Bureaucracy of Death

One of the horrors of bereavement is the extent to which the State has an interest in the death of a loved one. There is no area of a deceased person's life that will remain private - their physical body must be examined and certified (an autopsy and inquest may also be required); their finances must be detailed for the tax man; banks etc will demand death certificates and explanations; their family, if there are dependant children, will have to seek help from welfare professionals (social services, counsellors), doctors and teachers - all of whom are arms of the State. The widow (er) will have to undertake the duties of the survivor whilst suffering from extreme mental and physical torment - there will be no help and no flexibility - the rules, after all, must be followed. It will feel as if all interests must be served before those of the surviving family, and once those interests are served, there can very often, be little left over.