Article on Resomation
Cremation rates have been in increasing in the United States because of its economic appeal. However, cremations release many harmful gasses and leave a really big carbon footprint. Since crematoriums are used on a daily basis in every state across the country, the carbon footprint gets more and more daunting as cremation rates go up. Enter resomation,”an alternative to cremation for the eco-conscious cadaver.” Resomation is very similar to cremation and the only difference is that resomation liquefies the body instead of burning it. Resomation uses one sixth of the energy cremations use and have a much smaller carbon footprint.
Article on Hindus in Queens
As more and more immigrants from India flock to New York City, there is an alarming increase of precious possessions being dropped into the Jamaica Bay as sacred offerings to the Hindu Gods. Despite efforts from the Park Rangers to prohibit such practices in the name of “the environment”, new immigrants who are unaware of the rules and/or others who refuse to change their practice, there are still many who drop things in the river as an offering to their Gods. Cremains are of the things being dropped and it is especially difficult for park rangers to prohibit that practice since it is one of the most sacred rituals in Hinduism. Scattering of the ashes in a river is essential to move on to the next life in the Hindu culture and if the park rangers try and stop them, the first amendment will most likely be brought up.
Article on Recycling Cremation Exhausts
The thought of the heat generated from the ashes of your loved one being used to power up a stranger’s house or a stranger’s computer is considered immoral by many. But what if the heat that was recycled from the crematorium was used for heating up the chapel where you will have the wake or post-funeral gathering? What if the last action of your loved one was to keep you and your family warm? That argument makes the recycling cremation exhausts sound not just like a great idea, but also a noble idea.
All of the articles I looked at are from an environmentalist’s point of view. The first article argues that Resomation should replace cremation in the future since it is a lot greener. The second article looks at environmental risks that might be resulted from dropping cremains and other sacred objects in rivers that are populated with a diverse marine life. The third article argues whether exhaust from crematoriums should be recycled and used as an alternative source of energy. Cremations were not that popular when it first came out, mostly because of the Catholic Church condemning it as a crime against nature, but it soon gained popularity and it is now the number one form of taking care of the dead in many developed countries. I believe Resomation will also gain that kind of support and popularity, probably faster than cremation since nowadays, people are very keen on doing anything green. I support all of the authors of these articles. I think we must do anything and everything we can to make sure we do not pollute this planet and if we do not check ourselves now, it will be too late.
Dr. John Troyer's Interview
The main difference between a Green burial and a natural burial is that a natural burial is basically digging up a grave and placing a body in it and then covering up the grave. Green burials have a greater influence from technology. I liked his response to why people are forced to make stressful decisions of taking care of the dead when they are still grieving the loss of their loved one. He said, they brought that on themselves. Everyone will die eventually, you should decide what must be done with your body early on in life so you don't have to, or your family members won't have to, make rash decisions. Like in almost every public service facility, Europe is serving its people more efficiently than America. Many European countries have had filtrated crematoriums since the 90s so they have been helping the planet a lot more than America is helping the planet. In conclusion, green methods of taking care of the dead are already here. They just need to become more popular among the common people and we'll be one step closer to delay global warming.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
HW 52 - Third Third of the COTD Book
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.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
HW 51 - Second Third of COTD Book
Précis:
Chapter four of Grave Matters is about a method of taking care of the dead that has been practiced since as long as man has been sailing in the oceans of this world. Burial at sea is scattering the cremated remains of a person or dropping the corpse of a person in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the Gulf of Mexico. There are certain restrictions put in place by EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, which prohibit the scattering of ashes closer than three miles of a shoreline. If someone wants to consign the entire body, the body must be taken three miles out and drop the body over an area where the water is shallower than six hundred feet. The total cost of burial at sea is from $100 to $2000, depending on how big of a boat you want and how many people will accompany the dead body to its final resting place. Chapter five of Grave Matters discusses the practice of using Memorial Reefs. This is another form of burial at sea but it is not as popular among the general public as is using a biodegradable casket or a biodegradable urn. Cremated remains are placed in memorial reef balls and sunk into the ocean near an artificial reef. The memorial reefs can potentially create a habitat for the marine life around the artificial reef. There are certain spots for memorial reefs to be deployed, and those are: coastlines of Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, and Sarasota. The prices for memorial reef balls range from $2500 to $6500 which depends on the size of the reef ball. In chapter six of Grave Matters, the scene is shifted from sea to land. In a Home Funeral, the body is brought to the home of the deceased either most of the time from the hospital and sometimes even from the spot that someone died on. The body is then washed or clothed by the family members and a funeral is held for family and friends to gather and see the body off to either a crematorium or a cemetery. Family members can also used chemicals that retard decomposition to make the environment of the dead body as hospitable as possible.
