When I heard we had to create and maintain a blog for this class, I was worried. My biggest concern was I didn't really know what a blog was. Well, I had a general idea of what a blog was but I had never read one before and I definitely had never made my own! However, I soon realized that creating my own blog was not as scary as it seemed. It was in fact, very easy. I might even go as far as to say it was fun. I liked designing my own page and choosing the format. After I had set it up, I was so proud of myself that I emailed my family the link to my blog so they could follow me and read about all the exciting things I have to say (Hi mom and dad! Are you reading this?!) I have enjoyed my blogging experience as I like having the ability to discuss topics that I find particularly interesting. I also like reading other people's blogs to see what they find interesting.
I never thought I would have a blog, especially one that focused on death and funerary practices! Discussing death all the time hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be though. One reason for this is because I tend to distance myself from the deceased individuals that we study. It makes it easier if I do not think of them as once living, breathing people like myself. But once in awhile I remember the fact that these are people who had a family, friends and a life history. And this should not be ignored. This thought always brings me back to reality and reminds me the importance of showing the people that I study respect.
This thought has been on my mind lately as I do research for my case study, which is about Inca child sacrifice. Looking at images of well-preserved sacrificed children gives me an eerie feeling because the thought of deceased children and the practice of sacrifice both seem 'unnatural' to me. In my culture, a child's death is always an upsetting and shocking event so the thought of purposely killing children does not fit with my worldview at all. That is why I find studying this topic so interesting because I want to understand the motivations behind it.
Overall, I have enjoyed my blogging experience. I might even start another blog after this class is finished. It probably won't focus as much on death and funerary practices though but we shall see what comes to mind. I mean, who doesn't want to read about how to make diamond jewelry out of cremated ashes?! That is good stuff.
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