Why do people send flowers when people die?

Maybe I'm just too practical or maybe I'm just a heartless b*tch. If the person who died is already dead, what good are the flowers to him? If the person who died is over 80, why is that a sad thing? he has lived a long life. The sad deaths are the ones who die young.

Maybe the flowers are for the surviving relatives as a gesture of consolation? But why flowers?

I have seen survivors do the "in lieu of flowers..." bit but even that is questionable as to the purpose. The guy's dead. Maybe the gift to a charity in the name of the decedent is a good 'christian' gesture. Maybe. But why wait till the guy is dead for that matter?

If the decedent's survivors are clearly going to be in a difficult financial state, I can see donating money to THEM. I don't get the flowers or the charity thing. If the survivors don't need the cash, and I live too far away to come to the funeral, a card or a sincere phone call of condolence would suffice.

Maybe I am missing something here. Maybe it's my non-religious views that prevent me from seeing it from a different perspective.

I really want to know and if you have a non-stupid comment, I'd like to hear it.

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Jennifer
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