Quotes:
- “High seas burial was most often conducted in times of war; it was given to unknown numbers of U.S. troops as recently as World War II.” (Harris, 75)
- “You’ll need to prepare the body in a way that ‘ensures that the remains sink to the sea bottom rabidly and permanently.’” (Harris, 83)
- “With daily changes of dry ice, a body can be laid out for days” (Harris, 111)
- “Crossing and Final Passages offer workshops around the country on home death care ($150 for Crossing’s, $350 for Final Passages’.” (Harris, 119)
Analysis:
The whole idea of memorial reefs is simply hysterical. After having read almost half of the memorial reefs chapter, I decided that I could not continue reading without knowing what a memorial reef actually looked life. I Google’d it and realized it was the same thing Dr. Troyer was talking about in his lecture. I also found the fact that you can assign GPS coordinates to one of the memorial reefs so you can go back and visit it and pay respect to the person’s remains that is contained inside of it. Burial at sea should be something like, removing oneself from the chaotic and industrialized world and finally rest in peace under the calm water where not a lot of men have ventured. In all of the stories Harris talks about in the Burial at Sea and Memorial Reefs chapters, the family members of the deceased are always upset that they would not be able to visit the one that they lost because he would be so far away and one would need to go through a lot of hassle in renting a boat and what not, which made visiting the deceased an every-other-month-or-longer deal and even possibly an annual thing. I found it sad that some families changed their minds after they realized that they wouldn’t be able to visit the deceased quite as often, since burial at sea seems like the perfect way to go, to me at least. Much better than burials in a cemetery or even cremation because both of those are industrial process, and as we have learnt so far in this unit: Industrial = Bad.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Future Death: The Dead Human Body as Biomass (Extra Credit)
Reposted To Make Sure That You, Andy, Check It
Dr. John Troyer was at the Brooklyn observatory located in Nevins St. on April 19th, 2011. He gave a lecture on Death as a Biomass to an astonishingly small crowd. Dr. Troyer looked like one of those people who could get the attention of the audience he addressing without even asking for the attention. This was probably because of his tough guy/chill dude attire. He is built like a street fighter but wore a well ironed coat with polished dress shoes, and to top it off, he wore a pair of wise-owl glasses. He works for an organization called CDAS illusion where he basically works with dead bodies and also the dying. The crematorium he works in, Haycombe, is located in the South West of England, in a city called Bath but he was born in the United States as he humorously pointed out with the absence of a British accent.
Dr. John Troyer was at the Brooklyn observatory located in Nevins St. on April 19th, 2011. He gave a lecture on Death as a Biomass to an astonishingly small crowd. Dr. Troyer looked like one of those people who could get the attention of the audience he addressing without even asking for the attention. This was probably because of his tough guy/chill dude attire. He is built like a street fighter but wore a well ironed coat with polished dress shoes, and to top it off, he wore a pair of wise-owl glasses. He works for an organization called CDAS illusion where he basically works with dead bodies and also the dying. The crematorium he works in, Haycombe, is located in the South West of England, in a city called Bath but he was born in the United States as he humorously pointed out with the absence of a British accent.
One of the first slides that he presented in the lecture was of the URL: http://deathreferencedesk.org/. Which is a website that was created by librarians and its readers are able to find any and all information about death and the aftermath. A fascinating website in my opinion, on a side not for Andy, if you are still pursuing the idea for a “everything about birth” website, we should use Dr. Troyer’s site as a model. The site basically contains what he talked about in the lecture but in greater detail plus a lot more, although visiting the site is hardly a better alternative than listing to the lecture, on the site you cannot listen to his colorful commentary. As he went on with the lecture, his slides became progressively more statistically evidence heavy. That was a good idea because in the beginning, I was a bit skeptical about his claims.
