Some parents feel too vulnerable about the prospect of suffering another loss, whereas another couple may feel relaxed about the idea (Kohn & Moffitt 2000.) The most important aspect to consider is that pregnancy is not rushed due to social or biological factors, and that both parents are emotionally prepared for all possible outcomes.

Clearly, many important sides of grief are necessary for parents grieving the loss of a baby. The method of death may affect how intense the grief is and the level of responsibility or guilt the parent feels about the death. In the midst of grief, parents must make difficult decisions regarding the funeral and memorials for their child. If the stress was not already enough, parents go through a strenuous time in their own relationship as well the relationships with the family and friends around them. Many people make inconsiderate, causing the parents to feel that their social support is inadequate and also that no one understands what they are going through. Having a support network of friends is one of the most important aspects to a healthy grieving process for parents. Once parents have made it through the process of grieving the death of a child, they may wonder when it is appropriate to attempt having another child. The pregnancy may cause parents to experience an additional cycle of grief as they mourn the loss of the child while welcoming the addition of a new child to their lives. Though parents may have more children following the loss of a child, the other children never replace the one that died. The death will also be a loss in the view of the parents.

References

Berman, M. (2001). Parenthood lost. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvy.

Davis, D. (1996). Empty cradle, broken heart. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Publishing.

DeSpelder, L. A., & Strickland, A. L. (2005). The last dance: Encountering death and dying. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Fumia, M. (2000). A piece of my heart. Berkeley, CA: Conari Press.

Kohn, I., & Moffitt, P.-L. (2000). A silent sorrow. New York, NY: Routledge.

Schwiebert, P., & Kirk, P. (1998). When hello means goodbye. Portland, OR: Schwiebert.

Orthodox Jewish Death Rituals

empresstj — Sun, 03 May 2009 04:05:30 +0000

According to the Jewish people, the body of the dead continues to be sacred long after the spirit has departed the body. Every ritual before, during, and after the moment of death has the sole intention of honoring the dead. After the funeral, rituals and customs provide the opportunity to survivors to mourn and assist the survivors. The occurrence of a death begins a highly ritualized process in which each step is carefully followed. These rituals are strongly defined from the moment the deceased is on the deathbed, to events occurring immediately following death, the handling of the body, burial rituals, committal of the body, and the post-funeral mourning period.

When it becomes apparent that a death is about to occur, family and friends come to gather around the bed of the dying person. No one is allowed to leave the room for any reason. This is to honor the dying person and witness the passage from this world to the next world. {Taylor 2000:136}

Immediately following death, the eyes and mouth of the deceased are closed and a clean sheet is drawn over the head. The feet should be toward the doorway. If the person died in an awkward position, the body should be rearranged to more dignified position. Upon proper positioning of the deceased, mourners request forgiveness from the deceased for anything they might have done to hurt the deceased during life. {Taylor 2000:136}

Between the death and the funeral, the “Seven Relations” (which include father, mother, spouse, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters) enter a condition called “onenim” in which they are considered persons in deep anguish who must enter formal mourning. {Taylor 2000:136}

Once the sheloshim begins, all mirrors in the house are covered. A candle or candles are lit near the head of the deceased to prevent the habitation of negative forces in the deceased body {Taylor 2000:135}.

Upon death, a body is never permitted to be alone. This is a second measure to prevent habitation of negative forces in the body. A “shomer” or “watcher” is appointed to stay with the body until burial. The watcher may read Psalms 23 and Psalms 91 over the body, but no other speech is allowed in the room except for praiseworthy remarks regarding the dead. Music and singing are strictly prohibited. {Taylor 2000:136}

Autopsies, cremation, and embalming are also strictly prohibited. Any other method of body preparation that may cause damage to the body is not allowed under traditional death rituals. The only exception to these preparation methods is the possibility of postmortem organ donation. In an instance where the organs of the deceased will benefit a living person, opening the body to remove organs for transplantation is permitted. {Solomon 2001:272}

The preparation of the body is left to the care of a special holy society, the “chevra kadisha,” who are local Jewish people specially trained to prepare deceased members of the community for burial. It is considered a great honor to serve in the chevra kadisha, for this is part of fulfilling high religious commandments and spares the family the pain of handling the corpse. The primary task of the chevra kadisha is to wash and ritually purify the body. {Taylor 2000:136}

The work of the chevra kadisha begins within 30 minutes of death and cannot be witnessed by anyone outside the chevra kadisha. Each step must be completed in the correct order and with great care. First, the body is undressed and covered with a clean sheet. The chevra kadisha will then address a prayer to the deceased, requesting forgiveness for any accidental error or indignity they may commit. Straw is cast on the floor and a sheet is laid on top of it. The body is lowered to the ground and placed on the sheet covering the straw. All windows in the room are opened, at which point a simple wooden casket is brought into the room. {Taylor 2000:136}

At the second stage of bodily cleansing, the chevra kadisha was their hands three times. The body is moved to a board called the “tohorah board” to prepare to be cleansed. A large container of lukewarm water is brought into the room. The water is used to clean the body in a particular sequence- head, neck, right hand, the rest of the right side of the body, left hand, and the rest of the left side of the body. The body is gently rolled over and the process is repeated on the backside. Once the body is clean, the nails are trimmed and the hair is combed. {Taylor 2000:136}

The third stage is the ritual purification of the body. The chevra kadisha again wash their hands three times, starting with the right hand. Straw is again placed on the floor, and the body is raised to a vertical position. 24 quarts of water are poured over the head of the deceased in a steady, uninterrupted stream. The body is again placed on the tohorah board and covered in a clean, dry sheet. {Taylor 2000:136}

The fourth and final stage of body preparation involves dressing the body and placing it into the casket. Special burial clothing is used, including a mitznephet (head covering), michnasayim (trousers), a k’tonat (a long shirt which covers the whole body), a kittel (overshirt), and an avnet (a belt wrapped around the body three times). Men are wrapped in their tallit (prayer shawl) with at least one tassel cut from it. Following the tallit, the body is wrapped in a sovev (the burial shroud). The burial clothes have a number of certain requirements attached to them. One example is the prohibition of pockets on burial clothes, symbolic of the inability for the deceased to take anything with him. Once the body has been properly clothed, the body is placed in the wooden casket with broken pottery. The body is not allowed to be viewed by mourners and is thus sealed shut. {Taylor 2000:137}

The Jewish people believe the body should be buried as rapidly as possible, traditionally within 24 hours of death unless the Sabbath or a holiday intervenes. {Taylor 2000:135} The policy is taken from Deuteronomy 21:23 which states, “One’s body may not remain all night upon a tree, but you shall surely bury the dead the same day.” Similar statements are found in the Babylonian Talmud. {Solomon 2001:271}Funerals may occur at home, in a funeral chapel, or a cemetery. Only great scholars, saints, and leaders are permitted to have funeral serviced performed in a synagogue. {Taylor 2000:136}

A major ritual of the funeral ceremony is the “keri’ah,” or the ritual rending of clothing. The keri’ah is symbolic of great grief which can never be repaired. {Taylor 2000:137} However, keri’ah is forbidden in Orthodox communities for deaths by suicide. {Diamant 1998:198}

The funeral service itself consists of the readings of prayers and psalms, the hesped (eulogy), and the recessional where the casket is brought to the hearse. Upon arrival at the cemetery, children and brothers of the deceased act as pallbearers, and follow behind the rabbi to the gravesite. As the rabbi leads, he takes many random pauses to symbolize hesitation and grief. At the graveside, a prayer is read called “Tzidduk Ha’din,” among other prayers and psalms. {Taylor 2000:137}

The family is responsible to completely cover the casket with earth, even if they do not personally complete the burial. The mourner picks up the shovel, scoops dirt onto the casket, and puts the shovel down for the next person to pick up. The reason the shovel is set down between people and is not passed from person to person is symbolic of avoiding “spreading death” to other members of the mourning party. {Taylor 2000:137}

Immediately after the burial, the prayer known as “Kaddish” is recited. Kaddish as a whole is a collection of prayers to commemorate different viewpoints of mourning; there are different Kaddish prayers for children to recite for a parent, for people to recite for a rabbi, for friends to recite for friends, and a number of other relationships which may arise in the course of life. {Taylor 2000:138} Recently, prayers were added to the Kaddish to commemorate the deaths of mass deaths of Jewish people in war, such as the Holocaust, extremist bombings of synagogues in Turkey and Hungary, and other mass slaughter of the Jewish people. {Charney & Mayzlish 2006:129} Kaddish looks forward to the resurrection and the world to come. {Taylor 2000:138} Kaddish is recited for eleven months following the death. {Taylor 2000:500} A stone is placed on the grave and mourners depart slowly in recession through parallel lines of family and friends. {Taylor 2000:138}

After the funeral, a period of formal mourning called sheloshim begins and lasts lasts 30 days. The first seven days of sheloshim are called shiva, and is the most rigorous part of sheloshim. A mourner in shiva is often referred to as “sitting shiva” in recognition that mourners forsake regular seats and sit on low stools or benches, or directly on the ground.

