The eulogies, the songs, the crying and the hugging all make David Tseng’s funeral virtually indistinguishable from any other such rite in Taiwan — except he is still alive.
Mr. Tseng is just 25, but he is in the terminal stage of an incurable genetic muscular disease that has paralyzed him since childhood.
“I don’t know how many days I have left, so I want to hold a ’living funeral’ for myself, to announce my last wish of donating my body for medical studies,” Mr. Tseng says.
In Taiwan, living funerals have been embraced by a growing number of people with terminal diseases.
Mr. Tseng, a native of south Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City, bade farewell to his family and a group of about 100 doctors and students in late September at a local medical school, which will receive his body when he dies.
“I may not live a long life, but I have the company of my family and many people who care for me. I finished college and wrote a book. … I didn’t live in vain,” Mr. Tseng told the audience as his mother wiped away her tears.
“I think what matters in life is its value, not how long it is, so we should cherish the time we have and do something good,” he said.
Catholic Cardinal Paul Shan, 85, is among the prominent figures in Taiwan who have thrown their weight behind the concept. He launched a “goodbye tour” in late 2007 with a series of speeches to share his fight with lung cancer.
“We hope to encourage the ill not to fear death and help them bid proper farewells to their loved ones,” said Chou Chin-huar, head of the Chou Ta-Kuan Foundation, a cancer charity that promotes the practice.
A living funeral can take the form of a speech, a concert, a trip or a painting exhibition that is meaningful for the person who knows death is approaching, he said, adding that some people do not plan conventional funerals afterward.
“They can say aloud the things they want others to know and fulfill their last wishes before it’s too late,” Mr. Chou said. “Hearing the eulogies while they are still alive can help them face the final stage with ease.”
Mr. Tseng’s father agreed, saying his son’s spirits were lifted after the ritual.
“The response was overwhelming. So many people phoned to encourage David or came to visit him when they heard about it. This gives him more courage and faith,” Sam Tseng said.
The practice reflects growing openness toward the subject of death in Taiwan, a society that has gone from traditional agrarian values to full-blown modernization in just two generations.
In the past, even mentioning the word death was believed to bring bad luck, and preparing one’s own funeral while still alive was a major taboo.
“Nowadays, more people are willing to discuss death, make their wills and plan their funerals ahead,” said Yang Kuo-chu, a professor at the department of life-and-death studies at Nanhua University.
He attributed the change in attitude to thanatology, or the study of death, being more commonly taught in schools, while authorities also have been promoting forward planning to reduce inheritance disputes.
“The living funeral has some positive effects of comforting the sick and overcoming the death taboo,” Mr. Yang said. “I don’t think it can replace a conventional funeral, but it might if our customs [and] cultural and religious perspectives are completely altered one day.”
Mr. Tseng weighs just 50 pounds, is bedridden and relies on oxygen as his condition worsens. He said he is prepared for the final moment.
“I have no regret now. I am ready to face death at any time,” he said. “I want my family to hold a cocktail party to celebrate my departure instead of mourning after I’m gone.”
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