His main argument was whether we should start using cremation emissions as a power source. He argued for but I am very doubtful whether that will ever happen because of the simple moral implications. Who would want their loved one’s remains powering up a stranger’s computer? Not many people. So that argument was soon dropped but replaced with a similar one. An Alkaline Hydrolysis machine. Its function is remarkable simple and similar to that of cremation but it is more than 200% cleaner. An Alkaline Hydrolysis machine heats up and pressurizes the body with the help of water and alkali which then speeds up decomposition. The commercial version of Alkaline Hydrolysis is a bio-cremation process known as Resomation .This automated process is dignified, takes only 2-3 hours and the ash is returned to relatives/loved ones in an urn as in traditional cremation. The main advantages of Resomation over cremation are the excellent eco-credentials, both in terms of energy saving and carbon footprint reduction. As soon as he made the “it’s greener” argument, I knew he had convinced almost everyone if not everyone in the audience that Resomation would be the future of taking care of the dead.
HW 49 - Comments on Best of Your Break HW
From Sarah M, (Commented on HW 46 ) <-- Correct Blog
I like that you weren't afraid to state your own opinion on the matter and that your opinion of funerals was very different from the norm. I also liked that you included your own experiences of different cultures. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences that other countries share with ours in terms of caring for the dead. From Johnny, (Commented on HW 48 )
valued how you quoted what the people you interviewd said.
From Sarah T, (Commented on HW 48 )
Abdullah,
I enjoyed hearing about your families different beliefs on the matter of death. the question you asked was, What to do with bodies after there is a massive death tole?
You notated that you thought it was suppressing that one of your family members answered with:
“People should look at resolving the crisis instead of looking at moral beliefs and religious beliefs. If you do not have time or the man-power to figure out what everyone that died believed in, you don’t have to do it. Mass burials or even mass cremations should be executed.”
What aspect of that response suppressed you?
Over all your writing and analysis was extremely thoroughly written.
From Christian, (Commented on HW 48 )
Abdullah,
Your post had good points on the depiction of contrasting beliefs on taking care of the dead that one can really relate to. You share the point of view between both of your interviewee's that death is not something to be afriad of, "only because it's another stage in life." which I found we could problematize because by definition life is the distinguishing factor which seperates living organisms from inorganic objects(dead organisms). One question I would like to add to how your Uncle responded which you also found a "little weird" is that being dead is not another stage in life, its the complete opposite which you breifly explain by scaring those who answer that they're "not afraid of dying..." by rewording it to be "ceasing to exist."
Interesting Post!
Christian
Abdullah,
I enjoyed hearing about your families different beliefs on the matter of death. the question you asked was, What to do with bodies after there is a massive death tole?
You notated that you thought it was suppressing that one of your family members answered with:
“People should look at resolving the crisis instead of looking at moral beliefs and religious beliefs. If you do not have time or the man-power to figure out what everyone that died believed in, you don’t have to do it. Mass burials or even mass cremations should be executed.”
What aspect of that response suppressed you?
Over all your writing and analysis was extremely thoroughly written.
From Christian, (Commented on HW 48 )
Abdullah,
Your post had good points on the depiction of contrasting beliefs on taking care of the dead that one can really relate to. You share the point of view between both of your interviewee's that death is not something to be afriad of, "only because it's another stage in life." which I found we could problematize because by definition life is the distinguishing factor which seperates living organisms from inorganic objects(dead organisms). One question I would like to add to how your Uncle responded which you also found a "little weird" is that being dead is not another stage in life, its the complete opposite which you breifly explain by scaring those who answer that they're "not afraid of dying..." by rewording it to be "ceasing to exist."
Interesting Post!
Christian
From Protoge, (Commented on HW 46 ) <-- Correct Blog
I find it intresting on your views of care fir the dead based off your cultural orientation. you gave an insight on your views and I liked the way you brought in your personal connections with your experiences I can relate to the banned Hindu practies. Which I have gone through myself.
