Cremation is less expensive
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/us/in-economic-downturn-survivors-turning-to-cremations-over-burials.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha23
I found this article very interesting and I would have to say, although I would like a traditional burial, being cremated does not sound so bad. Just the fact that my family will be spending thousands of dollars less sounds relieving to me. I feel as though it would not be less respectful, because my family will still have the chance to cherish the urn that my ashes would be in. In fact, wherever the urn may be, if it is in one of the homes of my loved ones it is almost as if I will be with them more instead of buried under the ground with a tomb stone marking the place where my lifeless body is decaying. However, I also believe that it is not all my choice as to how my body is preserved after my death. I want it to be a family decision, and that way they can decide what would be the most important to them.
This article open my eyes to how bad the economy is, if some people are choosing cremation over burials because it is cheaper. Also I understand the decision of choosing cremation because I agree with Hilda. If I can save my family a few thousand dollars it would be worth it to me. Even though I wouldn't want to be cremated I would sacrifice for my family.
A thought I used to have when I was younger was, "How can the earth hold so much trash?! We will eventually be overrun by trash!" Now I know trash put in landfills, incinerated and some is recycled etc. (or maybe the Disney movie Wall-e is a predictor of the future!) But now I'm thinking, "Man! How can the earth hold so many dead people!" Over time, many people have died and a significant amount of people choose to be buried in the earth. The graveyards will take over one day! Or maybe not. To me, funerals and burials are uncomfortable and sad events, and very expensive according to the article. While I believe it is important for the deceased person to be remembered and respected, I think there are other, non-traditional ways to remember the ones who have passed. The plan for my father has always been cremation and to have a memorial party at our home to remember him. I have grown up around his idea of death and have always believed I will be cremated. At the same time I enjoy visiting the grave of my grandmother on my mom's side that died before I was born so I can stare at the rock bearing her name and wish I had the chance to know her. Though I enjoy visiting my grandmothers gravesite I would still choose cremation for myself because, firstly, I wouldn't want to be a financial burden to my family, and secondly because I think there are other ways to be remembered. For example I only have seen maybe five photos of my grandmother, but there is probably five thousand photos of me since I was a baby (exaggeration). I would rather my family revisit those photos than to revisit my tombstone.
Several things within this article caught my eye. First, I did not ever think 41 percent of Americans picked cremation over a burial. That seems pretty high, but if that is what the economy calls for then that is what families will chose. Another statistic within the article was on average a funeral costing $10,00-$16,000. That is an extreme amount of money (to me). I also would have to agree with the man battling Alzheimer’s Disease when he said "take me out to sea and let me swim with the dolphins," I would enjoy that rather it be on my last days of my life or my ashes spread into the ocean (that would be a very good experience that I would remember physically and/or spiritually). Even though it is expensive, I would still prefer to be buried. I find cemeteries comforting. I enjoy visiting the graves of those who I have lost a lot. I feel very safe and some what of a connection with those I have lost while visiting the cemeteries.
I had no intention of being cremated after I die but after reading this article I think I have to consider for the sake of financials. I would rather be buried in the ground but if I were to die today I would not want my family to have to pay for such a costly funeral because I know that would really hurt them financially. My death alone is hard enough; I would not want to make it any harder. I am absolutely shocked at how much it costs for a standard funeral. I had no idea it was that much nor did I know how cheap cremation is.
I have only been to traditional open casket funerals, so it would be a little odd going to a ceremony without a casket and not going to the graveyard to bury the body afterwards.
I agree with Emily, it is crazy to think how many people are buried in our country. And how there is even room to be buried today. I think it is absolutely RIDICULOUS how expensive funerals are, I understand wanting to have a proper special goodbye for a family member but the costs of a traditional casket funeral is just ridiculous. When my grandparents started getting up there in age they began looking into the costs of funerals and putting money away and even pre-paying and when finding out how much a casket funeral cost they decided on cremation so my family would not be burdened by costs of their funerals. I originally wanted to be cremated because the idea of being in a box freaks me out even if I am dead. I don’t want to be a in box in the dirt with the bugs. But the more I thought about my death (at any age) the more I realized I do not care what happens to my body so I am donating it to science and if my organs are useable I plan on donating them.
I found this article very interesting. I never realized that the average cost of a funeral ranged from $10,000-15,000 and that cremation is only a fraction of the cost. It makes sense that people are turning to cremation during this time of economic turmoil. The thought of being cremated is a little intense/ scary to me and would not want my own body to be burned, but I also would not want to be a financial burden to my parents. I guess if I am dead it would not matter! I could make this decision for others more easily, but its difficult for me. I like the idea of going to a cemetery to visit those who have passed, but at the same time I guess I would be reunited with those people in the after life, so I guess it would not really matter.