In-laws, divorced spouses, adopted family members, half-siblings, stepparents and stepchildren have the option of observing the formal mourning period. Recent brides and grooms are forbidden to begin shiva until after the seven day honeymoon period. Each of the “Seven Relations” is required to observe both the positive and negative aspects of formal mourning whether they were close to the deceased or not. {Taylor 2000:327}

The first shiva ritual is performed when the mourner arrives at home. Prior to entering the residence, ritual purification is performed by washing the hands. Shoes are removed once inside the home and the mourner immediately sits on a low stool in order to signal the beginning of shiva. Shiva continues for seven days, with days being labeled from sunset to sunset. Shiva observations are suspended over the Sabbath and cancelled for major Jewish holidays.{Taylor 2000:137}

Many rituals and restrictions are followed during this period of shiva. Candles are lit in memory of the deceased, and all the mirrors in the house are covered. Mourners avoid work both at their place of employment and at home, especially during the first three days of shiva. Personal hygiene is kept to a minimum, with nothing being done for personal pleasure or adornment. This includes no haircuts, no shaving, and no applying cosmetics, perfumes, or scented oils. Meat and wine are forbidden. Sexual relations cease, and mourners do not exchange greetings, accept gifts, attend parties, or study the Torah. {Taylor 2000:327} Distractions are also prohibited, and mourners cannot cook, play cards or computer games, or do anything which may distract them from shiva. {Diamant 1998:119}

After the seven days of shiva, many restrictions are lifted except for those concerning personal hygiene, which continues for another three weeks, or 30 days from the funeral service. 30 days from the funeral, sheloshim is completed. {Taylor 2000:327}

One year from the date of death, a memorial service called “yahrzeit” is held as the final formal mourning stage in Jewish tradition. “Yizkor” services to commemorate the dead are held on Yom Kippur and the final days of Passover, Shavuot, and Succor- high Jewish holidays. These commemorate each death in the Jewish community and provide a means to continue the psychological healing of the survivors. {Taylor 2000:138}
References

Charney, L. H., & Mayzlish, S. (2006). The mystery of the Kaddish: Its profound influence on Judaism. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books.

DeSpelder, L. A., & Strickland, A. L. (2005). The last dance: Encountering death and dying. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Diamant, A. (1998). Saying Kaddish: How to comfort the dying, bury the dead, & mourn as a Jew. New York: Schocken Books.

Solomon, L. D. (2001). The Jewish tradition and choices at the end of life: A new Judaic approach to illness and dying. Cumnor Hill, Oxford: University Press of America, Inc.

Taylor, R. P. (2000). Death and the afterlife: A cultural encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

How to Dispose of a Dead Body

empresstj — Sun, 03 May 2009 03:49:53 +0000

Historically, a variety of methods have been used to dispose of human remains. The methods used are developed from a variety of factors, including religious and cultural concerns, sanitary standards, and societal restraints. From the basic purpose of the method chosen arises the technique used to ensure respectful treatment of the body during its preparation and disposal. As any particular method grasps the attention of society and embraces its values, the method becomes popularized and evolves according to changes in the local culture. In the 21st century, an innumerable variety of techniques are used in cultures around the globe to dispose of the deceased according to local and individual values. A few of the methods used in today’s cultures include cremation, earth burial, burial at sea, anatomical gifts, and cannibalism.

Cremation is an ancient method of disposing human remains. Burning bodies to ashes is mentioned in Homer’s Iliad and in Jewish, Hindu, and Buddhist scriptures. The original reasons for cremation in ancient cultures are unknown, but some scholars trace it back to sun worship, fear of the dead, sanitary considerations, or practical matters to carry home fallen warriors (Prothero, 2001). Ancient India believed cremation was a purification process to cleanse the soul and prepare it for rebirth, and many North American Indians had practiced cremation for centuries prior to the arrival of overseas explorers (Prothero, 2001). Famous people cremated in the Roman Empire included Julius Caesar, Antonius, Brutus, Octavius, Augustus, and Tiberius. The rise of Christianity brought the end of the dominance of cremation in Western societies, but became widely accepted again in the late 19^th century as medical professionals began declaring earth burials unsanitary and praising cremation for its sanitary properties (Prothero, 2001). The year 1874 marked the beginning of the cremation movement in the United States. A newspaper article printed in 1874 predicted the ability of American businessmen to capitalize on the business of cremation. An excerpt from the article reads, “The undertaker to a man/ Should favor the cremation plan/ Because the more they have to burn/ ‘Tis evident, the more they’ll urn (Prothero, 2001, 193).”

The funeral pyre is the oldest known technique of cremation and is still practiced in Asia and remote parts of the world (Iserson, 2001). Most industrialized nations follow a different technique of cremation. In preparation to cremate a body, the undertaker ensures all environmental hazards have been removed from the body and optional casket, including tooth fillings, diagnostic or therapeutic radioactive isotypes (such as pacemakers), glass, soft metals, alcohol, clothing, jewelry, dental bridges, and prosthesis. The undertaker will then wrap the body in a paper sheet or other combustible material and place the body in a furnace or retort fired by oil, propane, natural gas, or electricity that circulates hot gases. At a temperature of 1,800 to 2,500 degrees Farenheit, a 160 pound body will be reduced to ash in approximately one hour, though the typical cremation will take up to three hours (Prothero, 2001). The skin and hair burn first, muscles contract, the abdomen swells and splits, soft tissues are destroyed, bones become exposed, viscera disappears, and finally the bones glow as the skeleton falls apart. Six to twelve pounds of ash and bone remain, which are crushed by hand or machine into a fine, sand-like powder after all metal pieces are removed with a magnet. The “cremains” are then returned to the family in a temporary container.

The United States lags behind the rest of the industrialized world in terms of the percentage of people who choose cremation. In 1999, 25% of people in the United States were cremated, whereas in Europe the figure was 70%, Japan was 98%, Scandanavia was 65%, and Australia was 50% (Prothero, 2001). Many famous people in the United States have chosen cremation, including the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, whose ashes were strewn down the Ganges River. Cremation saves land space, money, and time, and has thus continued to gain popularity in the United States.

Earth burial has been practiced for at least 200,000 years. The word “burial” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “birgan,” which means “to conceal.” The term seems to have risen from a desire to hide the deceased and decaying from the eyes of the living, but the practice has many historical religious considerations as well. The ancient Romans believed the unburied could not enter the Land of the Dead, and the Greeks believed the unburied could not enter the Elysion Fields (Iserson, 2001). Burial was the dominant method of body disposition in Palestine until the 14^th century B.C.

The exact methods of burial vary across world cultures. Two common methods, primary and secondary burials, are in common practice. A primary burial occurs when the deceased is buried intact, whereas a secondary burial occurs after the body has been left to wild animals or elements to decompose, and the bones alone are buried (Iserson, 2001). In some countries, graves include only one person. Other countries bury couples together, typically in the position of an embrace. Yet more cultures bury entire families in the same grave, and there are instances of massive burial sites, especially in cases of war as in Nazi Germany concentration camps. Bermuda buries the dead in eight people to a single grave (Iserson, 2001). Bodies have been found in a variety of positions, including standing up, sitting down, and extended flat.

Burial is the most prevalent method of body disposition among Christians, Jews and Muslims (Iserson, 2001). The method also continues to be the dominant method of disposal in the United States. The common viewpoint among cultures that practice earth burial seems to be a belief in resurrection; the body should be protected and ready for the renewal of life in the body, and religious cultures frequently see cremation or other invasive methods as an abomination to the deceased.

Water burial is especially common with seafaring cultures historically and presently, but often with differing reasons for doing so. Norse chiefs and war heroes were honored to have their remains placed on a ship and sent down rivers or into the ocean. In Tibet, the poor people and the lepers were disposed of in streams and rivers because it was a quick and inexpensive means to rid the cities of bodies. Superstitious sailors believed keeping dead bodies aboard the ship would slow travel and attract bad weather; the body had to be thrown overboard to prevent bad luck. If the death had occurred by murder, the murderer was tied to the dead body and thrown overboard together. The 19^th century British Navy sewed the deceased into a hammock and filled the bottom with shot to cause it to permanently sink (Quigley, 1996).

Modern burials at sea are typically related to the military. Frequently, ships are not equipped with the means to refrigerate a body until reaching port, or many people died during battle and there is insufficient space to store the bodies (Quigley, 1996). Oftentimes, the active or retired military personnel have such dedication to their work on the sea that they request burial at sea. In these cases, they are placed on a ship that will be in the desired area of burial and the military will perform this service free-of-charge to its veterans.

Civilians who desire a burial at sea are typically able to find the means to do so, provided their desires fit government regulation. In California, cremated remains may be scattered a minimum of three miles from the shoreline, and intact bodies must be three miles from shore in water at least 600 feet deep. Disposal of both cremated remains and intact bodies requires a state-issued permit (Harris, 2007). A recent trend, started by the company Eternal Reefs (www.eternalreefs.com), enables families to add cremated remains to artificial reefs to be dropped into the ocean as a habitat for marine life.

Anatomical gifts present a unique opportunity for people to contribute to science and medicine after their death. In centuries past, opening a dead body was illegal or taboo in most industrialized nations, and anatomists and medical students were required to obtain corpses through questionable methods. Recently, primarily through advances in organ and tissue transplantation, the concept of donating one’s body to the advancement of science has become increasingly accepted (Quigley, 1996).