~ davendra
~ davendra
From Mentor,
If you notice, the most wanted terrorist (Osama bin Laden) who was killed in a US operation inside Pakistan on May 01, 2011 was shown all respect to his dead body by burring him with general rituals of Muslim people. Although many people who know Laden might have desired to attend his funeral and obviously for security reasons that was not possible to be allowed. This is the respect for diversity that we must demonstrate in our daily life.
Dead person might be known to many people and some might want to see the dead body and pay respect during his/her burial or may whish to pay condolences to rest of family members. The value of such expressions is not small, in fact all of us will die and I always will wish my dead body gets proper respect.
I liked your bold opinion about private ceremony, which might be preferable by many and again many surely will wish to join the public ceremony.
You will see if a renowned person, like a great singer (Michael Jackson?), a former President of the US, or a writer or head of state when dies hundred or thousands of people who loved the deceased would spontaneously join the funeral. People tend to express their respect/ love by joining such public congregation.
I would suggest you value respect of diversity in all aspects of your life and also bring those thoughts in your writing. Especially remember:
- We work and live with people from many backgrounds
- We must treat all people with dignity and respect.
- Treat men and women equally.
- Show respect for, and understanding of, diverse points of view and demonstrate this understanding in daily work.
- Examine own biases and behaviors to avoid stereotypical responses.
- Do not discriminate against any individual or group
I am sure you will work and think on the above points and will shape your ideas accordingly. All the best,
Dead person might be known to many people and some might want to see the dead body and pay respect during his/her burial or may whish to pay condolences to rest of family members. The value of such expressions is not small, in fact all of us will die and I always will wish my dead body gets proper respect.
I liked your bold opinion about private ceremony, which might be preferable by many and again many surely will wish to join the public ceremony.
You will see if a renowned person, like a great singer (Michael Jackson?), a former President of the US, or a writer or head of state when dies hundred or thousands of people who loved the deceased would spontaneously join the funeral. People tend to express their respect/ love by joining such public congregation.
I would suggest you value respect of diversity in all aspects of your life and also bring those thoughts in your writing. Especially remember:
- We work and live with people from many backgrounds
- We must treat all people with dignity and respect.
- Treat men and women equally.
- Show respect for, and understanding of, diverse points of view and demonstrate this understanding in daily work.
- Examine own biases and behaviors to avoid stereotypical responses.
- Do not discriminate against any individual or group
I am sure you will work and think on the above points and will shape your ideas accordingly. All the best,
---------------------------------------
For Sarah M,
I liked the fact that you chose to interview someone that had a very real experience with death. It made your blog a more interesting to read since the information was from a subjective and objective source. I think if you explained more about what your thoughts were from the interviews and what were some of the insights that you took away from the interview. It would have also been better if you had said if the interviews had changed the way you thought about death or if your previous thoughts were strengthened.
I found it interesting that you wrote about your experiences coming from a religious family. I think you're different experiences as when you were a little kid to now is very prosaic. I like your idea of crying being contagious since I have experienced similar instances in my life before.
Friday, April 29, 2011
HW 50 - First Third of Care of the Dead Book
Précis:
The total funeral cost for Jenny Jennings was $12, 376. This included the price of the casket, coffin, coffin protector or “the vault”, preacher service, preservation service or embalming, an hearse, entertainment in the form of musicians, and some minor costs such as the dress the girl in the casket would wear. Funeral directors do not tell their customer that embalming is not mandated by law, it is just an extra practice that just increases the cost of the funeral. Embalming requires a lot of expensive chemicals that are always bought in excess and the surplus is discarded into the sewers. The chemicals are highly toxic and they litter the sewers and make them an even more dangerous place than it already is. Burials that follow this routine cost an average of $10,000 and it is the most popular method of taking care of the dead in the United States. The next most popular technique is cremation. When a body is cremated, it is exposed to very high temperatures and is reduced to grain sized particles which are referred to as ashes. An average cost of a cremation is $1,800 and even lower if you decide to use a basic casket instead of a fancy one. Also, there are fewer pollutants released into the environment when one is cremated in a cardboard casket instead of a steel one.