I really liked this article; I had some knowledge that funerals were expensive but I never realized they costs anywhere from 10,000-15,000. I also think it is interesting that America in general is becoming more "Hinduized" where the concern for the body is decreasing and we are focusing more on the spiritual aspect. I have to agree with Kristin, the costs of a funeral are ridiculous, it costs more to bury someone than hospital birthing bills. I had always considered cremation for myself because I want the memories of my life to be remembered; I do not want someone's last picture of me to be in a casket. Also, I feel that it is a waste of space for my body to be buried underground when truthfully, I may receive a visit maybe 5 times a year. I'm sorry to disagree with Emily but cemeteries creep me out. With an urn at least it is mobile so that if you were having a family function you could move it elsewhere. However, with cemeteries they are clearly noticeable but are also concrete in that it may be difficult for other family members to get to you. It would be more economically practical to do a cremation than a buriel and I would hope my family would understand.
I have thought a little about cremation because my mom always tells me that when she dies she wants to be cremated. My mom wants to be cremated not just because it is cheaper (which I did not realize that funeral and burial costs were around $10,000-$16,000) but because it is more environmentally friendly. She pointed out to me that burring coffins takes up a lot of room and one day their may not be enough room to be able to burry everyone with all the new developing and such. She also said she didn't really get the point to burying someone anymore. Although it can be comforting to some people to go visit a loved one's grave, it's not like they are truly there. If you cremate someone you can either hold onto their ashes (which could offer the same comfort as a grave site) or you could spread their ashes over an area that they loved (which is what my mom wants). I didn’t like the idea of being cremated at first because I have always liked visitations. I feel comfort in seeing my loved one one last time. I realized however, that I could still have a visitation if I wanted to, because I could be cremated after. At the same time, a picture could also be used and placed next to my ashes. While I’m not 100% sure on exactly what I want, I think that creation is a good idea because of the benefits that it offers (it’s less expensive and more environmentally friendly).
I agree that this article and the ideas it presents about cremation were very interesting. I think that it is somewhat of a travesty that people on their deathbeds are worried about the nature of how there body will be disposed and how they can mitigate the expenses of such instead of spending their last moments alive with those they love (I doubt that anyone idealizes a death talking about fiscal matters). What is more, I often see commercials on television for insurance policies designed solely for the purpose of covering funeral costs, which to me are way too expensive. For these reasons, then, I think that it is very reasonable that more and more are turning to cremation. In fact, although it would require more deliberation, this option seems at least somewhat appealing for my own body after I die.
I was curious about the biocremation that the article referred to and did some research on it. As the name implies and the article mentions, the method is "greener" than the alternative cremation by fire, resulting in fewer carbon dioxide and hazardous mercury emissions. Perhaps with more people turning to cremation, this will gain addtion attention.
My mom and step-dad and step-mom all want to be cremated. They say that the body after death just isn't important and they want to be envronmentally friendly and want their ashes spread somewhere that they loved rather than in an expensive casket in the middle of a graveyard surrounded by many other dead people. I am not against cremation and I would not be opposed to being cremated myself. Although my step-mom said she wants to be cremated, my dad says if he is still alive, he will absolutely not have her body cremated becuase he doesn't believe in it (this is coming from a self-declared Aethiest). There has been much debate over this fact in my family because I think that you have the right to choose if you want to be buried or be cremated and if my step-mom chooses to be cremated then my dad must respect that and follow through with her wishes.
I had a class in high school where we went to Spring Grove Cemetery and did a whole literary project. It was pretty cool and we saw head stones that were dated in the 1700's and read about them from what was written on their head stones. I just always thought that it would be cool someday that someone could come by my grave and hopefully my headstone would say something good so they'd wonder about me long after I'm gone. I've just always thought this.
This article and reading everyone's comments, there are great arguments and reasons to be cremated; low costs, not taking up a lot of ground space, mobilization with the family... It really makes me think long and hard about what I'd choose for myself.
If I was cremated, my loved ones would have me close to them while they are alive, but what about when they die? My ashes in a container will have no meaning to anyone anymore. What happens to an urn or something that no one even knew who they were? It would just be a lost vessel. At least if I was in the ground people would know I existed...
And then there is the debate to donate your body to science... Which I'm interested in, also. There is just so many decisions to make in life and I can't ever decide what shoes to wear...
I thought you already gave us a lot to think about in this class, but this is putting me over the edge, Dr. Cate!
