Burial or Cremation?

When you die what are your plans for your remains? As for me, burn me and scatter what's left in a few of my favorite places. The thought of being preserved in a satin lined box with mold on my nose is gross, at least to me.

I'm curious how people line up on this.

Pug

Ashes to ashes...

i'd like to be put out in the wilderness where animals can feast on my body - continue the food chain.

the vultures in the tradition of Native Americans.

Otherwise, I go along with John Prine's "Please Don't Bury Me":

Woke up this morning
Put on my slippers
Walked in the kitchen and died
And oh what a feeling!
When my soul
Went thru the ceiling
And on up into heaven I did ride
When I got there they did say
John, it happened this way
You slipped upon the floor
And hit your head
And all the angels say
Just before you passed away
These were the very last words
That you said:

Chorus:
Please don't bury me
Down in that cold cold ground
No, I'd druther have "em" cut me up
And pass me all around
Throw my brain in a hurricane
And the blind can have my eyes
And the deaf can take both of my ears
If they don't mind the size
Give my stomach to Milwaukee
If they run out of beer
Put my socks in a cedar box
Just get "em" out of here
Venus de Milo can have my arms
Look out! I've got your nose
Sell my heart to the junkman
And give my love to Rose

Repeat Chorus

Give my feet to the footloose
Careless, fancy free
Give my knees to the needy
Don't pull that stuff on me
Hand me down my walking cane
It's a sin to tell a lie
Send my mouth way down south
And kiss my ass goodbye

Repeat Chorus

how to arrange for this legally? if you put it in your will and let loved ones know of your wishes, is that enough?

Family is supportive -- up to a point. Wills can always be challenged.

I suppose theoretically I'd have to hook up with a group that has funeral rites in terms of those I outlined. I haven't looked into it yet.

;)

I heard many years ago there was a guy who did traditional mummification, and the idea of that just makes me very, very happy. This is all "hearsay" at this point--all I remember is it was on some show in the vein of 20/20 and that the process ran about ten grand (not a fk of a lot more than most funeral type arrangements, I thought at the time--I could be wrong there too)

The idea of such a connection to the past, such a nontraditional thing, and of being treated like something precious instead of trash appealed to me greatly. So my pick is cremation, with mummification as a one-and-a-half choice if I had the finances to arrange it. Not so much that I think the body matters anymore, but the idea of being artfully arranged with my beloved with me soothes me.


EDIT: I thought the guy was based out of Detroit, but again, sometimes my brain just provides nonsense information to get me to quit using its Search function... : ) and I'm slightly not in the mood to go any further into such a downer subject. Eh. Peace, all.

on the second floor of the Tropical Isle Bar in New Orleans. There is one up there already with a lawyer's remains. The TI is a great parrott head bar. I'd also like for my urn(s) to be paraded down Bourbon Street as part of a Jazz Funeral and those in attendance party all night long to celebrate my life, not mourn my death.

Exactly. I wanted all my friends and loved ones to come and choose a few things of mine (my beloved gets first pick and a few things are specifically for certain people) bring potluck, listen to my favorite songs, get trashed. Have a large and fantastic party like I'd have thrown if I was here. No sobbing and fingersandwiches. Loud stereo, illegal substances passed around, stories told. I'd like my "wake" to be remembered by the hangovers it inspires and the stories that still crack people up years later, not a bunch of crying. : )

I think of it in terms of the "where does the stuff that goes into a black hole, GO?" kind of......why is a deathday a negative thing and a birthday a positive one? Make some noise, you people, or I'll bang cabinet doors and throw dishes at you in my newly invisible consequence-free state : )

Went to a visitation Sunday and funeral Monday, seems I've been doing that a lot lately.:-(

Everyone standing around crying, sad music, if you didn't know the person who died, you never would 'cause no one talked about her.

I want everyone to gather at an ice house, drink, eat and be merry. Everyone can tell tales of my escapades, negative or positive. My favorite music blaring: David Bowie, Aretha Franklin, Eminem, Cake, Elvis Costello, Red Hot Chili Peppers...

My husband doesn't like it (he's a traditionalist), but I have all of my friends promising to see he follows my final wishes.

Ding Dong the B_tch is Dead!:party:

I am however considering another option too. You can donate your body to medical study. I have been checking into that recently, and still looking for one last answer. (There is a clause in the agreement you sign with the medical school that says they have the right to refuse the body if it's not acceptable.) I realize if you are in a severe accident, and your body is damaged beyond the point where it could be sueful to the school, they'd refuse it, but are there other reasons? I don't know yet.

It amuses me that, for years afterwards, critters will be enjoying my remains. I might have a sign put up next to the tree which reads, "Eat me!"

dead. :D

:evilgrin:

When I'm dead it doesn't matter what I want any more. Funerals and all that ceremonial stuff is for the survivors. Whatever they decide would be fine with me if I was around to offer any input.

In Yorkshire.

I'm going to be done with it, after all. Might as well put it to some good use.

it really IS for the living that this stuff goes on and I figure that'd freak them out utterly.

I don't think I'll give a shit what they do with my body once I am.

Please.

When I was younger, it seemed like most of my family members that passed were buried in a coffin. But then the trend sort of moved to cremation, and I'm just not a fan of it. I know it won't matter to me when my time comes, but I'd just prefer not to be burnt up, and I'd prefer even less to have an urn of my remains set up as some decoration in somebody's house. My father passed away, and my mother put his urn on the mantle, and I just don't like that at all.