Quotes:
- “Like most of his clients, the Johnsons don’t think to question Fielding's request to embalm, even though the GPL states that embalming isn’t required by law.” (Harris, 8)
- “What’s best really depends on personal preference and how one feels about the value of protecting a loved one, Fielding offers. ‘I’ll leave you now and let you peruse as much as you like. If you have any questions I’ll be just outside the door.’” (Harris, 13)
- “For almost a hundred years Americans have been handing their dead over to the care of an industry that has turned the funeral into a too standard, expensive, resource-intensive, and, to many families, sterile act.” (Harris, 47)
Analysis:
Before reading the book, I read the Preface so I would be more prepared for what I would find in the book. I was shocked to see how many different methods and techniques there were when it comes to taking care of the dead. After reading the first three chapters, it became clear to me what this course is about. Andy, you’re showing us silly extravagant methods that Americans practice on a daily basis and telling us why it is that we are completely blind to the other alternative methods, which are arguably better, are out there. Even though you say that you want us to chose for ourselves which method is better, I think more than 90% of the students would just follow what is said in the book; a greener funeral. I am not saying that this is bad; I am definitely among the 90% of those students. It is just finny to see how easily our opinions can change even though the dominant discourse in the United States is still the more expensive and industrial way of doing things. I like how in Grave Matters, Mark Harris lays out the facts in a logical format. He starts the book by talking about the most extravagant and non-eco friendly method and moves on to a method that is a bit more green than the previous. I look forward to reading about more eco-friendly and more economic methods of taking care of the dead because the prices are only like to increase because more and more people will try to be greener and greener is usually more expensive.
The total funeral cost for Jenny Jennings was $12, 376. This included the price of the casket, coffin, coffin protector or “the vault”, preacher service, preservation service or embalming, an hearse, entertainment in the form of musicians, and some minor costs such as the dress the girl in the casket would wear. Funeral directors do not tell their customer that embalming is not mandated by law, it is just an extra practice that just increases the cost of the funeral. Embalming requires a lot of expensive chemicals that are always bought in excess and the surplus is discarded into the sewers. The chemicals are highly toxic and they litter the sewers and make them an even more dangerous place than it already is. Burials that follow this routine cost an average of $10,000 and it is the most popular method of taking care of the dead in the United States. The next most popular technique is cremation. When a body is cremated, it is exposed to very high temperatures and is reduced to grain sized particles which are referred to as ashes. An average cost of a cremation is $1,800 and even lower if you decide to use a basic casket instead of a fancy one. Also, there are fewer pollutants released into the environment when one is cremated in a cardboard casket instead of a steel one.
Quotes:
- “Like most of his clients, the Johnsons don’t think to question Fielding's request to embalm, even though the GPL states that embalming isn’t required by law.” (Harris, 8)
- “What’s best really depends on personal preference and how one feels about the value of protecting a loved one, Fielding offers. ‘I’ll leave you now and let you peruse as much as you like. If you have any questions I’ll be just outside the door.’” (Harris, 13)
- “For almost a hundred years Americans have been handing their dead over to the care of an industry that has turned the funeral into a too standard, expensive, resource-intensive, and, to many families, sterile act.” (Harris, 47)
Analysis:
Before reading the book, I read the Preface so I would be more prepared for what I would find in the book. I was shocked to see how many different methods and techniques there were when it comes to taking care of the dead. After reading the first three chapters, it became clear to me what this course is about. Andy, you’re showing us silly extravagant methods that Americans practice on a daily basis and telling us why it is that we are completely blind to the other alternative methods, which are arguably better, are out there. Even though you say that you want us to chose for ourselves which method is better, I think more than 90% of the students would just follow what is said in the book; a greener funeral. I am not saying that this is bad; I am definitely among the 90% of those students. It is just finny to see how easily our opinions can change even though the dominant discourse in the United States is still the more expensive and industrial way of doing things. I like how in Grave Matters, Mark Harris lays out the facts in a logical format. He starts the book by talking about the most extravagant and non-eco friendly method and moves on to a method that is a bit more green than the previous. I look forward to reading about more eco-friendly and more economic methods of taking care of the dead because the prices are only like to increase because more and more people will try to be greener and greener is usually more expensive.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
HW 48 - Family Perspectives on the Care of the Dead
As I wrote on my initial thoughts post, death is a topic that is almost never discussed in my family, only when someone that we knew died or if someone famous had passed away. And whenever the topic of death was brought up, it was only talked about for an insignificant amount of time so needless to say, when I sat down to interview my mother, it was a bit awkward. My uncle, my second interviewee, however, has always been an open person with everything so his interview was drastically better than my mom’s interview. The good thing about choosing my mom and my uncle in particular for this interview was that my mom is a highly religious person while my uncle is an atheist so I got to hear from people of two different perspectives. Another reason why I my choice of interviewees was outstanding was because they both have the same cultural background but one, my uncle, was more influenced by American culture than the other.
