文/ Frankie丘銘澤, 富貴關懷奠禮主持
/ Frankie Khue Chow How, Nirvana Care funeral master of ceremonies
/Translated by: Colin Kuan
A lot of people have a number of misconceptions, taboos or fears about the funeral industry, and that discourages them from joining!
A few years ago, I came across the funeral industry and became a funeral master of ceremonies, something I would never have dreamt about.
I believe that most people would never have imagined, or thought about, getting involved in the funeral industry. In my childhood essays, if teachers asked us to write about “my ambition”, we usually wanted to become doctors, lawyers or a star; who would think of serving the dead?
Later on, I introduced my nephew to work in the company. When I mentioned to him that he was going to work in a funeral home, his expression couldn’t hide his fear. After all, it was a job that involved dealing with the dead. Subsequently, due to my persuasion on the promise of a stable salary and job, he has now fully adapted, is totally comfortable with his duties, and he does not have any concern at all. Eventually he met a girl and has never encountered any objection from her or her family!
In fact, the most important thing in the funeral industry is to maintain a respectful attitude in providing services to the deceased. There is a saying among those in the industry: “The deceased is a friend for a day”. Therefore, when presiding over the ceremony for the deceased, it includes a sense of parting and deep empathy with the relatives and friends to fulfill the memorial ceremony. I used to use the term “coffin guy” to describe a funeral worker; but after I got to know more about the trade and devoted myself to it for a period of time, I realised that it is a very beautiful profession. At present, I have sent off more than 3,000 friends, although I cannot remember their names. However, I occasionally think about it in a frivolous way; when I’m dead, there are more friends in that so-called afterlife than the ones I have known in my lifetime!
As such, as long as you can overcome the misconceptions in your mind, the funeral industry can become a very satisfying occupation. From a spiritual point of view, if you can serve with sincerity, you can also accumulate merits!
Emcee Department
