We all know about people donating our organs when they pass on. When contributing the organs, it is said that to be the most loving thing someone can do for their neighbor, giving a piece of themselves. But then, what’s going to happen to the body after that? Burial or cremation? According to the American Cremation Society, thirty-six percent of the American population is choosing cremation, and that number is set to steadily increase.
By electing cremation you are aiding the environment in a few ways. The most palpable reason is a dead body isn’t taking up land space. Think about it for a moment. When you’re driving around, how many cemeteries do you manage to pass on a daily basis? All that acreage is permanently taken over by the deceased, never to be removed. It could have developed into a park for the community, or let Mother Nature take it back for the animals that need homes too. By having mausoleums for urns instead, one normal sized building can easily hold hundreds of deceased ashes, if not more.
Likewise, while a body is dead in the ground, it is decaying. The human corpse emits gasses such as methane and hydrogen sulfide, amongst other harmful substances, that ultimately soak into the ground and spreads. If someone chooses cremation there is no body rotting away. On the other hand, with cremation there is smoke that comes along with the fire. The 1990 Environmental Protection Act produced certain responsibilities on crematories to ensure that the process is carefully controlled to minimize the impact on the environment. This is very closely monitored to not create serious air pollution.
The Term Paper on Body Modification – Deviance in Society
The last decade has seen a dramatic rise in spectacular forms of body modification, including the tattoo renaissance and the phenomena of body piercing, the emergence of neo-tribal practices like scarification and the invention of new, high-tech forms of body art like sub-dermal implants. Therefore, body modification practices have proven to be an interesting field of study for sociologists ...
The best thing is incineration costs a fraction of formal burial. The typical funeral can total around $7,000. It is too bad that individuals spend all that money for a plot of land just to be laid to rest in. Nobody stops by to visit. Every time you drive by a cemetery, there never seems to be very many people visiting their relatives.
The good news is, when choosing cremation, people still can have all the paramount options to choose from for services. They can be burned with just a simple wooden box or a coffin, and there are a wide variety of urns to choose from for display. There are even different kinds of ceremonies to select. Folks can have a standard ritual before being burned, or a family member can watch them be incinerated if that is their choice. Nonetheless, the average cremation budgets around $1,000. Now, these can also become more expensive depending on what kind of services the person or their family indicates, but that is dependent of what their final wishes are.
There are several religions out there that ban the practice of cremation. Most religions, like Christianity, are taking a more modern approach. These faiths have seen the good aspects of cremation over burial, and are encouraging their followers to weigh their options. It’s unfortunate that not all beliefs have taken this stance. What kind of deity demands that you not share yourself with others, and not really think about what is best for the world’s future.
I absolutely agree, and understand, that there are specific instances where cremation might not be the answer. Say the deceased had passed suspiciously, and their death is under investigation. If you choose incineration, there is no body to analyze later if new evidence is discovered, or forensics evolves. There are omissions, and they can be dealt with as the situation arises.
Every person has a choice when it comes to their final wishes. Once it becomes my turn to make these choices, you already know my answer if you read this. Don’t wait until it turns out to be too late. Is it getting warm in here or is it just me?