Condemned men and executed criminals were the original corpses anatomists and medical students had available. Today, any person may donate their body to be used for organ and tissue transplantation or to medical schools to be used for experimentation, research, and student learning. Unclaimed bodies are frequently used for experimentation to solve murders, replicate history, make cars safer, and test cutting-edge military equipment (Quigley 1996).

The number of people who are waiting for transplant organs increases by 20% every year, while the number of anatomical gifts remains steady (Quigley, 1996). Many medical schools have a surplus of cadavers while others have a shortage. Schools with an excess will frequently ship cadavers to schools in need, but the cost is exorbitant and many departments within schools never have enough bodies (Quigley, 1996).

Cannibalism is not a widely publicized method of body disposition, but many countries continue the practice today. While many Americans would consider the practice deviant from “proper” society, for many cultures the practice of cannibalizing the dead represents the ultimate reverence, love, and devotion to the deceased. In Indonesia, dripping fluids from a decaying body are placed over hot rice and eaten by the family. By consuming the death fluids of a family member, the living share in the death of the deceased, and the dead continues to exist in the living (Quigley, 1996). In Venezuelan tribes, the living person indicates which person they prefer to consume their remains upon death (Quigley, 1996). New Guinea tribes practice “Sarco-Cannibalism,” in which the remains of their dead are consumed with extreme dread and is typically followed by a violent fit of vomiting. The New Guinea tribes consider the cannibalism of their dead to be their expression of extreme devotion to the deceased (Perl, 2001).

An incredible number of other methods of disposal methods are practiced worldwide, such as exposure to the elements or wild animals, mummification and preservation, and public display. A modern technological fascination is cryogenic suspension, in which bodies are frozen until such a time that science discovers a cure for what killed the person. Each method embodies a cultural value, which gives insight into the common viewpoint of a society to its deceased. The evolution of a society can be tracked by scholars according to the attitudes of the culture toward their dead as methods change and new techniques become accepted throughout history. Few other aspects of life give such perspective into a society as their treatment of those who have passed on from life.
References

Harris, M. (2007). Grave matters: A journey through the modern funeral industry to a natural way of burial. New York, NY: Scribner.

Iserson, K. V. (2001). Death to dust: What happens to dead bodies?. Tuscon, AZ: Galen Press, Ltd.

Perl, L. (2001). Dying to know.. about death, funeral customs, and final resting places. Brookfield, CT: Twenty-First Century Books.

Prothero, S. (2001). Purified by fire: A history of cremation in America. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Quigley, C. (1996). The corpse: A history. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers.

Insanity Defense and Violent Offenders

empresstj — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 01:27:20 +0000

John Hinckley attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Hinckley’s goal was to win over his love, popular actress Jodie Foster. According to Mary Ann Boyd in her book Psychiatric Nursing: Contemporary Practice, the courts found Hinckley to be “living in a magical fantasy world filled with wonderful and grandiose expectations of winning over” the actress. When he was acquitted after using the insanity defense, the public called for reform in the use of the insanity defense. The methods and reasons the Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) should be handled in a different way than John Hinckley and other similar violent criminals include the issues of public safety and flight risk, full recovery of the violent criminal, and the appropriate treatment of all violent criminals suffering from severe mental illnesses who enter the prison system. When the perpetrator of a violent crime pleads NGRI, the focus of the United States penal systems should be public safety and criminal rehabilitation rather than punishment.

The first issue regarding the insanity defense is the issue of public safety after the release of the violent criminal. The entire purpose of incarcerating violent criminals before, during, and after a trial is to eliminate flight risk and protect public safety. In cases where the violent offender’s mental health is potentially in question, full psychiatric work-ups should be completed prior to granting bond in order to determine flight risk and risk to public health. Should a mental health professional determine public safety to be at risk if the accused in question is released either through bond or the accused own recognizance, the accused should be held in a wing of the prison intended specifically for those convicted of a violent crime who also exhibit a severe mental disorder. Full psychiatric care should be provided to the accused with the intention of diagnosing and rehabilitating the present mental disorders, and the psychiatric care should include appropriate medications and counseling sessions. If no mental disorder can be diagnosed, the accused should either be allowed bond or moved into the general prison population appropriate for the desired level of security.

By following the aforementioned standards of care when preparing a mentally ill person to stand trial, safety for the public and the accused can be more confidently assured. Also, it is simply humane to care for the psychiatric needs of the accused while incarcerated. The appropriate psychiatric care in a timely fashion is critical to the diagnosis and rehabilitation of the accused. The additional level of observation and treatment should be allowed into evidence for the court to further determine extent and effects of the diagnosed disorder, further allowing the accused to receive fair trial with regards to their mental disorder as well as a sentence more tailored to rehabilitation requirements which must be fulfilled prior to release. The sooner rehabilitation can be started, the sooner the accused will be able to recover from the mental disturbance or disorder. By increasing public safety, reducing or eliminating flight risk, and treating mental disorders in a timely fashion, focus can be readily placed in rehabilitating the violent offender in hopes of preventing the person from becoming a repeat offender.

The second issue surrounding the insanity defense is how the violent offender should be rehabilitated after being found NGRI. Recovery is a vitally critical piece of the prison system. After a person has been found NGRI, the court should not simply allow the accused to be released back into public or into a civil mental hospital. Even someone found NGRI is guilty of committing the crime but they are not held liable for the crime. A violent criminal who commits crime due to a mental illness should be fully rehabilitated before being released into the public. To this end, those found NGRI should still be given a prison sentence; however, this sentence should revolve around rehabilitation in a psychiatric wing of a state penitentiary. Recovery, not punishment, is the focus of the prison system. Currently, many of these violent criminals are committed to civil hospitals for recovery. State prisons should have full-care psychiatric wings to care for severely mentally ill patients. State psychiatric wings within penitentiaries would decrease the load on civil hospitals, would increase the care for criminals with mental illnesses, and would allow justice to be fulfilled in the public eye while allowing for recovery of mentally ill criminals while the sentence is being served.

When violent criminals are placed in civil mental hospitals for recovery, the civil mental hospitals are stretched in providing care for all patients. Keeping violent offenders within the prison system would allow civil patients to continue receiving a high standard of care without filling beds with violent offenders. In addition, budgetary concerns would shift to proving the incarcerated patients with a high standard of care, increasing the quality of care within the prison system. The level of care for both groups of patients would increase.

Also, by allowing for the needed psychiatric care within the prison system and sentencing requirements, the public may be more satisfied with justice being served to violent criminals. When the public becomes outraged at people such as John Hinckley being found NGRI then released without any rehabilitation or sentencing, it may be more prudent to allow rehabilitation within the prison system to be a valid and accepted sentence for violent criminals. In this way, time is served in prison, but the violent offender is also able to make a full recovery before assimilating back into society. The view would then become one of both justice and rehabilitation for criminals exhibiting severe mental disorders. By gearing prison sentences toward psychiatric rehabilitation, alleviating the pressures of violent criminals on the civil mental health system, and allowing inmates to complete their rehabilitation while serving prison sentences, the judicial system is better prepared to treat the mental disorders of all convicted criminals who enter the prison system.

The treatment of mental disorders of all the violent criminals entering the prison system is the third piece to making rehabilitation possible for the violent offenders affected. A critical reason for creating full-service psychiatric wings in the prison system is to address the incredibly high number of inmates in state prisons with severe mental disorders. According to David Myers in Psychology: Eighth Edition in Modules, there are more men and women in our prison system with diagnosable severe mental illness than there are total patients in all civil institutions nationwide. If our inmates are not afforded the appropriate level of psychiatric care in prison, including medication, therapy, and regular psychiatric evaluation, it is unreasonable to expect them to make a recovery and avoid becoming a repeat offender- which also prevents the ability to obtain gainful employment and assimilate back into society, creating further problems for both the criminal and the society which shuns him. When the justice system has denied appropriate health care to the high number of mentally ill inmates (16% of the general prison population), the justice system has prevented the recovery of convicted criminals and contributes to the cycle of repeat offenders and probation violations by not addressing the root cause, especially in cases where the mental disorder was found by the court to be a mitigating factor in the crime.

In cases where a mental illness can be found to contribute or cause criminal behavior, the sentencing process should consider the mental illness as curable, and should require recovery to be a prerequisite to fulfillment of the sentence. Currently, the justice system requires accused persons suffering from a criminal disorder to recover from the illness in a civil institution prior to either standing trial or serving the sentence. It seems to make little sense to require a person who was mentally ill at the time a crime was committed to be mentally healthy at the time a sentence is served. Because incarceration is intended for public safety and rehabilitation, not for punishment, the convicted criminal should be allowed psychiatric rehabilitation to the fullest extent necessary while the sentence is being served.

For example, in cases where mental disturbance or disorder is found to be a mitigating factor in a crime, or the person was found NGRI, an appropriate sentence should be considered with rehabilitation a prerequisite to release. In this example, the convicted criminal may have received a 50 year sentence with required rehabilitation. This person would be sent to prison with access to full psychiatric care. If rehabilitation has not occurred after 50 years, upon psychiatric evaluation, the court may order the sentence to be extended a certain number of years with release reconsidered at that time. In some circumstances, a transfer from the prison psychiatric ward to a civil psychiatric ward upon serving the criminal sentence should be considered upon request. When the high mental disorder rate in US prisons is addressed, and rehabilitation of these mental disorders is made a required part of fulfilling a sentence, the cycle of violent crime and repeat offenders pleading NGRI should be drastically reduced.