I started my interview by asking both my mom and uncle the same question I asked my peers, “What are your initial thoughts on death?” My mom‘s answer was just what I had expected it to be; “It is just another stage in life. Our souls are just visiting this world, and we all must depart one day. What we do here however, is a test. And all that will happen to us after death, will be just the results of our test.” When asked what methods of taking care of the dead she is aware of, she answered with the cremation and burials. Everyone in my family, so far, has been buried since that is the common practice of Muslim people. I avoided asking her questions about funerals she had attended because I knew that the last one she attended was my grandmother’s or my mom’s mom. And I was pretty sure I knew how she felt during that funeral so I didn’t bother asking about it. When asked: “What should be done with the dead bodies when there’s a massive death toll?” She answered in a surprising way, “People should look at resolving the crisis instead of looking at moral beliefs and religious beliefs. If you do not have time or the man-power to figure out what everyone that died believed in, you don’t have to do it. Mass burials or even mass cremations should be executed.”
My uncles interview was a little weird because like I said before, we don’t talk about death as a dinner topic hence it gets a tad uncomfortable whenever it is brought up because it brings back sad memories. I only asked him two questions, the first one was: “What are your thoughts on dying and taking care of the dead?” and he gave me a 5 minute long speech. When I heard what he thought about death, I was literally astonished and a little hurt. He said that he did not believe in the whole grieving process and that he never has or never will shed a tear for a loved one. He doesn’t believe in saying goodbye because he just looks at the person’s death as something that’s just another part of life. His outlook on life has always been to live to the fullest and he has the same approach for death. He was recollecting his last experience with the death and that was of his colleague and friend. She had an untimely death by a car accident and my uncle did not attend the funeral. My uncle was one of his friend’s closest friends and him and the rest of the deceased’s closest friends all gathered up and went to the park and had a picnic because that is what their friend loved to do. My uncle said that if his friend had known that they were all sitting around her casket or urn wearing black and just being all sad, the friend would have been extremely upset and disappointed at them all. The friend had always influenced my uncle’s decisions and she continued to do it even in death. He says he would like to be remembered the same way he chose to remember his friend. My uncle’s favorite pass-time was to play Call of Duty with some friends and he told me that when he dies, I better not be sitting at a funeral crying, that I should be at home celebrating his life by playing Call of Duty. The second question was what would you like to be done to your remains and he answered with a completely straight and non quavering voice that he would like his body to be buried because he is a strong believer in the possibility of a zombie apocalypse.
There were many similarities and differences in my mom’s interview and my uncle’s interview. They both want to be buried but for different reasons and they both think that death is just another stage of life so we should stop fearing it. When people say I do not fear death, I am always a bit skeptical. Most common persons in the United States would when asked whether they feared death, they would just say; “no because it is just another part of life”. I think the people who say that are not afraid of death, they think that death is just another stage of life so we should stop fearing it. When people say I do not fear death, I am always a bit skeptical. Most common persons in the United States would when asked whether they feared death, they would just say; “no because it is just another part of life”. I think the people who say that are not afraid of death itself but just nonchalant about the idea of it. If someone truly thought about permanently ceasing to exist, then they would be pretty scared unless they believed in the afterlife then they should be scared because of all their wrong deeds in this tempting world.
