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What do you want to happen to your remains after you die?
For the past century, most Americans have accepted a limited set of options without question. And discussions of death and funeral plans have been taboo.
That is changing. As a scholar of funeral and cemetery law, I've discovered that Americans are becoming more willing to have a conversation about their own mortality and what comes next and embrace new funeral and burial practices.
Baby boomers are insisting upon more control over their funeral and disposition so that their choices after death match their values in life. And businesses are following suit, offering new ways to memorialize and dispose of the dead.
While some options such as Tibetan sky burial – leaving human remains to be picked clean by vultures – and "Viking" burial via flaming boat – familiar to "Game of Thrones" fans – remain off limits in the U.S., laws are changing to allow a growing variety of practices.
Hmm, vitrification with a motion sensor-activated coffin such that passersby trigger my corpse to sit up and ask, "Is it time to make the donuts?"
Previously: "Water Cremation" (Alkaline Hydrolysis): Environmentally Friendly Disposal of Dead Bodies
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Thexalon on Saturday October 28 2017, @04:02PM (4 children)
1. Donate all your "spare parts" to medicine. You won't be needing those kidneys anymore, and somebody else will.
2. Whatever's left should get eaten by something. Doesn't have to be full Donner Party here, just leave the rest for wild animals or something.
That said, I always liked the idea of a burial barrow. It's nice and traditional: Stick your loved ones in a chamber and leave 'em there. Easier than burying them, because you build 1 barrow and have room for generations of dead people.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Saturday October 28 2017, @07:26PM
Another service to humanity choice is medical cadaver.
Any way about it, there are options for you to better serve humanity than traditional burial. And they are cheaper, so you further help your loved ones.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_donation [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday October 28 2017, @10:04PM (2 children)
So companies like RTI Surgical can profit on recycling your parts: http://www.rtix.com/en_us/ [rtix.com]
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Sunday October 29 2017, @12:42AM (1 child)
So what? Not like you'll care anymore!
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday October 29 2017, @03:27PM
On the one hand, you're right - feed me to the birds, or worms, or set me on fire, or put me in a tub and have a party where everyone pisses on me... I really don't care.
On the other hand, I've spent too much of my life supporting the fiasco that is health care in the United States, it's mutually beneficial and I'm not too close to the worst of it, but... at least in death I can finally stop their profiting from me.
🌻🌻 [google.com]