Mourning the dead.

[krazykidd]

So i want to look at this from a logical standpoint. Why do people , mourn the dead? Is it because of tradition? Is it out of respect?Why does humanity do this ?

Before i go on, i would like to precise that " mourning" and "being sad" are two completly different things.

I can understand why someone would be sad of their loved one passing.But to mourn them ? Logically it doesn't make sense. The person isn't there to see it.And it doesn't do anything for the dead person.

Be you religious or not. Atheists don't believe in any diety , therefore the dead person is gone and cannot witness the mourning ceremony (funeral). Religious people , believe that the dead go to a better place, therefore they should celebrate the death of a person,rather than mourning, since their are in heaven( or reincarnated,or in what every place their religion says they go to).

So why do mourn?Where did the idea that we must mourn our loved ones come from?

 

[Woodsey]

Because they miss them.

You do know the definition of the word "mourn", don't you?

 

[retyopy]

To commerate the passing of and help remember someone you liked or loved.

 

[SamuelT]

Sense does not come to play when the heart takes over.

 

[Radeonx]

Because they miss them.

You do know the definition of the word "mourn", don't you?

This is a nicer version of what I was gonna say.
I mean seriously, it isn't a hard concept to grasp.

 

[No_Remainders]

Definition of "mourn" as google puts it:

"Feel regret or sadness about (the loss or disappearance of something)"

Oh, look.

 

[emeraldrafael]

As a rememberance and honor of their life.

 

[BrassButtons]

Before i go on, i would like to precise that " mourning" and "being sad" are two completly different things.

Perhaps you should define how you are using the terms "mourning" and "being sad" as they seem to be very closely related to me (and, by the comments, to others as well).

 

[Harlemura]

Personally, I do it as a final goodbye kinda thing. Think about what they did through their life, what it did for you and respect that. Then I'm clear to move on with my life.
Not completely forgetting about them after, of course. But I've just accepted they've gone once mourning's done.

Well, that's how it works when pets die. I've been lucky in that I haven't had to experience many people I know dying, but I'm guessing mourning has pretty similar applications.

As for where it originally came from, I'm not sure. Maybe old religious ceremonies and stuff, maybe just an extension from naturally being sad when someone you know kicks the bucket. I'd put money on the latter if I had to.

 

[RougeSeraph]

I think people do it because, (1) it's steeped in tradition, and (2) as human beings, we're empathetic to our fellow man, and even when someone has passed on its just our way of showing respect.

I am by no means religious, but if someone close to me passed away, I would certainly mourn. It's almost the intuitive thing to do.

Maybe there is a scientific explanation for mourning, as I do recall some anthropologists giving pretty logical reasons behind it. Perhaps by respecting the passing of those we lose, we care more about the things that are still alive and strive to protect them. I'm only going off of something I heard a long time ago, so my recalling may be a bit jumbled.

 

[Furioso]

As humans, we have things called feelings, when people die, we mourn them as a way to honor them and to have closure, an important step in getting past a loss like death

 

[DarthFennec]

I mourn because I miss people. They used to be a big part of my life, and they aren't anymore, and it's a big change and I need some time to myself in order to get used to it. On the other hand, I'm rarely sad when people die ... I wonder why someone would be ... that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

 

[krazykidd]

Definition of "mourn" as google puts it:

"Feel regret or sadness about (the loss or disappearance of something)"

Oh, look.

Because they miss them.

You do know the definition of the word "mourn", don't you?

This is a nicer version of what I was gonna say.
I mean seriously, it isn't a hard concept to grasp.

Because they miss them.

You do know the definition of the word "mourn", don't you?

Take these two sentences as an example.

I am mourning the death of my sister

and

I am sad because of my sisters death.

Can you not see the difference ? One is an action the other is an emotion.

 

[Radeonx]

Take these two sentences as an example.

I am mourning the death of my sister

and

I am sad because of my sisters death.

Can you not see the difference ? One is an action the other is an emotion.

mourn   [mawrn, mohrn] Show IPA
verb (used without object)
1.
to feel or express sorrow or grief.
2.
to grieve or lament for the dead.
3.
to show the conventional or usual signs of sorrow over a person's death.

Mourning IS feeling sad. Feeling sad=mourning. Mourning=having a sad emotion.

 

[loc978]

*snippity*
Before i go on, i would like to precise that " mourning" and "being sad" are two completly different things.
*snip*

...I'd like to point out that the definition of "mourn" that you present is incorrect.
in this context:

intransitive verb
1: to feel or express grief or sorrow
2: to show the customary signs of grief for a death; especially : to wear mourning
3: to murmur mournfully ?used especially of doves

transitive verb
1: to feel or express grief or sorrow for
2: to utter mournfully

Mourning is merely feeling or expressing sadness over loss (not even necessarily the loss of a person), nothing more.

 

[Woodsey]

Definition of "mourn" as google puts it:

"Feel regret or sadness about (the loss or disappearance of something)"

Oh, look.

Because they miss them.

You do know the definition of the word "mourn", don't you?

This is a nicer version of what I was gonna say.
I mean seriously, it isn't a hard concept to grasp.

Because they miss them.

You do know the definition of the word "mourn", don't you?

Take these two sentences as an example.

I am mourning the death of my sister

and

I am sad because of my sisters death.

Can you not see the difference ? One is an action the other is an emotion.

They're two ways of saying the same thing.

 

[IndianaJonny]

Be you religious or not. Atheists don't believe in any diety , therefore the dead person is gone and cannot witness the mourning ceremony (funeral). Religious people , believe that the dead go to a better place, therefore they should celebrate the death of a person, rather than mourning, since their are in heaven( or reincarnated,or in what every place their religion says they go to).

That's not to say we can't celebrate their life as well. A friend recently passed away after suffering a heart-attack whilst playing football. So, for the funeral service, we all wore football shirts as Brian was a mad-keen footie fan as well as a pillar of our church. We all knew he'd "stepped straight of the pitch and into heaven" but that didn't prevent us from having a loving service to honour his memory.

 

[DarkRyter]

It makes people feel better.