When your time on this mortal coil passes do you want to be buried? Frankly I don’t see the point. My final college courses will be at a medical school, and when they’re done with me whatever is left will be cremated. The family can pick up the ashes if they want but I don’t–and certainly won’t–care.
Of course my original plan was to have my remains converted into a diamond to be used as dental bling for my wife, but she gently reminded me that her oath to me ends upon my death.
I’ve carried an organ donor card for 35 years, and I’ve made it clear to my parents and my siblings that whatever is left may be cremated and scattered around any random mountains.
If they fail to follow through, it’s no skin off my nose; I can’t imagine that they will spend so much money on my burial that it will prevent my atoms going back to the universe.
As a Christian, I find current funeral practices offensively pagan worship of the body. This mass of tissue isn’t me. Whether I go on to where I get a new body is debatable. Either way, no need to put resources into perserving this body. I am looking at the medical school option. My family lacks enthusiasm.
I have made it known that I want to be an organ donor. It is stupid to let good organs go to waste when they could mean the difference between life and death for someone.
Other than that, I’m not sure. Not really thrilled with any of the options really.
My family knows that every salvageable part of me is to be harvested. What they choose to do after that is their business, whatever makes ‘em happy. I think it’d be totally bitchin’ to be made into a diamond - definitely would give new meaning to the term “family jewels.” However it’s quite expensive and I’d hope the life insurance money would go to better use.
I intend to be buried. Both because I like tradition and because it seems more natural to me. If it were up to me, I’d be buried in a shroud in the soil, as people used to be (and muslims still do). But in fact, I’ll end up in a sealed coffin in the family’s vault. When I think of it, given the current occupation, our respective ages, the probable burial choices of my brothers, and the lack of descendance amongst those who will be buried there, I’ll probably be the last one, and taking up the last spot available.
Strip the body for parts and donate the rest to science. Plastic surgeons need to practice face lifts.
I’ve made my friends promise to chant “His name was Robert Paulson” at the service, if there even is one. There will be a banner that reads “Jesus took the wheel” (inside joke).
I consider cemeteries to be a grotesque waste of space, so I definitely don’t want to be buried. It’s either cremated or donated to science, although the choice won’t be mine when the time comes, and I won’t be there to care either.
Me too. I also find it insanely creepy how long you don’t rot and how much you can’t be useful to anything in the environment during burial. Meh, I just don’t see the point.
I’m going to be cremated and my ashes will be mixed with the ashes of my pets who’ve gone before me and then scattered wherever my husband thinks appropriate (or our best friend, should be precede me/die with me.)
If I die abroad no, the family has instructions to donate whatever can’t be harvested of the body to the nearest teaching hospital.
If I die in Spain, whatever can’t get harvested goes to the family grave, which we’ve had for over 100 years. Since the grave is paid for, expenses are actually lower than for cremation. I’ve asked Littlebro to pick the cheapest casket and no embalming, please: I want to become part of the daisies, dandelions and climbing vines growing around the grave ASAP (“so you plan on being in a hurry even when you’re dead?” “yep!”)
I have no plans, I leave the up to the person that finds my remains.
Once I’m dead, (and thinking, even before), I don’t care what happens to the meat. Burn it, bury it, stuff it in a hefty bag and take it to the dump, whatever.
Organ donor first, med school next. My leavin’s can serve a purpose when I’m done, and that’s what I want. I’ve been to my share of funerals and I don’t want anyone going thru that for me. Have a party, remember the good stuff, and let some up-and-coming doctor learn something from my remains.
Nah, it’s a waste of time, money, and resources. Embalming and ‘dressing’ corpses is a ridiculous and disrespectful practice, IMO, and the astronomical costs of funerals, caskets etc makes me sick.
If we were allowed to dump bodies into dirt holes and let them rot, I’d feel differently. I’d like to be planted in someone’s backyard and feed a tree. Pretty sure that could land someone in prison though.
Harvest anything usable, and then off to the body farm, dissection lab or crematorium, for my remains. Haven’t written it into my will or anything but I’m only 26.
ETA: If I die young my traditional, Protestant family and my SO’s traditional, Catholic family will be utterly horrified and distraught by my desires here. But I plan to live until only the cool, not nearly so religious younger members of the family (my sisters, cousins and nieces and nephew) are around.
Medical science can bring a doggy bag, so far as I’m concerned. After that, if they can manage a green burial, that’d be nice- not because I care about what happens to my body itself after death, but as my last impact on the environment, I’d rather it wasn’t a particularly bad one.
It’s hard to get the anti-cemetary vibe so bad over here anyway, as they practically are parks already. We have some terribly pretty old cemetaries- in fact, I spend yesterday picking blackberries around the edge of one.
i plan on donating my organs. i’m also planning on a “green” burial. meaning…you’re buried shortly after your organs are harvested,no embalming fluid,and you’re put in the ground in a earth friendly burial sheath. your body is then buried in the traditional 6ft under in a burial park.
they plant a tree over your grave. as your body decomposes it nourishes the tree. there are no headstones or cement monuments. no caskets. i think you can choose to have your information carved into a rock and placed over your grave though.
I was 25 years old before I attended my first funeral home “event.” Wow. What a dog and pony show that is. I would never want to put people through that shit for me. Cremate me and spread my ashes on the golf course I plan on spending my retirement on.
If I die soon then first harvest what organs are still usable.
However it’s quite expensive and I’d hope the life insurance money would go to better use.