The blog prompt this week was to
describe how we ourselves would like to be buried. Cremation? The scattering of
ashes into the ocean? Or would you prefer the classic movie burial? Suit, tie,
black blazer over a black dress affair with finger sandwiches and awkward
silences. An elaborate coffin filled with material possessions, symbolic of
your supposed nature, a physical monument to your life, a place for women to
weep and men to stare at in stoic silence.
Stereotyped much?
I think I've been avoiding this
question. In typical young adult fashion, despite considering myself a bit of a
philosopher, the consequences of my death have always been a topic that can
wait for tomorrow. It took me a while to really make any decisions I might
commit to.
Here goes.
What I hope would happen at my ideal
fantasy funeral. Hey, this might be fun! (Uhhhh)
I always kind of assumed cremation
might be a nice thing. I imagined my family standing at the edge of a cliff
overlooking the ocean at sun down, scattering my ashes into the breeze and
talking about how awesome I was.
A little bit egotistical but you get
the point. Also, there is always the possibility that this will happen...
DUDE.
I don’t believe in an afterlife,
heaven, hell, god. I do believe in Science. We know that energy never dies. And
so, upon further reflection, I don’t want to be burned, my energy dispersed in
the same commercial oven that has been used to cremate so many before me. I
want to be buried but as simply as possible. I want a coffin made of simple,
unfinished wood, taken from the earth and then returned. Unvarnished, unfinished
planks to make up a rectangle shaped box. I want to be buried alone in a
coniferous forest away from the city, away from others, in a peaceful area that
my loved ones can visit.* I want a tree to mark my grave. A seedling planted at
the time of my burial. I like the idea of the tree using my bodily materials,
my energy for its growth. I don’t want material possessions in my coffin. Why?
Leave the way I came. Except I definitely want to be clothed. A white linen
dress and blanket. When I think of
this outfit MacBeth’s Ophelia comes to mind. Elegant, flowing:
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Everett_Millais_-_Ophelia_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Man, how macabre.
I want my nearest and dearest to be
there for my burial. I want them to plant the tree and then I want them to sit
around with beers and have a party. A picnic potluck, ciders, music that I
love. I want them to have fun and dance. Maybe they’ll tell stories and share
memories. I think that’s it. That sounds nice. When they want to visit me all
they have to do is go for a hike to 'my' tree. With the passage of time,
perhaps they will begin to see the growth of the tree as the beautiful change
that accompanies life and death. Generations will believe that their ancestor's
essence inhabits the life forms around that area and it will become a place of
contemplation and solace. A place to ask questions of the earth and of
ones self. A place to find answers and speak aloud and feel as though the
universe is listening.
-A
*I’m pretty sure there are rules on
where you can be buried and outside of a cemetery is not one of them.
Bummer.
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