Our public must be protected from violent offenders, but we must also allow our violent offenders affected by psychiatric disorders to be given the appropriate level of treatment and mental health care in order to assimilate back into society. Public safety, criminal rehabilitation, and appropriate sentencing and treatment of convicted criminals with a severe mental disorder are critical to justice and the protection and safety of our society. Without affording this treatment, no claim of justice served can be made for anyone.

Race and Gender Issues in Global Corporations

empresstj — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 01:23:06 +0000

“At Sun, we believe that productive work environments are characterized by respect for the individual and strong, blended teams that are culturally and ethnically diverse. We pride ourselves in leveraging the different backgrounds people bring to Sun. It’s good business practice, it’s the law, and it’s the right thing to do.”

- Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun Microsystems, Inc in an email to his employees on National Diversity Day 2008

In a society where corporate culture relies on “professionalism” and teamwork, no employee can exclude any coworker and expect to advance in a chosen career, especially if the reason for exclusion is protected by federal regulation. Sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, and national origin are examples of classes protected by either federal law or some state and local laws. The publicity and controversy surrounding topics such as equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and non-discriminatory or non-preferential actions would lead a person to believe that the United States has entered a strange loop since the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s. Race, sex, and gender continue to be driving forces in corporate cultures and policies, but it seems less and less that the issues are matters of blatant racism, bigotry, and sexism. Instead, the majority of the population believes unlawful and overt discrimination has been nearly eliminated, and thus people are not proactive in their actions to promote diversity and inclusion. Blatant bigotry and hate crimes certainly have been reduced significantly in the United States since the days of slavery and government-sponsored racial segregation, but passive forms of bias, racism, and sexism persist into the modern day United States. Other countries differ greatly in their progress concerning diversity and inclusion attitudes. Every country and community holds differing viewpoints and policies on the state of discrimination in their respective societies, and cultural ideologies play a major role in the actions global corporations are able to pursue in the effort to increase diversity and inclusion in corporate offices. Every corporation operating in a global environment will face similar issues; Sun Microsystems is assumed to be representative of the majority of global corporations for the purpose of the following discussion.

Before delving into the issues global corporations face, certain key terms must be separated and defined. The terms “diversity” and “inclusion,” which are typically used interchangeably in common speech, each have their own purposes when applied to corporate policies. “Diversity” primarily refers to government compliance. When an employer discusses diversity, the reference is usually to federal, state, or local regulation around employment practices. “Inclusion” is an approach that integrates all people of all cultures into a single group of equals; it integrates policies, procedures, and systems into a single cohesive approach that includes all groups and cultures equally. The presence of inclusive, integrative policies should be transparent, or embedded so deeply into the systems that nothing is separated or excluded from the standard. Diversity can be considered a component of a total corporate inclusion strategy, and discussion of an inclusion model typically includes the processes to remain compliant with diversity regulations.

Within the United States, diversity is tightly regulated, especially for corporations that provide products or services to federal or state governments. Though there are many regulatory agencies that define and enforce diversity laws, the primary agency a large corporation must answer to is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). If the corporation provides goods or services to government agencies, the corporation is also required to be compliant with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). In short, the regulatory agencies ensure that companies do not discriminate against employees on the basis of any protected status, and they require that companies take steps to correct and prevent discriminatory practices. Employers must be able to provide documentation regarding their hiring policies and practices.

Inclusion happens when an employer recognizes that “diverse opinions, experiences, and backgrounds truly do make good ideas even better” {Sun Microsystems 2006}. Sun Microsystems, only in operation since 1982, has had the opportunity to learn from the experiences of older tech giants such as IBM, HP, and Proctor & Gamble that existed during key points in United States history such as the Civil Rights Movement {Interview on Global Inclusion 2008}. Currently, major corporations are shifting outdated diversity processes to an inclusion-focused model. For example, Sun Microsystems embeds inclusion strategies into branding and communications, global talent pipelines, cross-cultural awareness and communication, global employee development, and work processes, tools, and productivity {Sun Microsystems 2006}. Sun Microsystems completes a survey every year to measure the progress and effectiveness of company objectives; inclusion efforts are measured as a major goal in this survey. Deemed the “Power of Sun” survey, the questions are designed to measure the internal environment, management behaviors, work process integration, talent pipeline activity, and the external reputation of the company {Sun Microsystems}. The “Power of Sun” survey responses are heavily utilized to improve performance of the global inclusion model.

Within a single country, diversity and inclusion efforts are implemented with similar effort to any other major corporate initiative. When a corporation attempts to globalize (or “glocalize”) a process or strategy, cultural and ideological differences pose difficult hurdles. Ideologies regarding race, sex, gender, and sexual orientation pose significant obstacles to the ability to tear down barriers preventing inclusion that transcends borders. The ways in which barriers to global inclusion affect companies are numerous, but a few examples stand out for the unique challenges they present.

The “Power of Sun” survey, mentioned above, is intended to measure the success of the inclusion policies. The good intentions of the survey were challenged when Sun Microsystems began implementing the survey to more countries than just the United States. As part of the survey, employees are given the chance to self-identify themselves based on Equal Employment Opportunity race categories and sex and gender categories such as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (GLBTQ). The major issue shows itself in the self-identification of the GLBTQ categories. In some countries (primarily in the Asian Pacific), it is illegal to identify oneself as a member of the GLBTQ community, and answering the question would put employees at risk. On the other hand, some countries (especially in Europe) are more accepting of the GLBTQ community, and find the question intrusive. To ask employees in Europe to self-identify based on the GLBTQ categories would be similar to asking them what color underwear they are wearing. It is a personal question and the answer does not matter- it just is what it is. As a result of cultural differences, globalization of inclusion efforts for such groups becomes extremely difficult. Corporations find it extremely difficult to “glocalize” the questions across all cultural ideologies, thus making a global assessment of inclusion efforts a difficult goal to achieve.

Ideologies play a major role in how corporations are able to implement diversity and inclusion plans. The development of globalized process requires a significant amount of creativity and cultural understanding. One step corporations can take to increase their ability to implement such globalized processes include building a great knowledge base of cultural ideologies around the world and creatively embedding knowledge into the general infrastructure of the company’s process. A second step may include working with local governments and communities to establish a relationship in which ideas and attitudes regarding inclusion may be shared and increased understanding may be achieved by both parties. Certainly, consistent promotion of inclusion policies by global corporations will increase awareness of harmful ideologies and will help shape the change in global concepts of race and gender into an environment that promotes diversity and inclusion in all workplaces.

Sanskrit Application in Modern Medicine

empresstj — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:50:21 +0000

Hindu medicine, called ayurveda in Sanskrit, was extremely advanced in ancient times, and much of the knowledge gained thousands of years ago continues to influence many fields of medicine today. Ayurveda, translated as “the science of life,” is currently recognized by the World Health Organization as a highly sophisticated system of natural health, with extensive systems of empiric scientific literature and advanced clinical procedures stemming from the Vedic discipline, the oldest continuing system of knowledge in the world {Schneider et al. 2006:2}.The ancient Hindus developed advanced medical techniques without the influence of other major civilizations in existence at the time, such as the Greek civilization {Woods & Woods 2000:36}. Plastic surgery, smallpox vaccines, sterile surgical sutures, and the world’s first hospitals are among the accomplishments of the ancient Indian people {Woods & Woods 2000}.

The Hindu religion and associated traditions developed alongside the advance of ancient Vedic medical knowledge and technology, and the language of Sanskrit became significant and necessary to the healing methods and preventative medicine practiced by the Indian people. Knowledge was documented by oral histories and written medical manuscripts, some of which survived to present time and are being published and sold in several countries. Hinduism and Sanskrit are inseparable; the development of one invariably affects the development of the other {Sanskrit Religions Institute}. Significant contributions to the religious development of Hinduism and to the development of the language of Sanskrit rose from observation of medical phenomenon and body responses to religious meditations; the religious meditations, mantras, and prayers were designed to be recited in Sanskrit and rely on the unique properties and sounds of the language. The inextricable positive link between the practice of Hindu meditations, the language of Sanskrit, and the emphasis on human health is an idea that is thousands of years old, though it now receives backing from modern scientific research into several aspects of Ayurvedic practice.

Two of the most important medical aspects born of the pairing between Hinduism and Sanskrit include the scientific nature of the Sanskrit language itself and the advanced methods of Ayurveda practiced by traditional Hindus, Western modifications of Hinduism, and non-Hindus. Countless studies have been completed within the scientific community regarding the possibility that Sanskrit-based Ayurvedic and Hindu meditations have a vastly positive effect on human health with few, if any, negative side effects. Sanskrit-based therapies have proven medical benefits that have not been adequately employed in conventional Western medicine; the proven theories should be incorporated as an essential part of conventional medicine in order to provide the best possible health care to all communities.

