It’s a service that, quite frankly, should have been invented years ago. Most people nowadays plan the details of their own funeral before they pass.  From music to coffins and choices of flowers, once folks reach a certain age they start preparing for the inevitable, so their family doesn’t have to.  Launched by two Australians, Peter Ingham and Andrew Slattery, From Beyond 2 U bills itself as a “Facebook for the dead.”

This is not a new idea, merely a new business model.  People have been writing letters for loved ones to read after their death since writing was invented.  What are wills if not messages from the deceased to the rest of the world?  And how many collections of letters have been released after the death of their writers?  All From Beyond 2 U does is update this tradition from VHS tapes or DVDs to online picture galleries, emails, and video clips.

Not to be morbid, but I’m not the kind of guy that can express himself to the people he loves, and I know that when it’s my time to go, I’m probably going to leave a lot of things unsaid to people who might want to know I care about them.  I’ve decided that, when I get older, or whenever, I’m going to leave some letters for my children and wife (wives?) and the folks I care about in a safe-deposit box.  That’s what this service is about; it helps the deceased express their feelings to the ones left behind.  It’s not about me; I’ll be dead, for all I care you can catapult my corpse into space.  It’s for the loved ones who remain behind.

Tags: Facebook for the dead, living memorials, messages from beyond the grave, memories, frombeyond2u.com, From Beyond 2 U, Peter Ingham, Andrew Slattery, social media

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