East vs West When it Comes to Death

Death & Dying

The general beliefs about death and dying have shifted greatly over the years and centuries of known human existence. There are surely things from before recorded and known human history that can be said about death and dying that would be intriguing. In both modern and historic times, there has been a marked difference between the way that the Western civilizations handle and perceive death and dying and Eastern philosophies do the same. There are even patterns and customs that occur when it is obvious and apparent that a person's death is imminent due to old age or sicknesses like cancer. Of course, examples of the West would include Western Europe, Australia and North America, including the United States. The East would include China, Japan and many other countries in Asia. There are some similarities between the United States and the Eastern death and dying practices and beliefs, there are also some clear and obvious differences.

Analysis

One major behavior and pattern that emerges in the United States when it comes to death and dying is denial. Many people have a hard time coming to grips with the passage of a loved one or friend. Rather than accept the death as a natural progression of life in general and/or an eventuality that should be dealt with in a ceremonial and specific way, there are many that take a bit of time to come to grips with a person that has died. This become even more true when the death is someone that is younger than normal life expectancy. For example, if someone's father dies of cancer in his 50's or 60's, there are a lot of negative to nasty emotions that reveal themselves including grief, anger and denial. Further, people in the United States often avoid talking about death even if it is obvious that such a discussion needs to happen. Beyond that, when there are deaths of noted and public figures, this leads to a visceral public reaction that can be rather seismic and protracted in nature. When it comes to the United States, just a few examples would include when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, when any President of the United States was killed (e.g. JFK, Lincoln, etc.) or an entertainment celebrity like Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston. There are even these sorts of reactions for people that are not even American like when Princess Diana from Great Britain died in a car crash. Overall, Americans deal with death eventually but it takes some time. There is always the burial or the cremation of the body right away but the raw emotions and aftershocks of losing someone is something that takes time for Americans to deal with in most situations. This is true even when the death is expected and known to be coming (Essman, 2014).

When it comes to the East and their perceptions about death and dying, the phenomena and behaviors seen are entirely different. A lot of this difference comes down to culture and how the death is perceived. Whereas people in the West often face death with despair and angst, it is almost welcomed and celebrated in the East. Not unlike what many people in the West believe, there is indeed a heavy focus on the life one leads prior to death. However, there is also a focus on ideas from Confucius and others such as fate, destiny and so forth. Whereas death in the West is a very individual experience, it is rooted in family in the East. Family cohesiveness is not unheard of in the United States but it is seen by many to be an option. This is not remotely the case in the East as family is a foundational aspect of life for the vast majority of people that live under that culture. Building on the life's work argument, the Chinese concept or immortality is present and it is based on virtue-building, achievements and perseverance. People in the East actually welcome death as an eventuality rather than reacting with fear or boredom (Lee, 2009)