Good mourning?

At a funeral later today I will be reading these words: 

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting

why? how could that possibly be the case?

because death is the destiny of every man;  

and the living should take this to heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:2)

And I notice that the BBC have put together a slideshow of some of the famous people for whom 2011 was the year they met this destiny. They are now before the judge of all. 
And we, the living, should take this to heart.