The unique nature of Sanskrit lends itself well to the assessment and treatment of speech pathologies with anatomical causes. Sanskrit is organized in a scientific manner, with clear groupings of the phonemes that are easy for health care professionals to memorize and apply to speech pathology therapies. Gajiwala summarizes the organizational structure of the Sanskrit phonemes as grouped “according to the voicing state, manner of articulation, place of articulation and the intraoral pressure required to produce them.” Gajiwala provides several illustrations clearly showing how the Sanskrit phoneme structure can be mapped to the anatomy of the throat and mouth, providing a reliable method of locating and surgically correcting the anatomical structures inflicted with speech difficulties. Asking a patient to pronounce Sanskrit syllables and mapping the speech difficulty to the corresponding anatomy creates a far more reliable and useful diagnostic and therapeutic tool for speech pathologists and surgeons than the methods currently used in diagnostic assessments and speech therapies.

Other languages, including generally accepted international phonemes, are typically organized in a random and complex manner, making it difficult for surgeons to memorize phoneme details and communicate consistently and accurately the specific speech conditions of a patient to speech therapists and other professionals involved in correcting and treating the speech pathology {Gajiwala 2007}. For example, the English alphabet is arranged with vowels scattered throughout the alphabet, and no separation between “hard” and “soft” pronunciations or the location of the sound created in the mouth or throat. Phonics is difficult to learn and apply to the written and spoken versions of English. The irregular and complex structure of English and many other languages makes it difficult to communicate consistently between health care professionals involved in speech pathology treatments.

Because of the highly regular structure of Sanskrit, the language is easily transliterated into languages utilizing different characters to represent phonemes, such as English and most other world languages {Sanskrit Religions Institute}. The ease with which Sanskrit can be used in countries where Sanskrit is not typically taught creates the potential for a global standardization of diagnostic criteria for speech pathologies. A global standard for diagnosis and implementation of speech therapies would create a consistent and accurate measure of speech pathology, either reducing or eliminating miscommunication, misunderstanding, and inadequate treatment of speech pathologies between health care professionals {Gajiwala 2007}. Gajiwala’s method of mapping the Sanskrit phoneme to the corresponding anatomical structure should be used as a standard for surgeons, speech pathologists, and other professionals working with anatomical pathologies related to speech.

In addition to assessment of speech pathologies, Sanskrit can be used to ameliorate the causes and effects of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease can affect any person in any socioeconomic situation, but the people most likely to be afflicted are also the least likely to be able to afford adequate medical treatments {Schneider et al. 2006}. Persons in low income situations tend to suffer more from stress and anxiety, leading to higher rates of cardiovascular illnesses {Schneider et al. 2006}. Economic circumstances prevent low income individuals from obtaining medical care that could help them prevent, treat, or cure chronic illnesses, creating a disproportionate mortality rate of low income individuals due to cardiovascular disease. Additionally, iatrogenic illness (illness caused or made worse by medical errors and adverse side effects of medication) are problems that would be alleviated or eliminated by the use of effective treatment options that do not rely on chemical interventions {Schneider et al. 2006}. Conventional medicine and the current health care systems are simply unable to support the cost of treatment for low income individuals and iatrogenic illness, creating a need for alternative health care systems to lower the high rates of cardiovascular illnesses.

Maharishi Consciousness-Based Health Care, a method of Vedic medicine, provides a solution that is well-known in alternative medicine and natural medicine but has not been adequately utilized by conventional medicine. Maharishi Consciousness-Based Health Care utilizes a system of Transcendental Meditation, diet, herbal remedies, and exercise to support total human health. According to Maharishi Consciousness-Based Health Care, a disruption in the body’s “inner intelligence” is the cause of all diseases. “Inner intelligence” governs the human body, running the systems of self-repair and homeostatic mechanisms to prevent disease and promote health {Schneider et al. 2006}. Maharishi Consciousness-Based Health Care separates the human body into 40 areas that each interact and affect each other, creating the “inner intelligence.” Vedic medicine and Maharishi Consciousness-Based Health Care develops therapies to treat each of the areas or multiple areas, if needed. Together, the therapies create a total natural-health system, treating conditions with therapies specifically geared to the individual condition.

The most actively-studied and scientifically supported aspect of Maharishi Consciousness-Based Health care is the practice of Transcendental Meditation .The Transcendental Meditation method of meditation relies on the steady chanting or mental repetition of Sanskrit mantras to focus and relax the mind and body. Radha states, “A Mantra is a combination of sacred syllables which forms a nucleus of spiritual energy” (Radha 1). She emphasizes that meditation with Sanskrit is a method of uniting one’s spirit into a “living center of spiritual vibration which is attuned to some other center of vibration vastly more powerful” (Radha 2). The “inner intelligence” theory is consistent with quantum physics and Albert Einstein’s unified field theory {Schneider et al. 2006:3}. Albert Einstein’s unified field theory, currently the basis of modern quantum physics theory, proposes that all the elementary particles in the universe interact and are connected with each other through fields, causing all things in the universe to be interrelated through these basic fields.

Medical research has indicated that not all meditation techniques have the same results for each medical condition; Transcendental Meditation has proven to be a superior meditation technique for cardiovascular wellness compared to methods such as yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, or mindfulness meditation {Johnson 2006}. In studies related to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, Transcendental Meditation has been proven to significantly decrease the risk factors of cardiovascular illnesses, such as high blood pressure, hypertension, high cholesterol, and smoking; these decreases were seen even in the groups at the highest risk to experience these risk factors {Schneider et al. 2006}. Anti-aging effects have also been demonstrated in studies of Transcendental Meditation, resulting in lowered effects of stress and the cognitive effects of aging {Schneider et al. 2006}. Because Transcendental Meditation requires no chemical interventions and can be practiced in one’s home rather than in the office of a health care professional, Transcendental Meditation is a much-needed alternative to the current preventative treatments for cardiovascular illness. There is no risk of overdose or adverse side effects, and there is no need to carry medical insurance in order to follow through with the treatment plan. With such positive scientific research and the lack of any documented negative side effects, there is no reason that Transcendental Meditation should not be included in conventional treatment plans.

Studies have found health benefits of Transcendental Meditation other than the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, though there are fewer reliable studies of this nature available. Preliminary results indicate increased longevity, decreased stress reactivity, increased resistance to disease, improved perceptual ability, improved health during pregnancy and childbirth, decreased symptoms of autism, and increased marital satisfaction {Johnson 2006}. Currently, research is also delving into the realm of physics, with research dedicated to discovering the relationship of a group consciousness to energy fields described by quantum physicists such as Albert Einstein and James Jean, a British physicist and mathematician. Theoretical propositions regarding consciousness continually prove to be consistent with the research being completed in modern physics and Maharishi Consciousness-Based Health Care, including the practice of Transcendental Meditation {Johnson 2006}. The cutting-edge nature of the recent studies and their consistent findings are exciting for the prospect of a low-cost, chemical-free or chemical-reduced medical revolution by utilizing Transcendental Meditation and other methods of meditation to support a total health system.

Although Transcendental Meditation seems to be the most beneficial method of meditation for cardiovascular disease and the related symptoms and risk factors, other methods of Sanskrit-based meditation provide significant measures of health benefits as well. Transcendental Meditation, Qi Gong, and Zen Buddhist meditation help reduce blood pressure, and yoga helps reduce the perception and effects of stress {Ospina et al 2007}. Radha lists several benefits of using a Sanskrit mantra, including, but not limited to, improved concentration (37), ability to control emotions (38), ability to overcome the ego (43), and both physical and psychological healing properties (93). Like Transcendental Meditation, alternative methods of Sanskrit-based meditation do not have a risk of iatrogenic illnesses and are a low-cost alternative to conventional health care and standard chemical interventions. Additional research is needed to determine the specific Sanskrit-based meditation methods other than Transcendental Meditation, but current research is beginning to delve into the alternative meditation methods.

Current research has provided strong evidence supporting the assertions that have been made by Hindu pupils and meditation experts throughout history. Scientists continue to investigate applications for benefits of Sanskrit-based health measures in addition to applications in speech pathology and cardiovascular disease. Many of the current studies suffer from inadequate control methods and difficulty defining the scientific structures of each study. Cross-sectional studies are difficult due to the nature of popular meditation methods; methods are practiced differently by individual people in terms of time spent per day in meditation, environmental circumstances, and the attitude and beliefs with which an individual approaches a meditation session. The widely varying nature of most meditation methods makes it difficult to consistently control variables in a study and analyze the results. Nevertheless, Transcendental Meditation is a rigid form of meditation and is therefore more easily studied and analyzed, providing consistent and replicated results across studies performed by different researchers in different countries and communities.

Even though medical research has proven significant health benefits are derived from Sanskrit-based therapies, Western civilization has been resistant to accept methods of alternative medicine. Many people see the claims made by alternative medicine experts as “New Age” or get-rich-quick schemes contrived by people preying on the desperately health conscious. Other people are culturally conditioned to believe that chemical interventions are the modern and scientific way in which medical and psychological conditions are best treated, and that these methods are superior to methods of natural medicine. Additionally, the ancient nature of many alternative interventions is considered by “modern” people to be ancient folklore, or “Old Wives’ Tales.” Many people are unaware of what Sanskrit is, and those who are aware of Sanskrit’s history generally consider it to be a dead language, useful only to translate ancient texts for the sake of historical nostalgia. Western populations are unjustifiably unaware of alternative medicines that are scientifically proven to have health benefits greater than those of the favored chemical interventions prevalent in Western medicine; many alternative methods are proven to have effectiveness double the effectiveness of the corresponding chemical intervention {Schneider et al. 2006}.

