Why Alive People Love Dead People So Much

There's something that really creeps me out about a lot of people.  Tell me if you've ever noticed this:

A young person dies.  Suddenly, everyone they have ever met is "their best friend" and thinks that they're "an angel," "a beautiful soul," "the sweetest person they've ever met," "looking down on them from heaven" (even if the person writing it and the person who died don't believe in heaven).  It's all over facebook.  Everyone changes their profile picture to that ONE picture they had of them and the dead person, cropping out all other people.  Everyone wants to know that dead person.  Everyone wants to be sadder than the next.  Suddenly, someone you only small-talked with becomes someone who "you miss so much, every day."

What the fuck is up with that?  It's weird and exploitative and just kind of...sick!  Now, I'm sad when people I know die.  It's sad.  It's sad when any young person dies.  But, unless it's someone I was close with, their absence in my life doesn't really change anything.  I might contemplate on mortality and feel really sad for their family and close friends, but I'm not like, "OHHHHH, EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT NOW!  I CAN FEEL YOU WATCHING ME FROM HEAVEN!"  Yikes.

Here are my possible theories for why people do this:

1. They really just love attention.  They want to be the sad person who everyone feels sorry for.

2. They're kind of a sicko.

3. They are actually really sad people and this gives them a way to manifest all their pent up sad feelings into something that is totally normal to be sad about.

4. They think it makes them popular.  Higher status.  Like, in high school, you know how there was always like, one kid who died every couple of years?  Everyone would be in mourning.  EVERYONE went to the funeral.  Whoever knew the dead kid the best became infamous.  If you were DATING the dead kid, even better!

The totally creepy truth is this: No one is ever going to love you as much as when you're young and dead.  You will be worshipped.  An ANGEL.  BEAUTIFUL.  Put up on this amazing pedestal, and everyone you've ever met is going to say something wonderful about you.  And you won't even be around to see it!  Damn!  I understand why Tom Sawyer faked his own death now.

Stop being creepy, people.