Précis:
As we move to a greener way of taking care of the dead, we come upon the plain box practice. It all started with a family man’s desire to be buried in a handcrafted pine box which lead to pine boxes and other coffins made of inexpensive materials a legitimate business and a burial practice. If a person still wants to be buried in a cemetery with family members or for other reasons, one may be required by the cemetery rules to have the plain coffin placed in a vault. However, if one chooses to bury their loved one in a more accessible area such as on a private lot or their backyard, they have a lot more freedom and independence to bury them however they want, even without a coffin. Then there are cemeteries that are only for green burials. They do not require any sort of coffin, vault, or even a procession. Burying loved ones in a natural cemetery is the most absolute and natural way of taking care of the dead.
Quotes:
- “He’d been moved, too, by the Jewish funeral rite he read about, in which the dead are buried in a plain, pine box, no matter what their station in life. Both traditions made so much sense that he told Evelyn [his wife] he wanted a similar send-off when his own time came.” (126, Harris)
- “In this setting, the plain, wood coffin struck a simple, yet elegant note that in both form and function served to remind those here of the most basic fact of all: that we live and, no matter what our station in life, we die… we all will return to dust.” (139, Harris)
- “It doesn’t take me two minutes to walk down from the house to the little private cemetery where Sharyn is buried. I know her body is inert matter; it’s not her. But her memory is there, my memory for her is there, and that is the last place we saw each other. For me, it’s a comfort to have her close by.” (143, Smith via Harris)
- “Clearly, green burial is an idea whose time has come.” (186, Harris)
- “Like all movements, natural burial will experience its own growing pains. But as the greening deathscape in this country suggests, grow it will nonetheless- to the benefit of the planet, the memory of our deceased, and the families who lay them to rest.” (188, Harris)
Analysis:
As is in every ending of a unit in the NiW course, I imagine the revelation that what is normal is in fact very weird with Cat Steven’s “Trouble” playing in the background. The common people of the United States always go for the practice that has become the norm which is when dissected, a far worse alternative than we can imagine. The whole fancy hearse with limousines and buried in a weather proof coffin and placed in an indestructible vault may sound appealing but when the common person reads a book like Grave Matters, his or her eyes are opened and they realize the absurdity of it all. McDonald’s lighter fluid shenanigans, the industrialized nightmarish atrocities of the hospitals in the United States, and the over expensive and environmentally harmful funeral rituals that Americans practice really makes me question all the other things that I take for norm. As revealed in Tina Cassidy’s Birth and Mark Harris’ Grave Matters, there is no need for making things over complicated. Women are perfectly capable of giving birth to healthy babies at home or a birthing center; no need for medical interventions. People are perfectly happy with burying their loved ones in a plain pine box in their backyards or in a natural cemetery; no need for unnecessary coffins, vaults, embalming, hearses, and all the other nonsense that Americans take for norm.
I loved how the Mark Harris took the readers through a sequential journey that highlighted all the main aspects of taking care of the dead and his industrial to natural practices for taking care of the dead was simply commendable. I would recommend this book to almost everyone because when it comes down to it, everyone will eventually die and I believe it is very important to make an informative decision on what should be done with you remains while you’re living.