However, Eastern civilization has been slowly recovering the language that was neglected by its own home country of India until1986, when India made Sanskrit one of three languages all students are required to learn {Sanskrit Making a Slow Comeback 2004}. The revival of Sanskrit in India is underway, and experts provide a plethora of reasons why the shift is occurring and how it will benefit Indian civilization as well as other parts of the world. Gajiwala provides evidence of the medical uses of the language, as previously discussed, and other researchers have established that Sanskrit-based meditations have many additional health benefits. The academic world in India has also seen record numbers of students registering for courses in Sanskrit, which improves their chances of obtaining gainful employment after graduating, especially in fields such as archaeology and paleontology {Sanskrit Making a Slow Comeback 2004}. There is a small system of schools based in South Africa that teaches Sanskrit to elementary school children, beginning in preschool. Administrators of the school system provide several reasons why teaching Sanskrit is beneficial to the students. “As a classic language it’s like math. There’s not just a functional side, it’s good for the development of the brain too” {Blaine 2007}. In addition to the positive effects for brain development, Sanskrit provides prayers that are universally applicable to major religions and is also the basis for all Indo-Germanic languages, which makes learning the roots and meaning of words more simple {Blaine 2007}.

An article written about the Sanskrit Day celebration in India includes interviews with individuals actively promoting the language of Sanskrit in India. Those interviewed agreed that the history of Sanskrit is rich in India and neighboring countries, and great works in literature, theatre, medicine, and academia rose from the language {Speaking Highly of Sanskrit 2005}. One scholar stated that “only Sanskrit, through its vast vocabulary, well-structured grammar and contribution to the development of other Indian languages, [is] fit to be an official language of the country” {Speaking Highly of Sanskrit 2005}.

Sanskrit has affected all aspects of life for Eastern people, and there are benefits that Western people should utilize, particularly in the areas of medicine. The far-reaching effects of Sanskrit are well-summarized in an article originally printed in the magazine Artificial Intelligence, and was reprinted as part of Gajiwala’s study on cleft palate and Sanskrit therapies.

In ancient India the intention to discover truth was so consuming that in the process, they discovered perhaps the most perfect tool for fulfilling such a search that the world has ever known—the Sanskrit language. Among the accomplishments of the grammarians can be reckoned a method for paraphrasing Sanskrit in a manner that is identical not only in essence but in form with current work in artificial intelligence (AI)… and that much work in AI has been reinventing a wheel millennia old (qtd. in Gajiwala 115).

Why the Western world has been so resistant to the alternative approaches of Sanskrit-based therapies is a matter of debate. The bottom line remains that the positive effects of Sanskrit-based therapies on medical issues such as speech pathology and cardiovascular diseases are well-documented and proven, and the Western world should utilize these therapies in order to provide the best health care to all people in all communities.

{Gajiwala 2007:116}

{Gajiwala 2007:119}

Works Cited

Blaine, Sue. “Spirit of Ancient Toungue Inspires Local Pupils.” Business Day [South Africa] January 5 2007, Business Day Edition: Economy, Business, & Finance: Pg. 2.

Gajiwala, Kalpesh. “The Use of Sanskrit, an Ancient Language, as a Tool to Evaluate Cleft Palate Speech Problems.” Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery Vol. 40.Issue 2 (December 1 2007): Pp. 112-20.

Johnson, David Orme. Truth About Transcendental Meditation. 2006. 8 November 2008 .

Ospina, MB; Bond, TK; Karkhaneh, M; Tjosvold, L; Vandermeer, B; Liang, Y; Bialy, L, Hooton, N; Buscemi, N; Dryden, DM; Klassen, TP. Meditation Practices for Health: State of the Research. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 155. (Prepared by the University of Alberta Evidence-based Practice Center under Contract No. 290-02-0023.) AHRQ Publication No. 07-E010. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. June 2007.

Radha, Sivananda. Mantras: Words of Power. Spokane, WA: Timeless Books, 1994.

“Sanskrit Making a Slow Come-Back.” The Hindu November 5 2004.

Sanskrit Religions Institute. Sri Devasthanam. 8 November 2008 .

Schneider, Robert H, et al. “Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Health Promotion with the Transcendental Meditation Program and Maharishi Consciousness-Based Health Care.” NIH Public Access, , 2006.

“Speaking Highly of Sanskrit.” The Hindu August 18 2005.

Woods, Michael, and Mary B. Woods. Ancient Medicine: From Sorcery to Surgery. Minneapolis, MN: Runestone Press, 2000.

PureAyre Odor Eliminator

empresstj — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:43:20 +0000

Fruit flies were everywhere. No matter what I did, I could not get rid of them. They surrounded the sugar gliders’ cage; the tiny insects were attracted to the scraps of baby food and tropical fruits that cover the cage after every meal. The food the sugar gliders eat releases a sweet scent the fruit flies love in the worst way. I tried wiping down the cage every day and soaking the cage in bleach-water to get rid of the sweet smells attracting the pesky fruit flies. Cleaning the cage daily made me cringe because I hated using such harsh chemicals on an animal habitat. The internet suggested spraying the cage daily with a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar; this helped, but I still had a major fruit fly problem and we were at war with each other. At the same time, I also had a puppy in the middle of being house-trained, a cat with a urinary tract infection, and roommates who had an aversion to taking out the garbage. Needless to say, there was an unavoidable odor problem. Finally, after months of ripping out my hair trying to think of how I could eliminate pet odor without harming my pets, I discovered PureAyre Odor Eliminator. While its drawbacks include that it is not available in grocery stores and it has a high price tag, PureAyre Odor Eliminator is an excellent product because it is sold in many convenient sizes, is derived from natural plant enzymes, has no chemical additives, and works on all five odor-causing compounds found in nature.

In my search for an odor eliminator that is safe to use around my pets, I searched the aisles of the local grocery stores and found nothing I felt was safe to use on a regular basis in my home. Every product has synthetic agents and chemical propellants. For example, Ozium is smelly and flammable, and only works on a narrow range of odor-causing compounds. Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent and is unsafe even in small doses. Air fresheners and “air sanitizers” contain synthetic fragrances and masking agents. Candles add particulate and synthetic chemical pollution to the air. I do not want to use anything in my home which could compromise the health and well-being of myself or my pets, which is what spawned the need for me to continue my search for a pet-safe odor eliminator on the internet. At the website for SunCoast Sugar Gliders, I found that the solution to my problem was PureAyre Odor Eliminator.

PureAyre is a liquid product and comes packaged in a spray bottle or in a refill bottle. It has no propellants and is thus applied from a squirt bottle in standard usage. Also, PureAyre can be applied from a syringe, needle, portable fogger, or mop. If these options are not enough, it can be placed directly into an HVAC system, carpet cleaner, vaporizer, or washing machine and is safe to use on upholstery, fabrics, carpet, wood, concrete, plastics, and even directly on people or pets.

PureAyre offers a wide range of sizes and packages to suit the needs of any household or business. Such a wide variety of options is rarely available in local stores. PureAyre is offered in 4 ounces, 14 ounces, 22 ounces, 40 ounces, and gallon-size portions. Package deals include a starter kit which comes with the 22 ounce bottle of PureAyre, a 4 ounce travel-size bottle, a black light (for locating urine spots), a syringe (for squirting into carpet and upholstery), and a needle (for squirting into crevices and small spaces.) Ordering online proves to be a reasonable option given the variety of choices not available in a brick-and-mortar store, and causes the unavailability of PureAyre in grocery stores to be less of an issue.

It is true that PureAyre costs more than other products designed to reduce or eliminate odors. A 22 ounce bottle of PureAyre retails for $11.99, and a one-gallon bottle retails for $59.95. However, the cost of using products inferior to PureAyre and the pollution these products cause to the environment and human health is more than enough reason to warrant the higher price tag. Any pet owner or the parent of small children should be concerned enough about the chemical agents contained in most odor products to put the cost of the product as a low decision-making factor.

PureAyre is derived from plant-based enzymes. Because the only ingredients are concentrated plant enzymes, purified water, and small amounts of essential oils, it is the only odor eliminator on the market that may be labeled as food-grade. For this reason, it is safe to use directly on and around pets. Children can safely be around household objects covered in PureAyre without fear of ingesting poisonous chemicals.

Chemical additives and propellants are not used in PureAyre. Alcohol, propane, butane, and hydrocarbon propellants are harmful to the environment and cause health problems when released into the air. Many products use chemicals to preserve the liquid in the can or to release pleasant scents. Some also use masking agents to hide the bad odor instead of eliminating it. If ingested or allowed to come in contact with skin, commonly used chemicals can irritate tissues and cause allergic reactions. Most, if not all, of these chemicals are also poisonous and can cause blindness, paralysis, or death if ingested in sufficient doses. Chemicals with such dangers should never be used in households with pets, children, elderly people, or people who care about the environment.

Five odor-causing compounds can be found in nature. PureAyre works on them all. Contact with PureAyre breaks the bond between the offending molecules by changing the electrical charge of the molecules. In doing this, the odor-causing molecules are repelled from each other and no longer produce odors. Rather than releasing chemicals that simply overpower the odor with another odor, PureAyre destroys the odor at the molecular level. Odors are never simply masked with PureAyre.

