In many cases, cultural and religious rituals offer adequate spaces of containment and farewell, where affection can be expressed without compromising health or emotional well-being. Respecting grief does not mean clinging to the body, but learning to let go with love and dignity.
The desire to kiss someone you loved deeply for the last time is understandable. But in the face of biological risk, chemical effects, and psychological impact, it’s important to think twice before doing so. Sometimes, the most loving goodbye does not need physical contact, but the certainty of having loved intensely in life, and of continuing to remember with the heart what the body can no longer contain.