My mom’s thoughts were the same as almost every religious person that is both Christian and/or Muslim in the United States. (The two religions really aren’t that different, if only they would just settle down and discuss, the world would be a much better place…) Although I liked her subjective thought on being afraid of death, I thought that was quite interesting since what I remember from Islam class in Syria, we are to fear death because after death, we will be punished for our sins and every man or woman alive has sinned. My uncle’s answers caught me off guard, I expected him to say things like that he would like to be cremated and have his friends around him when he died and to have his remains in a place where his friends and family would be able to visit them which I believe is the dominant social practice in the United States.
I started my interview by asking both my mom and uncle the same question I asked my peers, “What are your initial thoughts on death?” My mom‘s answer was just what I had expected it to be; “It is just another stage in life. Our souls are just visiting this world, and we all must depart one day. What we do here however, is a test. And all that will happen to us after death, will be just the results of our test.” When asked what methods of taking care of the dead she is aware of, she answered with the cremation and burials. Everyone in my family, so far, has been buried since that is the common practice of Muslim people. I avoided asking her questions about funerals she had attended because I knew that the last one she attended was my grandmother’s or my mom’s mom. And I was pretty sure I knew how she felt during that funeral so I didn’t bother asking about it. When asked: “What should be done with the dead bodies when there’s a massive death toll?” She answered in a surprising way, “People should look at resolving the crisis instead of looking at moral beliefs and religious beliefs. If you do not have time or the man-power to figure out what everyone that died believed in, you don’t have to do it. Mass burials or even mass cremations should be executed.”
My uncles interview was a little weird because like I said before, we don’t talk about death as a dinner topic hence it gets a tad uncomfortable whenever it is brought up because it brings back sad memories. I only asked him two questions, the first one was: “What are your thoughts on dying and taking care of the dead?” and he gave me a 5 minute long speech. When I heard what he thought about death, I was literally astonished and a little hurt. He said that he did not believe in the whole grieving process and that he never has or never will shed a tear for a loved one. He doesn’t believe in saying goodbye because he just looks at the person’s death as something that’s just another part of life. His outlook on life has always been to live to the fullest and he has the same approach for death. He was recollecting his last experience with the death and that was of his colleague and friend. She had an untimely death by a car accident and my uncle did not attend the funeral. My uncle was one of his friend’s closest friends and him and the rest of the deceased’s closest friends all gathered up and went to the park and had a picnic because that is what their friend loved to do. My uncle said that if his friend had known that they were all sitting around her casket or urn wearing black and just being all sad, the friend would have been extremely upset and disappointed at them all. The friend had always influenced my uncle’s decisions and she continued to do it even in death. He says he would like to be remembered the same way he chose to remember his friend. My uncle’s favorite pass-time was to play Call of Duty with some friends and he told me that when he dies, I better not be sitting at a funeral crying, that I should be at home celebrating his life by playing Call of Duty. The second question was what would you like to be done to your remains and he answered with a completely straight and non quavering voice that he would like his body to be buried because he is a strong believer in the possibility of a zombie apocalypse.
There were many similarities and differences in my mom’s interview and my uncle’s interview. They both want to be buried but for different reasons and they both think that death is just another stage of life so we should stop fearing it. When people say I do not fear death, I am always a bit skeptical. Most common persons in the United States would when asked whether they feared death, they would just say; “no because it is just another part of life”. I think the people who say that are not afraid of death, they think that death is just another stage of life so we should stop fearing it. When people say I do not fear death, I am always a bit skeptical. Most common persons in the United States would when asked whether they feared death, they would just say; “no because it is just another part of life”. I think the people who say that are not afraid of death itself but just nonchalant about the idea of it. If someone truly thought about permanently ceasing to exist, then they would be pretty scared unless they believed in the afterlife then they should be scared because of all their wrong deeds in this tempting world.
My mom’s thoughts were the same as almost every religious person that is both Christian and/or Muslim in the United States. (The two religions really aren’t that different, if only they would just settle down and discuss, the world would be a much better place…) Although I liked her subjective thought on being afraid of death, I thought that was quite interesting since what I remember from Islam class in Syria, we are to fear death because after death, we will be punished for our sins and every man or woman alive has sinned. My uncle’s answers caught me off guard, I expected him to say things like that he would like to be cremated and have his friends around him when he died and to have his remains in a place where his friends and family would be able to visit them which I believe is the dominant social practice in the United States.
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