Because of PureAyre, I won my war with fruit flies in one final battle, and was literally rid of them overnight with a single application. I have not found an odor yet that PureAyre will not remove. Clearly, PureAyre Odor Eliminator is an excellent choice to remove unwanted odors from both surfaces and the air. Even people without pets or children should appreciate the many benefits of using the product. There are many purchasing options available online, including Amazon.com, and its health safety benefits outweigh its price tag. It is made from naturally-derived plant enzymes and is thus food-grade and safe to use around pets and children. There are no chemical additives, and it works on all organic odors, including pet odors, cigarette smoke, rotting garbage, mold, mildew, baby odors, flatulence, shoes, and innumerable other odors. The benefits of such a product far outweigh the availability and cost factors, and I wholeheartedly recommend PureAyre to anyone with a bad odor to shake.

Tea With Grandma

empresstj — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:40:42 +0000

My grandmother pulled the whistling teakettle from the stove, carefully carrying it to the table in the adjoining room. I sat on the other side with my back to the sitting room, where many family gatherings had enjoyed roaring laughter from adults and children alike. I was facing the window, which had a white lacy curtain filtering the light shining into the room. If the curtains had been open, I would have been able to see the garden my grandmother spent her time in, when she was not in the kitchen cooking some scrumptious creation. This Saturday was just my grandmother and me, enjoying cup after cup of tea. I could hear the tick-tock, tick-tock of the cuckoo clock which kept a rhythm and beat to all that happened in this old farm house. I imagined how many conversations had been had here with the same beat and measure this clock kept, surprising the residents every hour with a ding, ding, ding, to mark the hours they have been sitting and enjoying each other’s company.

“You know, TJ, you should write a book. I want you to write your book so I can read it and know what your life is like.” I must have made a funny face as she said this; imagining myself actually writing to completion a whole book- it seemed a silly prospect. She came over to my side of the table to pour some hot water into my dainty pink teacup. It is difficult to believe how much taller she seemed when I was a little girl, considering that she is well under five feet tall. She then poured water into her own teacup as she said, “I have read book after book written by the children of deaf people and it really helps me understand what your life must have been like. But I want to know from you what your life was like. When I raised your mother Mary, I knew what her life was like and her brothers’ lives. But I don’t know how things were for you.”

I thought about this for a moment, my gaze drifting to the china cabinet in which sit dozens of teapots of every style and color, and with each teapot there are matching teacups, all gifts from granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, church friends, family friends, neighbors, and so many other women who had enjoyed the pleasure of my grandmother’s wisdom over a cup of hot tea. Each of those teapots represented a moment in time during which my grandmother sat and listened, taking in every word being said at the big oak table. She would dispense the wisdom she has accumulated over her life as the youngest daughter of Slavic immigrant farmers. Though I know she lived a hard life, I have always marveled at how easy life’s decisions seem when I am with my grandmother. It always seems so simple and so logical when she says just what you need to hear.

I remember one early morning, my mom and I were over at Grandma and Grandpa’s house for our traditional Saturday morning at 6:00 AM breakfast- Grandpa’s Number One World Famous Bisquik Pancakes, which Grandpa makes so thin we often discuss making crepes with them. My mom tried to tell my grandmother how wise she is. My grandmother replied, “I’m not even smart, how could I possibly be wise?” No amount of flattery or examples from my mother could convince Grandma otherwise, and the conversation moved on to other things. My grandmother is not only wise, she is a humble woman.

“Grandma, you know perfectly well I have no patience to write a whole book.” I smiled at her and swished the teabag around the teacup. “I don’t think I could finish writing a book, but I will tell you anything you want to know.”

Grandma smiled back at me and leaned back in her chair. She held her teacup with one hand on the side and one hand on the bottom as she moved the cup in front of her face, not to take a sip but to smell the sweet aroma of mint tea in the afternoon. I looked closely at her while I waited for her to say something. There is a mark on her lower lip where she was bitten by a dog as a toddler, but it is very hard to see unless she is laughing or if you know it is there. She looked at me with wide open eyes, which I took to mean she was ready to hear anything I wanted to tell her. The problem was I didn’t know what to say.

The clock marked the hour. Ding, ding. I have no idea how many times the clock tolled; the only thing running through my mind was wondering about what I could tell my grandmother to help her understand my life. I wanted to tell her stories that would exemplify how my life was different from the lives of my cousins. I am the daughter of two deaf parents; one of my parents is the daughter of the woman I sat with now, surrounded by teapots and the scent of mint tea. I had never been asked to tell my story and how my life is different from other people. I had never been asked to tell how these things made me feel and how they shaped who I am today. Here sat my grandmother asking for a book, and I had no answer of what I would fill this book with.

Other than the tick-tock of the clock and the sounds of our conversation, the house was silent. Occasionally a car would drive down the dirt road, but I never noticed. The quietness of the house and the attentiveness of my grandmother’s ear helps me to think, and to come up with an answer to her questions.

“You want to know something interesting, Grandma?” She sat there in her chair, unmoving and never taking her eyes away from mine, though she stirred her tea with a tiny spoon as she listened. I continued, “It’s not impolite to talk with your mouth full. It never has been. Hearing people made that up. In my life, you can talk with as much food in your mouth as will fit, but it is very impolite when you talk with your hands full.” As I finished my sentence, she leaned back in her chair with a loud creak. Whether it was the chair or her aged bones that creaked I am not sure, but it accented her emotion as she leaned back- creak- and when she comprehended my statement, her head rolled back and I could see all her teeth as she laughed. I could the scar on her lip becoming more pronounced.

“I never thought of that!” Her laughing slowed down but a huge smile on her face remained. In her eyes I saw the inkling of understanding; how something seemingly small and insignificant was the first thing I told her, and not something that on the surface would portray a major insight into human life. I could see she understood that it was not only the big differences in my life that shaped me; it was just as much the minor details that have affected me.

“It is so strange I never paid any attention to this rule; it was the manners my parents taught that became natural to me. But it was never brought to my conscious attention until I was eating at a friend’s house, and his mom stopped eating and gave me a very strange look. I thought I did something horrible to offend her. She threw up her hands and asked me, ‘Why in the world do you keep putting down your silverware when we eat? Is it too heavy for you?’ Grandma, I didn’t know what to say to her, she was dying for an answer but I didn’t know how to explain it!” This set both my grandmother I laughing for who knows how long.

By the time the laughter died down again, I had another story for her. “One night, police officers were at our house. Dad asked for an interpreter but there was an officer there who said she knows sign language. She was trying to talk to him. Her sign language was no good at all, and she only signed fragments of sentences, not enough to understand. Dad asked for an interpreter again, trying to explain that he could not understand her but she just tried harder- still to no avail. Trying to get through to her, he crossed his arms, stuck his nose in the air, and shut his eyes. Oh my gosh, he just stood there with his eyes shut while she was trying to talk to him and she kept going- she just didn’t get it!” At this point, I thought my grandmother one more minute until she would have been rolling on the floor, holding her tummy. Even though my sides hurt from laughing, I continued, “And when I would fight with Mom, she would get tired of hearing it. She would shut her eyes! It made me so mad, I would start yelling at her even though I know she can’t hear me. I would poke her and push her trying to get her to open her eyes. Sometimes, I would stomp on the floor so she would think I walked away, then hold perfectly still until she opened her eyes. Then I would start yelling at her again! She would shut her eyes and we would do it over and over until one of us caved in.” The laughter started again and I had to hold my aching stomach.

Both of us tried to take a sip of tea but every time the cup would near our lips, our eyes would meet and we would laugh again. “Grandma, I don’t think I could write just one book. It would be a whole series with all these stories.” By now, my cheeks hurt and my grandmother had lost her voice from laughing. When she chuckled, it had a breathy “hum” sound.

“TJ, now let me tell you a story. Your mom has been doing that since she was a little girl. We used to take a lot of road trips and all the kids would be in the back of our car. All the other parents told me how on their road trips, the kids complained, ‘Mom, so-and-so is touching me!’ or ‘Mom, such-and-such is breathing on me!’ You know what I heard on road trips? ‘Mom, Mary is closing her eyes at me!’” Once again, a round of raucous laughter ensued.

“I can picture my mom doing that!”

“Isn’t that a strange complaint to hear from your children?”

We laughed some more, and eventually wound up sitting in silence, reflecting on the conversation. I believe we both found understanding of each other that we had not recognized before the teakettle whistled. At this moment, I felt closer to my grandmother than I ever had before. I felt that though Grandma did not think she knew what my childhood life was like, she had discovered that she understood more about my mother and me than she ever thought she did. I discovered another person in this world who understood my trials, big and small, when it came to my parents. My grandmother and I have since had innumerable conversations about life with a deaf person, and a whole new door has opened to understanding and friendship between us.

Embalming: Controversial Topic in Our "Green" Society

empresstj — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:37:44 +0000

Eva hung the phone back onto the receiver, her hands shaking uncontrollably. She slumped against the kitchen wall, trying to convince herself she was not dreaming. Her son was dead. He had been walking through the high school parking lot on the way to baseball practice when another student in a hurry to get his after-school job sped around the corner. The student saw him at the last second, but the inexperienced driver did not have the reflexes to stop the car in time. Nothing anyone did could save him. Her son was gone; she would never see him again.

