Letting Go of Prejudice: A New Perspective on the Funeral Industry

In the name of life education, students and teachers made a dedicated journey from afar, and through their interactions, we could feel their seriousness, sincerity, and emotional connection.

This was especially true for the group from Foon Yew High School Kulai Branch. Their journey began at 3–4 a.m., a full-day round-trip learning experience. Some students diligently took notes during the tour. Even when the session ran longer than scheduled and they had to drive home late at night, they insisted on completing the entire experiential learning route at Xiao En Memorial Park and Xiao En Centre.

“ We were always told to avoid these things, but only after actually experiencing them did I understand the emotions involved.”
“ I witnessed how the final stretch of life can be treated with tenderness, dignity, and completeness.”
“ Starting from zero again helped me truly see how challenging the role of a Life Practitioner is.”
“ Only when I tried pushing the stretcher for the body did I realize how weighty this work really is.”
“ Some traditional customs aren’t done for the sake of it — they help the living say goodbye well and leave no regrets.”
“ If we learn to cherish others while they’re still alive, we wouldn’t have to wait until they’re gone to buy an expensive coffin to show our filial piety.”
“ Not everyone gets to go through birth, aging, illness, and death — some might only experience birth.”
“ The Xiao En Centre is a meaningful space. Some of the quotes I saw during the tour really moved me.”
“ The one that touched me most was: ‘Allow space for grief, and reconcile with the past.’”
“ There’s something healing about Xiao En Memorial Park. It’s a cemetery, but it also feels like a park.”
“ I didn’t know we had the right to choose how we say goodbye to the world.”
“ We can donate our bodies to science as Silent Mentors, give back to the earth through ash burial, or even leave a personalized epitaph.”
“ If the departed can live on in the memories of their loved ones, isn’t that a form of continued existence too?”

This experience helped the students set aside cultural taboos and reframe their understanding of the funeral profession — not as something to be feared or avoided, but as a meaningful and respectful path that honors life through death.