Chapter 8 Reagan's funeral

On June 5, 2004, people were preparing for the 60th anniversary of the Normandy landings in World War II when the news of the death of former US President Ronald Reagan came.After that, Americans have been waiting in silence, waiting for President Reagan's funeral. Former President Reagan, as President Bush said at the funeral, "We have lost him for ten years."A decade ago, Reagan withdrew from the public sphere after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.In his last moments of sanity, Reagan wrote in his hand a farewell to the American public.With all the bravery and dignity of a gentleman in his open admission of his illness, he said to his fellow-citizens: "Now, I begin the journey that will take me to the sunset of life. I know that there will always be a glorious America dawn."

Ten years later, we watched his funeral with the American public.Feel the spiritual legacy of Reagan conveyed throughout the process, as well as another culture different from our civilization source shown in every detail. This is a large funeral of a former president, and the entire ceremony is covered on TV. Reagan's funeral began in Washington, with the coffin being transported from the White House to the Capitol, giving the public a chance to say goodbye.The coffins were transported by horse-drawn carts for the mile and a half.This tradition began in the days of Lincoln.Throughout Lincoln's presidency, he led a Civil War.Assassinated right after the war ended.People regarded him as a soldier who died on the battlefield, so he set a precedent for transporting the coffin of the president in a horse-drawn cannon cart.This practice was used again after President Kennedy was assassinated. His wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, asked to find out the full details of Lincoln's funeral and bury him in the same way.Perhaps Kennedy, who was shot dead in office, made Jacqueline feel that her husband, like Lincoln, was also a "dead soldier".Since then, this has become one of the most solemn presidential burial ceremonies in the United States, and it has also created a tradition: the details of the burial ceremony of the president are arranged according to the wishes of the first lady, not the government. He is the president, but also a wife s husband.

Thousands of people were seen on TV. Some stood in line all night, waiting to enter the Congress Hall to bid farewell to Reagan, and some stood by the street or highway where the hearse passed to greet the hearse.As the hearse passed, no one broke down in tears, just silence, some waving little flags, some saluting, some applauding, some waving to Nancy. We are very used to the saying of "visiting the remains", but Reagan's coffin was always fully closed and covered with the national flag.People stood in front of the coffin, sometimes crossing themselves.Relatives and close friends would come up and touch the flag on the coffin as a farewell to Reagan.When Nancy appeared, the person who took care of her was not a female nurse supporting her, but a tall, well-behaved middle-aged soldier who stretched out his bent right arm very gentlemanly and naturally, allowing Mrs. Reagan to hold her all the time. with him.This is also a cultural habit different from our Orientals.

Although there were no organized large-scale gatherings, just people participating casually, the feeling of Reagan's funeral was extremely grand.The President of the United States is the Commander-in-Chief under the Constitution.Therefore, there are always representatives of various military services and guards of honor.There are 21-gun salutes and four parallel fighter groups flying through the air.At the last moment when the four planes passed side by side, one of them suddenly left the queue, went straight up, and flew towards the boundless space.Americans call this ceremony "a person's departure", which symbolizes that he leaves everyone and is called away by God.Sure enough, in the vast Rocky Mountains, on the top of a mountain under the golden afterglow of the setting sun, the burial ceremony was at the last moment, and the soldiers guarding the coffin held up the national flag on the coffin. A plane pointed to the sky and "departed" - this whole scene can probably be regarded as the most frightening expression of behavior.Throughout the funeral, people's eyes were always attracted by the soldiers of the guard of honor, hearses, fighter planes, etc., and they would not pay attention to a person who stood silently aside.He is the arranger of the whole funeral, the Americans call him the funeral director.In fact, not only the president enjoys the design of the funeral, but the funeral home in the United States has such a position, which is responsible for designing and instructing people how to let their loved ones walk through the last journey with dignity.At Reagan's funeral, all the action, down to the perfect timing of the ceremony's final moments with sunset, was a result of design.The establishment of this position and the emphasis on funeral design began after the Civil War.

Following the farewell ceremony at the Capitol, the formal funeral was divided into two parts.The nation's funeral was completed at the towering National Cathedral in Washington, and the coffin was shipped to California for a burial at the Reagan Library, the burial ground.The latter is more of a family burial. Whether it is the former or the latter, it is not a political government memorial service, but a religious ceremony.The ceremonies are presided over by clergy, not government officials.The meaning here is that when "your time" comes, no matter who it is, the body comes from the soil and returns to the soil.And your soul will return to God in the sound of prayer led by the pastor.For these Westerners, the insistence on goodness and the emphasis on the salvation of the soul come from the belief in this culture that a human being is composed of two parts, the body and the soul, and the latter is more important.They believe that man is not perfect - that all men are sinful before God.However, through love, people can raise their spirits and purify their souls.Under such a common belief, when a person leaves the world, the secular government has no ability to send a person off.

No matter who it is, before God, he is just a "person". What he needs is not the secular coffin conclusion, but to ask God to accept his purified soul.Therefore, the current president and all the dignitaries can only be ordinary guests at the funeral. Only in this sense can their funeral be properly humorous.Almost everyone who gave a speech on the stage would never forget to say a few words that caused everyone to laugh. This was true for political officials, as well as for the children of Reagan, the mourner.Of course, at the state funeral, people will not forget to describe the achievements of President Reagan's career in politics.At the same time, people praised Reagan as a person, what a gentleman, magnanimous, kind, humorous, interesting, self-respecting and humble person.This is a character that Americans appreciate.Finally, in "Ode to Joy," the coffin and Reagan in the coffin depart.