At that moment, her husband Adam walked in through the front door. The meeting must have ended early. She had to tell him, but how could she? It did not seem real, not yet. Today must be a dream. Adam scuffled into the kitchen and dropped his heavy briefcase on the counter with a thud. He turned around and his eyes found Eva. A concerned look immediately covered his face. She started talking, unaware of exactly what words were pouring out of her mouth. Eva worried about how she would go on without her beautiful, wonderful, amazing son. She choked back tears as she related the information regarding the terrible accident, the hospital, and the police. Suddenly, it dawned on her that she would have to call the funeral home to make arrangements, cancel the family cell phone plan, and contact all her son’s friends and relatives. Eva slouched to the floor and covered her face with her hands, consumed with grief. Adam crouched beside her and cradled her head in his arms, sharing her dread and tears of pain.

A family forced into the surreal state of grief has no choice but to make innumerable difficult decisions. Despite the feeling that life cannot go on without the person who was lost, spouses, families, and friends must continue on with funeral arrangements and the plethora of actions and decisions that must be made regarding the affairs of the deceased loved one. Each method of body disposition poses unique issues, and deciding which option is appropriate for the family’s particular situation is a difficult evaluation to make. Perhaps one of the most controversial aspects of funeral arrangement is deciding whether or not to embalm the body.

Embalming the body is necessary in order for many families to hold a viewing or an open-casket funeral service, and provides an opportunity for geographically distant family and friends to pay their last respects prior to burial or cremation of the body. Each family should weigh the specific pros and cons related to embalming in order to decide if this is the right option for their situation. Opponents claim the effects of embalming fluid on the environment and living humans eliminate the positive aspects of embalming, but each method of body preparation and disposition poses hazards to the environment which cannot be avoided. Thus, embalming is a personal decision to be made by each family according to their culture and beliefs, and should not be heralded as a “wrong” decision.

Families sometimes expect and are prepared for the death of a loved one due to factors such as age or terminal illness. Advance awareness of the pending death gives families and friends the opportunity to say their final goodbyes. Many hospice care facilities will allow families as much time as is needed to pay their final respects to the loved one that has passed on. However, in instances of sudden death involving substantial physical trauma, families either do not have the opportunity to say goodbye, or the farewell occurred while their loved one was in a physical state very different from when they last saw the person in a healthy state. Viewing a body in a state of decomposition or severe trauma is emotionally difficult for survivors, and the image may haunt the grieving for many years to come. Embalming offers the chance for a body to be preserved for a period of time in order to allow family and friends to work through steps of the grieving process- accepting the death and coming to terms with the fact that this person is now gone {Quigley 1997:58}. Without embalming, the opportunity to view a body is quickly lost due to decomposition.

Eva and her husband had experienced a traumatic death of a close family member. The physical trauma caused by the car collision had disfigured the young boy’s face. Reconstruction would be necessary if they were to have a viewing, which is traditional in their family. The mortician would need to hide jagged cuts and broken bone. His forehead and eyes were bruised, and there was a gash taken out of his ear where his head had hit the concrete. Cosmetics and special embalming fluids would be needed to bring the bruised areas back to a more natural color. When he had left for school, the only injury he had was a callous where his baseball cleats rubbed against the back of his heels; his appearance had changed dramatically the instant the car hit him.

Though embalming has been practiced in many cultures for thousands of years, the process did not become prevalent and accepted in the United States until the Civil War {Quigley 1997:54}. Soldiers who were lost in battle needed a way to be preserved until they could make it home for proper burials according to their family’s wishes. Today, families are geographically dispersed and the old methods of bedside vigils and immediate burials observed prior to the Civil War are no longer standard. The grieving families need an opportunity to make appropriate arrangements to either transport the body or to travel to the location where the death occurred. In cases where the body is transported between facilities, embalming is required by law due to sanitation reasons {Quigley 1997:57}. When family must travel to the body, embalming offers the opportunity to preserve the body until the family arrives to pay their respects. Embalming addresses the need for our modern geographically dispersed families to come together prior to the onset of decomposition.

Adam had earned a promotion at the successful company where he worked. The promotion had required relocation across the country, away from Adam and Eva’s families. By the time grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and old friends had time to make travel arrangements for the funeral service, decomposition would have set in. The people who had not been seen for over a year since the move would lose their chance to view the body.

For Adam and Eva, embalming seemed to make the most sense. However, embalming is not an option for each family to consider. For example, Orthodox Jews do not, under any circumstances, embalm their dead, and burials occur typically within 24 hours of death. Some families cannot afford the additional cost associated with professional embalming, and others simply do not wish to have a viewing. Embalming is not necessary if the body will have an immediate interment or cremation. Therefore, the decision of whether or not to embalm is highly personalized and depends on each family’s situation, resources, and desires.

Some people express opinions that embalming should not be an option for grieving families to consider at all. Today’s methods of body disposition each harbor their own ill effects on the environment; opposing viewpoints fail to realize the derogatory effects of decomposing bodies as a whole. Cremation allows pollution to enter the air and contributes to the greenhouse effect. Burial allows the body and casket to seep into the ground during decomposition- including embalming fluids. Burial at sea exposes the body to the elements and can harbor bacteria and diseases. Clearly, no matter what choice a person makes, some environmental consequence will take place. Choosing one method as superior over the other is a subjective opinion, with no option being truly superior over another.

Yet, opponents of embalming suggest many “green” options which can be included in funeral arrangements. Most of these “green” options can be exercised regardless of whether a body has been embalmed. People who feel strongly about the effects of embalming fluids on the environment yet still find a desire or need to have their loved one embalmed may find a happy medium in utilizing particular options for environmentally friendly arrangements. One option is to cremate the body after the funeral or viewing. This option will prevent embalming fluid from entering groundwater. Additional options include burial in a simple pine box, burial at sea, minimal embalming such that would preserve the body through a funeral but not for weeks or years, memorializing through planting trees, making donations to environmental preservation groups, forming a memorial reef, and other options that contribute to the well being of the environment as a tribute to the deceased {Harris 2007}.

Funeral directors and morticians have chosen a profession in which they have put in a minimum of 5,000 hours of training time {Quigley 1997:57}. These professionals have chosen a profession in which they are in more danger of toxic exposure to the embalming fluids than they are of contracting disease from handling the decomposing bodies {Quigley 1997:59}. Opponents cite the health hazards to those people whose occupations require frequent exposures to decomposing bodies and embalming fluids {Harris 2007}. Morticians and funeral directors have many options available to them to protect themselves from the harmful effects of handling bodies and embalming fluids; options include immunizations against infectious disease and biohazard equipment to prevent respiration of dangerous fumes{Quigley 1997:59}. Failure to exercise basic self-protection options is the choice of the embalmer, not the community at large {Quigley 1997:60}.

People who disagree with the option of embalming also suggest that the life-like appearance of an embalmed corpse detracts from the realities of death and dying, and thus increases the effects of denial and grief {Quigley 1997:54}. The idea that viewing a life-like embalmed body will detract from the reality of the death assumes that this cannot be a legitimate method of a modern grieving process {Quigley 1997:57}. The grieving process is different depending on each individual’s personality. Because embalming is so new to the culture of the United States, it is too early to tell whether viewing a life-like embalmed body is detrimental to working through grief. However, the argument that it is unnecessary because the preceding generations had no such practice, contributing to increased exposure and awareness of death in historical times, does not address the changing conditions of our society and culture. Simply because the concept of embalming is different from historical practice in the United States does not mean the new practice is invalid. Also, the only person who can decide how to grieve is the grieving person alone; no person can tell another person the “proper” way to grieve. If embalming to preserve and restore a body is born of a desire to work through the grief process, a person should by all means be allowed the option.

Adam and Eva chose to have their son embalmed. When the family from across the country arrived, a viewing was held at the funeral home, and a memorial service was conducted on the high school baseball field the next day. Home plate was covered with flowers and candles in memory of all that was lost with this single death. Everyone present was extremely grateful for the opportunity to say goodbye to a beloved son, cousin, nephew, and friend. After the services, Adam and Eva chose to cremate the body and have the ashes poured into an artificial reef to be dropped into the ocean off the shore of their home state of Florida. The reef would become a habitat for marine life and represented the hopes Adam and Eva had held for their son to be a blessing to living creatures.

As grieving families work through their sense of loss, other people need to allow each mourner the opportunity to express their grief and to handle the death of a loved one in their own way. Death is an unavoidable, certain part of life, as are the effects that come from the necessity of disposing of a body. Humans have a certain nature to respect the dead; each person has a different opinion of exactly what this respect entails. It is not right for one human to tell another human that their method of grief and respecting the dead is incorrect. Embalming remains a valid means of working through grief, allowing survivors the opportunity to accept and move past a significant death. Because death and grief are so highly personalized, it may be difficult for two people to reconcile their opinions and feelings toward sensitive topics such as embalming. As a diverse culture, people must recognize each method is just as valid as the next, and support should be given to each grieving individual to work through their loss and move on to the next step in life.

Works Cited

Harris, M. (2007). Grave matters: A journey through the modern funeral industry to a natural way of burial. New York, NY: Scribner.

Quigley, C. (1997). The corpse: A history. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers.