To what extent is a person expected to grieve in your culture?

[craziibuti_ful]

This is something that really has gone trough my mind since I was little. I grew up in a culture where relatives (especially the closest ones) are expected to cry and almost go crazy about having their relative die (if not people critizise and say maybe that person did not love the one that passed). Also you should not wear colors other than black and white for a while....the longer you stay like that, the better the impression for people. You should not party, listen to music publicly or dance etc, and have to wait at least 5 months or even more if you lost someone closer (like father, mother, siblings etc). This bothers me because I do not think things should be like that and to me you should not isolate yourself like that because it'll make you more sad...how is that supposed to help you get over the facts?? how does your culture view the loss of a relative and the way you should grieve and for how long??

 

[sharky]

I follow what Jesus taught, because it made the most sense to me and it can apply to todays world and the people of today.....He said, "Let the spiritually dead bury the dead, and you who wants life, then follow me ! ".....he also gives another example, when his own cousin and best friend dies by means of getting his head chopped off, and that must have been tough...If you could put yourself in his shoes for a moment.....The Bible says, that he went under a tree, and mourned the loss of John for five hours, and then he got up, and brushed the dust of his clothes and went back to work !