Filming My Own Eulogy

 by Caleb Wilde of Confessions of a Funeral Director

Caleb Wilde

Jerry Seinfeld is quoted as saying that the two greatest fears for humans are public speaking and death.  Being the machismo embodiment of masculinity that I am, I’ve always wanted to conquer both fears at the same time.   And there’s only one way to do it: speak at your own funeral.

This ultimate act of bravery is now made possible through the advancements of 21st Century technology.  We can actually film our last words.  And we can do more than film our last words.  With internet sites like “My Own Eulogy”, you can not only film your eulogy, but build a 21st Century “memorial site” … a library of videos to be shared with loved ones when you pass.

I saw a part of the movie “Get Low” last night which tells the tale of a man who knew he was going to die so he wanted to have his funeral service before he breathed his last.  It’s a great idea that few of us could accomplish even if we wanted to because we simply don’t know know our death date (would you want to know it?).

I’ve planned that each year I’d record a brief video of myself, where I briefly state what happened this past year, what major events occurred, etc.  If I starting doing it now, and create a new one each year, I could then have somebody cut up each video and make it into a brief bio video timeline that could be played at my funeral … as my eulogy. There could be like a 20 second clip from each year and you could see the progression of my aging as the years role by.

“If I Die” just developed a Facebook app that allows you to send out posthumous Facebook messages/videos/updates to friends and family.

And I’m sure as all these ghost Facebook pages accumulate, Facebook will eventually find a way to create a memorial section … a Facebook grave site or sorts.

For the most part, the funeral industry is about 10 to 20 years behind the rest of the world simply because we service the oldest generation.  But within the next 10 to 20 years, I image we will see more and more innovative sites like “My Own Eulogy” (MOE is ahead of the curve) that allow us to speak from the grave.

Here’s my first attempt to “record my own eulogy” that I made for “My Own Eulogy”‘s website.  It was all extemporaneous and I went over the recommended time limit of three minutes.  But, it was a decent first try.

It was definitely hard … it was hard trying to think of words that you’d want to live forever.  My forever words for my family and friends.   And, it was mainly hard because I’ve yet to meet my children, so I’m not really sure what “forever words” I should say to them.

And, I might add, this is kind of a vulnerable video, so if you’re feeling snarky today or you’re just trolling, please resist the temptation to point out my receding hair line or my knack for fumbling for words … or the fact that my nostrils flare when I’m trying to be serious.

View his video here:

http://vimeo.com/34765325

So now that you’ve seen the video that I posted (or as much of mine as you could handle, or your lunch time would allow), head on over to “My Own Eulogy” and record your own.  And be sure to check out Alba’s eulogy … it’s pretty cool!

What would you want to say in your eulogy?  What would be your “forever words”?

Thanks Caleb for sharing!

Article borrowed from

http://www.calebwilde.com/2012/01/filming-my-own-eulogy/