I do agree with your view on the ineffectiveness of spending a lot of money on a dead person.
However… I think people find meaning from a wide range of things, and rituals around birth and death are two big ones since the origins of humankind itself. So in a sense, I can empathize with your family spending so much money. It seems to mean something to them.
Sacrificing material things in funerary rituals is as old as Ancient Egypt, and probably much older. The only new component in modern society is that now this sacrifice transforms into profit for someone else (the funerary industry, who operate under dubious ethical grounds).
But from the perspective of the griefing loved ones of the deceased, I think it’s all about meaning and closure.
I’m very sorry for your loss.
I do agree with your view on the ineffectiveness of spending a lot of money on a dead person.
However… I think people find meaning from a wide range of things, and rituals around birth and death are two big ones since the origins of humankind itself. So in a sense, I can empathize with your family spending so much money. It seems to mean something to them.
Sacrificing material things in funerary rituals is as old as Ancient Egypt, and probably much older. The only new component in modern society is that now this sacrifice transforms into profit for someone else (the funerary industry, who operate under dubious ethical grounds).
But from the perspective of the griefing loved ones of the deceased, I think it’s all about meaning and closure.