Should Funerals Be Extinct?

Something that has bothered me recently and I never quite understood the reasoning behind it.  Funerals

Why do we continue to spend money on these?  Now I am not talking about a gathering of people coming to mourn a loss, I mean the whole shabang.  Why a coffin, why dress up in black, why have a priest involved?

I know tradition has been this way for a while now, but is it really necessary anymore?

When I pass away I could really care less what happens to my body.  I feel it's a vessel of some sort anyhow.  Why keep it intact and bury it for any reason?  The only reason I can think of is to keep funeral homes employed.  Seriously though, why not just burn the body completely.  Then afterwards if you want a marker (or a type of monument if you will) to remember them by then so be it... but do we really need to know that their body is underground rotting away?

Life is full of useless crap that unfortunately are around because people buy into it.  "It's tradition so we have to do it this way"  Really?  You HAVE TO!  Are you scared that the person is going to haunt you the rest of YOUR life if you don't spend over $10,000 on a funeral?

While we are on the subject I guess you can put Weddings in that category as well.  I mean how much do we REALLY need to spend?  What is the value of love?  For me, the value of love is not money but time spent.  It doesn't matter if you spent $50,000 or $50 on a wedding as long as you know you are with the one you love. 

If you were to tell me that weddings cost money because it helps keep that couple together well the divorce rate is over 50% and constantly rising.  So that theory is out the window.  I bet you the success rate of a couple who gets married at a courthouse is actually higher than a formal wedding anyhow.  I'm not sure of that but I have a hunch.

And the diamond ring.... seriously!  Now I know... I have one of those and so does my wife, but why a diamond?  And why is it that the resale value of that ring is about 90% less than what it originally sold for.  Shouldn't it be like gold and increase in value?  Again, another marketing ploy by the powers that be to get you to buy crap that is not needed.