If I knew I was on a clock I'd 100% have a party to see everyone special to me once more before the end. I don't think it's crazy at all. This way everyone gets closure. There's nothing left unsaid.

euphemism for buried alive

Funny story - when I was in college a long-time family friend died and I was invited to the celebration of her life, in her home. She lived locally to where I was in school and the rest of my family couldn’t come so I attended. While there, amongst mostly elderly friends, there was a young man, maybe late 20s/early 30s (a former student of her also-deceased husband) who started talking with me, sort of in a “chatting me up” sort of way - asking about my life/interests and eventually asked how I knew the deceased. Except he then immediately asked me “do you know where she is, I’d love to give her a hug?” And I had to very awkwardly explain to him that this was a party to celebrate her after her death, not the birthday party he had expected.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to be a massive narcissist to do something like this.

You have to be an empathy-free zone of a person not to understand what OP is talking about.

Read the other posts about it here and learn something, and grow a little empathy for those who know they're dying soon, and for those who want to tell them--before they die and can't hear it--that they're appreciated.

Living funerals tend to be organized (not always by that name) not by the person themselves, but by others, so, not the narcissitic thing you assume it is. How unpleasant and unsympathetic of you, to put the worst possible construction on the idea.

Then I guess I'm an empathy-free person.

Sorry, it's weird and narcissistic in any case. Just like an adult throwing themselves a birthday party.

People are free and welcome to tell anyone, any time, how they feel about them. There's no need for a party or a "living funeral" to solicit comments. '

What?! The ones I've been to are the exact opposite of narcissists. People were welcome to give speeches, read cards individually to the dying person (they couldn't read any longer) or to talk to them. It gave me more closure than any funeral ever could. They weren't organized by the dying person, but it did raise their spirits. The ones I've been to were pretty sad occasions with the person having a terminal diagnosis, some were young.

I wondered why people spend 10k+ on funerals when the money would be better having everyone over for a nice catered meal. The speeches at a wake are worthless to me when the person is laying dead in front of them.

Anonymous wrote:Its not called a living funeral, it's called a celebration of life

+ 1.

We had one for my dad. I don't know who organized it, but he didn't! He said, "But I'm not dead!" Not sure if it was for him or for the rest of us, but I think he was gratified to see the hundreds of people who came to it.

We went to one of these for my friend who died of cancer at 25. It was a great way to have people say their goodbyes, get all together one last time, and share memories with her. You could tell how much it meant to her to feel all our love and happy memories about her. I hope when she died, she died knowing how loved she is.

I get why pp may think its narcisstic. I think when you describe it it sounds bad. But having gone to one, it was great for everyone involved.