With a drought in full swing life was slow during August, and one could sense the worry as rice shoots shriveled in the heat.
Sadly the event that temporarily took people's mind of this potentially disastrous situation was the death of my nearest neighbor's youngest son. He had been working in Ratanakari, where a drunk driver mowed him down.
The news arrived early on a Monday morning, and the funeral preparations were almost at once underway. From my balcony I had a birds eye view, as tables were laid out, food prepared, and family and friends assembled. A coffin appeared outside the house, a platform for it to rest on arose, near a small shrine to my right.
By mid-morning only one thing was missing, the deceased. At last a taxi drew up, the driver climbed out, walked to the rear,opened the boot, reached in,and tossed a cloth wrapped bundle over one shoulder. Turning he strode up to the waiting coffin and unceremoniously dumped the dearly departed in it. I was reminded of the way in which my uncle,years ago,delivered sacks of coal. His actions were in no way disrespectful, merely practical, but they did raise the question in my mind; is there such a thing as dignity in death?

A moving anecdote takeoman and in answer to your question..'is there such a thing as dignity in death?',..there is as much dignity in death, as the living will allow/provide.

any time i have seen it up close it is highly undignified, or at least that which precedes it from age or a hard life.

a friend lost her father and now her Mum is on the way out- both in their late 50's so had a hard time thru the angkar years.

they lived in a swampy area of kampong cham.

i believe they probably drank arsenic contaminated water for many years, though without any evidence of this.

no one in that area lives past around 60.

I for one little care about dignity when I am dead, what difference will it make to me after the indignities of death have ravaged my body and rigor mortus has set in.? No, dignity in life is more important and if possible dignity in dying.

takeoman wrote:...walked to the rear,opened the boot, reached in,and tossed a cloth wrapped bundle over one shoulder. Turning he strode up to the waiting coffin and unceremoniously dumped the dearly departed in it. I was reminded of the way in which my uncle,years ago,delivered sacks of coal. His actions were in no way disrespectful, merely practical, but they did raise the question in my mind; is there such a thing as dignity in death?

There is, but as you have witnessed in Cambodia apparently not. It still will take decades until they understand words like "dignity", "respectfulness", "honor", "self respect", but by then they will have another war.......
I actually wonder why the driver didn't transport the body on the roof rack of his car, or like that (just replace the chicken)


or perhaps something like that:

Due to difficult circustances, we had to take some ashes from PP to a ceremony in the provinces. This is when I learnt from my Khmer nephew that in Khmer culture we were carrying the equivalent of contraband, and that it is taboo for anyone who is not the family to transport or house the ashes." So don't tell anyone what you've got in your bag". I am family and I don't think it's something I would discuss with strangers anyway - guess what I've got in my bag - but apparently we would have been refused a hotel room, taxi, bus etc.
The ashes were not allowed on the property that my nephew was renting, (he had asked the landlord who said no), although we had the ceremony there.This was the first time I heard about this, but then again it's not a common topic of conversation.

Anyone else encountered little-known taboos like this? Just when you think you've worked out what's going on...

...walked to the rear,opened the boot, reached in,and tossed a cloth wrapped bundle over one shoulder. Turning he strode up to the waiting coffin and unceremoniously dumped the dearly departed in it.

Apparently,transporting a body is ok, but not the ashes ? Or maybe the delivery guy hid the body in the boot because it's not really ok and he didn't want his car to be seen as unclean, then he was anxious to be rid of it as quickly as possible?

Francis wrote:

Now wouldn't it be fun if this was still alive, and somehow escaped into the floodwater...

Great post... Death hits everywhere, but it certainly seems to come by more often here.

takeoman wrote:With a drought .....

This is an example of a type of a thread/post we need more of on CEO, and from more people.