For about a decade, many funerals in HCMC have resembled concerts where a vast array of musical instruments compete for prominence. It has been hugely difficult to bid farewell to the deceased amidst a sea of sounds — from music, traditional and modern alike, to the noise of people quarreling, chattering and laughing.
Also common are sights of homosexuals dancing and the crowds indulging in games, which severely mar the solemnity of an event meant to honor the dead. The argument that these activities help to dispel sadness is flimsy. What is wrong about expressing sadness at the demise of someone and pondering the transience of life?
It is heartwarming that there are still families, including some in HCMC, where funerals retain their significance in the psyche of a community. People who attend these funerals are appropriately attired and show good manners. Music, if any, leans toward the traditional end of the spectrum and does not involve the use of speakers. Neighbors do their best to help organize a decent funeral instead of treating this occasion as an opportunity for revelry.
Unfortunately, these funerals have become less and less common as their nerve-jangling counterparts are on the rise and torture everyone with deafening noises that exceed the maximum national benchmarks of 70dBA from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 55dBA in the remaining time of the day (applicable to apartment buildings, rows of houses, hotels, administrative quarters and so on). The bigger a funeral, the more likely it is to be haunted by persistently and frighteningly loud sounds, including those of monks reciting Buddhist scriptures.
Some families seem to think that a showy funeral is a hallmark of class and filial piety and show scant regard for the well-being of their hapless neighbors, young and old alike. Just like shops bent on playing loud music, these funerals are a form of torture through noise. Many people have displayed their compassion and tried to tolerate the inconvenience bred by these funerals. Silence, however, is not always golden as it may breed the view that such funerals have become a social norm and make them even more ubiquitous.
It is perhaps time to openly discuss the problems arising from these funerals, which exert deleterious impacts on the community. So far, the authorities have focused on dealing with the use of joss paper. If anything, the noise pollution engendered by funerals imposes more problems upon people’s well-being and Vietnam’s cultural fabric. The demise of showy funerals will therefore be a cause of celebration for all.
SGT
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