THE announcement by coffin traders that they sometimes assist mourners who cannot afford to buy coffins or find transport to go and bury their deceased, is good news.
“Our intention is not to live on the dead but to provide a service to people,” said the spokespersons of the Coffin Traders and Funeral Services Providers, Mr. Justine Zulu.
We totally agree with Mr. Zulu’s view. The provision of funeral services is something which cannot and should not be run as a purely profit making undertaking but partially as a humanitarian operation because it is also about providing a helping hand and emotional support to the afflicted.
Loss of loved ones and financing of the funeral, are always very painful and costly affairs which no one can get used to or manage single-handedly.
But it is also one incident which some people can easily take advantage of and exploit for financial gain because people are usually emotional and confused.
During such occasions, some people would want to be seen, or spend without much thinking and that could sometimes make quite a lot of monies floating around.
But that, should not in any way, make us forget what a funeral basically is. It is a sorrowful and sympathetic event which people must, at all cost, avoid living on or taking advantage of.
In our view, we should all aspire to make every effort to ensure that the burden is reduced on the bereaved families.
It is not a time to demand a pound of flesh from deceased families through exerting unbearable costs and expenses on them.
In fact, in our view, if you can provide them with a free or discounted service, kindly do so because it will go a long way in helping lessen their burden during the grieving period.
