Something I've been thinking about involving Graveyards

[Cheomesh]

Since this is the most secular board I visit, I figured this would be the best place for me to toss this idea around. Read the whole post before putting in an answer.

The question: Do you think we should ban graveyards?

A two minute drive from a local shopping center is a graveyard called "Charles Memorial Gardens". My maternal Grandfather, Grandmother, aunt, and uncle are buried there, and when my mother, my other aunt, and my other uncle dies, they will be buried there too.

I've been there a few times and it's decent land, and with a little work, I thought it might actually be a good place to build residential or commercial buildings. Same with a VERY old grave yard in the nearby town of Leonardtown, a short walk from the coffee shop I frequent. (The place is so old when I visited it most of the stones where unreadable; I don't think anyone gets buried there anymore.)

Now, I in no way want to disturb old graves and stuff, but what about new ones? I mean society has 'progressed' to the point where we could easily just burn our dead, or dissolve them in acids, or what have you. In fact, it's cheaper to do so, really, as the aunt burried at that grave site earlier was cremated and we spent only $280 on the box she was put in, as opposed to $800 or more for a coffin (!).

While not burring our dead anymore is bad for guys who make a living off of digging graves, or making and selling coffins, such is the way of progress. It would save quite a bit of land for development, I'd think.

On the other hand, burial of the dead has always been one of the signs of an "advanced" ancient culture, and some might view this as regression. Personally, I could go either way, and I am wondering what everyone here thinks?

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

Burn them all, we don't need zombie cockbiters eating our precious manbrains.

Seriously.

 

[Stigmata]

Moving from burying to cremating is anything but regression. For us to regress in this respect, we'd have to start leaving dead bodies where they lie, or pile them into segregated areas of the city, leaving them to rot in plain sight.

Personally, I'm all for cremation. Burying the dead is an outdated, expensive, and wasteful thing to do.

 

[lePobz]

Use the dead to feed the living ... I like where this is going.

 

[Pesmerga]

Graveyards increases the moral of the citizens... like in Black and White 2.

 

[Parrot of doom]

Ask the recently bereaved what they might think if you wanted to stop them from burying their loved ones.

Many people view graveyards as places of solace and somewhere to reflect on life without the people they love.

How we view death is perhaps the most important part of life. To dismiss it as an inconvenience to others is an insult to those that have passed.

 

[MJ12]

In Japan they dig up graveyards to move buildings in and sell the human skulls online legally.


I think cremation is good. But they should do it after the wake so people can see their loved ones last time if they wish.

 

[Raziaar]

Crap. I thought I posted here, but I don't see my post.


Anyways... if you're going to incinerate my corpse, you're going to have to get it done while I'm still alive. I won't go without a fight. I'm going in that ground whole, even if I have to dig the grave myself and some complicated burial machine to do all the grunt work.

 

[MJ12]

Crap. I thought I posted here, but I don't see my post.


Anyways... if you're going to incinerate my corpse, you're going to have to get it done while I'm still alive. I won't go without a fight. I'm going in that ground whole, even if I have to dig the grave myself and some complicated burial machine to do all the grunt work.

why don't you want to be incinerated when deceased?

 

[Raziaar]

why don't you want to be incinerated when deceased?

Because I want my bones to be able to be dug up and discovered in the future. I want to keep open the possibility for zombification.

Incineration doesn't seem appropriate to me.

 

[Social Bacon]

Upon death all of your organs should automatically be donated. What remains of your body should be given to science. Graveyards and cremation is a waste of resources.

 

[theotherguy]

cremation creates pollution.

graves are the cheapest solution, and offer a memorial for the members of the family.

Although I agree that all organs should be automatically donated to the living.

 

[delusional]

I personally want to be cremated in the sun. They just have to blast my dead body straight towards the sun.
I wouldn't get rid of graveyards though, since many people might not like the idea of being cremated. I wouldn't force it on people.

 

[TechnoHippyChic]

I want to be burned and dumped (cremated and scattered) after I croak. And no fancy urn, either, a Folger's can will do.

Silly as it is, this is deeply rooted in religion (judgement day and the rising of the dead and all). People might accept a little procedural religious suppression, but you start messing with their death rituals and they get PISSED.

 

[Cheomesh]

Upon death all of your organs should automatically be donated. What remains of your body should be given to science. Graveyards and cremation is a waste of resources.

Well, we could probably do something with the ash if we think about it.

EDIT: I myself have considered an old Norse style burial mound, complete with giant headstone.

 

[Lucid]

I have no problems with graveyards, gives people a place to mourn their lost loved ones.
And they're relaxing places to be when you just want to be left alone.

I find it slightly offensive that you'd want to get rid of them personally.
Cremation is fine, but leave graveyards be.

 

[Raziaar]

The thought of ridding graveyards for more real estate is a stupid idea.

Human sprawl is a disgusting act upon this earth.

 

[joule]

If you going to rid anything for its real estate, rid the ****ing golf courses.

Keep the cemetaries. As lucid said it's a place to mourn the ones we've lost.

 

[Ennui]

If you going to rid anything for its real estate, rid the ****ing golf courses.

Keep the cemetaries. As lucid said it's a place to mourn the ones we've lost.

I agree.

 

[Cheomesh]

I have no problems with graveyards, gives people a place to mourn their lost loved ones.
And they're relaxing places to be when you just want to be left alone.

I find it slightly offensive that you'd want to get rid of them personally.
Cremation is fine, but leave graveyards be.

Like I said, I could go either way. Get stoned less, read more.

The thought of ridding graveyards for more real estate is a stupid idea.

Like I said, I wouldn't be removing any EXISTING graveyards. I meant that it's staggering if you think of how much land is taken up by dead bodies, things that have no value anymore.

 

[TheDude]

In the debate of burying of the dead vs. burning the dead, burying is the better choice. When we die, our bodies feed countless worms and other organisms, which are a critical part of the ecosystem. When we are cremated, our bodies go up a flue and into wasteful oblivion. I say bury your body and feed the ecosystem. As for grave yards and head stones and what not, I think we should do away with them. They're a waste of land.

 

[Cheomesh]

In the debate of burying of the dead vs. burning the dead, burying is the better choice. When we die, our bodies feed countless worms and other organisms, which are a critical part of the ecosystem. When we are cremated, our bodies go up a flue and into wasteful oblivion. I say bury your body and feed the ecosystem. As for grave yards and head stones and what not, I think we should do away with them. They're a waste of land.

Go more towards a "human landfill" you mean? Hm, never thought of that to be honest.

 

[MJ12]

Upon death all of your organs should automatically be donated. What remains of your body should be given to science. Graveyards and cremation is a waste of resources.

exactly. I am donating my body when I die.

 

[French Ninja]

America has enough suburban sprawl. To make more of that crap instead of making graveyards...I don't agree.

 

[Cheomesh]

Graveyards can be considered sprawl I'd say. The land can't be used for anything else, really.

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

Upon death all of your organs should automatically be donated. What remains of your body should be given to science. Graveyards and cremation is a waste of resources.

Exactly. Well at least the first. Including the brain for reasearch. The rest can be buried to feed the enviroment! :O

 

[MJ12]

Exactly. Well at least the first. Including the brain for reasearch. The rest can be buried to feed the enviroment! :O

they need cadavers for students who are planning to become doctors so they know how to cut open a real body without destroying it.