I also don't the whole death ceremony though, and wouldn't want to have some big huge burial get-together. So I don't know. Probably, due to financial reasons, I'll get cremated, but I'll just demand that they dispose of my ashes, and don't even get to keep like a honorary urn or anything like that :)

Throw me in a glad bag, bury me in the back yard, and have a party and celebrate, and don't be sad. That would be my first choice, though :)

I want to be cremated, but I want to either get buried somewhere or have my ashes thrown somewhere. Maybe in a nice garden.

ANY kind of research.

n/t

My sister and I both talked about it and we both want the same thing.

I have no right to take up space on this obscenely overpopulated planet after I'm dead. They should burn me up and then do whatever my BF wants to do w/ the ashes... Feed them to the dog or flush them down the crapper for all I care. I'll be dead so I won't know the diff.

Please Don't Bury Me

Woke up this morning
Put on my slippers
Walked in the kitchen and died
And oh what a feeling!
When my soul
Went thru the ceiling
And on up into heaven I did ride
When I got there they did say
John, it happened this way
You slipped upon the floor
And hit your head
And all the angels say
Just before you passed away
These were the very last words
That you said:

Chorus:
Please don't bury me
Down in that cold cold ground
No, I'd druther have "em" cut me up
And pass me all around
Throw my brain in a hurricane
And the blind can have my eyes
And the deaf can take both of my ears
If they don't mind the size
Give my stomach to Milwaukee
If they run out of beer
Put my socks in a cedar box
Just get "em" out of here
Venus de Milo can have my arms
Look out! I've got your nose
Sell my heart to the junkman
And give my love to Rose

Chorus

Give my feet to the footloose
Careless, fancy free
Give my knees to the needy
Don't pull that stuff on me
Hand me down my walking cane
It's a sin to tell a lie
Send my mouth way down south
And kiss my ass goodbye

Chorus

I mean, I like the idea of my wife and cats being entombed alive with me in my huge pyramid in my capital city after a sixty day period of sackcloth and ashes among you peasants.

But fact is, my survivors are going to do what makes them feel better, or is convenient, depending. They might stuff me in the living room for a cat scratching post.

to have you stuffed and mounted! Of course I am kidding!

I could care less what they do with what's left. I was amazed to find that your skin alone can save many lives, burn victims primarily. Hopefully most of me will be able to be recycled :P

But, I think I will donate all of my good organs and then be buried! As a matter of fact, I already have a plot. Morbid, I know, but my dad purchased enough plots when my brother died so that we can all be buried together!

Depends on if it costs my dependents to dispose of me either way.

Something deeply personal to me.

:rofl:

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http://www.lifegem.com/secondary/whatisLG2006.aspx

Ohhh- imagine if someone wore and lost me, though! :o

1) The costs of burials these days are ridiculously high. God knows what they'll be like when I die. I don't want to burden my family/partner with those costs.

2). With the shortage of space in cemetaries, I tbink it's immoral to take up MORE space with some damned coffin. Cremate me and just put my ashes in an urn.

That would be awesome. They could keep me on display at a museum as Human-Art. (Still life? MWAHAHAH)

Ashes to ashes

I read that in Scandinavia,they have started flash freezing bodies. The vibrating them into granular form. Then the "body" is poured into a hole, with a tree planted in it. If that's too complicated, especially living in our future Next Great Depression Forever society, then wrap me in a shroud and bury me. And don't forget to plant the tree.

An uncle wanted to be cremated with his ashes in a mayonaise jar sitting on top of the telly. My cousin wanted half his ashes to do just that. They wouldn't let him though.

And then put my ashes into the Pacific Ocean!

None of this getting moldy in a coffin for me.......

:hi:

And release my ashes out into space.

:P

In my opinion. I don't think burial is ethical unless you can do it in a place that allows for burial without a coffin and without a lining.

I also think it's unethical not to donate your organs, assuming that they are in a shape to be donatable.

Might be fun....

My instructions are donate anything useful to medicine and science, burn the rest and scatter ashes in a particular place.

The lands of my ancestors are all gonna be underwater in a generation or two, anyways.

Plant a tree, then throw a party.

:party:

Alive or dead. In the huge city named after me. A religious cult springing up after my death would be nice.

:D

- Crucifixion?
- Yes.
- Good. Out of the door, line on the left, one cross each.



- Crucifixion?
- Er, no, freedom actually.
- What?
- Yeah, they said I hadn't done anything and I could go and live on an island somewhere.
- Oh I say, that's very nice. Well, off you go then.
- No, I'm just pulling your leg, it's crucifixion really.
- Oh yes, very good. Well...
- Yes I know, out of the door, one cross each, line on the left...

- From "Life of Brian"

But I like the idea of having my ashes scattered.

Kinda rare nowadays, but my family still owns an old tomb. According to tradition, I'll be interred in a vault for about 100 years (less if room is needed) before my bones are pulled back out, bundled, and re-interred in a much smaller vault under the floor.

IMO, tombs are cool. They are less polluting and energy intensive than cremation, and they aren't wasteful of ground space like traditional cemetaries are. I've never understood why their popularity has faded over the past century.

no way does the funeral industry get ONE cent of my cash!

barring that, I'm going to scheme a way to die that doesn't leave enough of me left to bury/cremate

I'll probably end up cremated. It doesn't really matter to me.

let my corpse rot in a field and enrich the earth and provide food for the buzzards