Funerals

Yesterday's certain experience has led me to debate on the actual reason why people should attend funerals. The reasons as i see are only two. one, you attend it to pay your respects, and two, so that your presence and words can provide some comfort to the kith and kin. But some events have forced me to believe that consolation may not be after all the right reason. It would only be of comfort if you were very close to that family and if your presence could really make a difference. I think in such a situation consolation is difficult to provide because nothing you say would ever be enough. some people say its the intention that matters but i disagree. If it was me i would prefer only people who are really close to me and my family come try to console. I would feel extremely irritated if everyone just crowded me. The others only need to pay their respects. I would prefer being left alone than listen to the same sort of sympathetic sentences from a hundred people. The compassion from their side is understandable but should it be expressed at the cost of a mourning family's irritation? I do agree people's views differ but still, I believe, it is true for most.