The Catholic Church believes that an individual's body should be respected and buried in a traditional funeral so that the body can rise again at Judgment Day. My parents have those wishes when they die, so I going to stand by what they want. It will probably cost a lot and it will be a lot more to transport caskets from the US to Mexico since both of my parents want to be buried with their families there. However, after reading this article I'm debating where and how I want to be buried. Cremating I took into consideration before, and this article makes it sound so much better, and cheaper! One of my aunt's that passed away a few years ago was cremated, and there was so much controversy about it since she was Catholic. She is now sitting in the dining room of my uncle's house. I kind of thought it was creepy at first, thinking that she was in a little urn, but I guess it was because it was something i wasn't used to seeing. I guess this is something to look into further so my family won't go into debt!
I have been to 2 funerals this month and I've got to say...I've never talked to my mom about my family and the way they dealt with deaths and funerals and she gave me an easy background. My great grandmother was cremated and placed in a spot with her husband so they could sit next to each other forever and thought that was cute. I'm beyond terrified of being placed 6feet into the ground..forever..so I'm glad I read this article to see that cremation may not be as bad as I imagined and it may be kind of cool to be spread around the world as long as nobody drops me (because that would be my luck). I've got a lot to think about with what I want obviously so talking to some people that have chose cremation and why might be a good start but the article cleared some stuff up for me.
I found this article very interesting and I would have to say, although I would like a traditional burial, being cremated does not sound so bad. Just the fact that my family will be spending thousands of dollars less sounds relieving to me. I feel as though it would not be less respectful, because my family will still have the chance to cherish the urn that my ashes would be in. In fact, wherever the urn may be, if it is in one of the homes of my loved ones it is almost as if I will be with them more instead of buried under the ground with a tomb stone marking the place where my lifeless body is decaying. However, I also believe that it is not all my choice as to how my body is preserved after my death. I want it to be a family decision, and that way they can decide what would be the most important to them.
ReplyDeleteThis article open my eyes to how bad the economy is, if some people are choosing cremation over burials because it is cheaper. Also I understand the decision of choosing cremation because I agree with Hilda. If I can save my family a few thousand dollars it would be worth it to me. Even though I wouldn't want to be cremated I would sacrifice for my family.
ReplyDeleteA thought I used to have when I was younger was, "How can the earth hold so much trash?! We will eventually be overrun by trash!" Now I know trash put in landfills, incinerated and some is recycled etc. (or maybe the Disney movie Wall-e is a predictor of the future!)
ReplyDeleteBut now I'm thinking, "Man! How can the earth hold so many dead people!" Over time, many people have died and a significant amount of people choose to be buried in the earth. The graveyards will take over one day! Or maybe not.
To me, funerals and burials are uncomfortable and sad events, and very expensive according to the article. While I believe it is important for the deceased person to be remembered and respected, I think there are other, non-traditional ways to remember the ones who have passed. The plan for my father has always been cremation and to have a memorial party at our home to remember him. I have grown up around his idea of death and have always believed I will be cremated. At the same time I enjoy visiting the grave of my grandmother on my mom's side that died before I was born so I can stare at the rock bearing her name and wish I had the chance to know her.
Though I enjoy visiting my grandmothers gravesite I would still choose cremation for myself because, firstly, I wouldn't want to be a financial burden to my family, and secondly because I think there are other ways to be remembered. For example I only have seen maybe five photos of my grandmother, but there is probably five thousand photos of me since I was a baby (exaggeration). I would rather my family revisit those photos than to revisit my tombstone.
Several things within this article caught my eye. First, I did not ever think 41 percent of Americans picked cremation over a burial. That seems pretty high, but if that is what the economy calls for then that is what families will chose. Another statistic within the article was on average a funeral costing $10,00-$16,000. That is an extreme amount of money (to me). I also would have to agree with the man battling Alzheimer’s Disease when he said "take me out to sea and let me swim with the dolphins," I would enjoy that rather it be on my last days of my life or my ashes spread into the ocean (that would be a very good experience that I would remember physically and/or spiritually). Even though it is expensive, I would still prefer to be buried. I find cemeteries comforting. I enjoy visiting the graves of those who I have lost a lot. I feel very safe and some what of a connection with those I have lost while visiting the cemeteries.
ReplyDeleteI had no intention of being cremated after I die but after reading this article I think I have to consider for the sake of financials. I would rather be buried in the ground but if I were to die today I would not want my family to have to pay for such a costly funeral because I know that would really hurt them financially. My death alone is hard enough; I would not want to make it any harder. I am absolutely shocked at how much it costs for a standard funeral. I had no idea it was that much nor did I know how cheap cremation is.
ReplyDeleteI have only been to traditional open casket funerals, so it would be a little odd going to a ceremony without a casket and not going to the graveyard to bury the body afterwards.
I agree with Emily, it is crazy to think how many people are buried in our country. And how there is even room to be buried today. I think it is absolutely RIDICULOUS how expensive funerals are, I understand wanting to have a proper special goodbye for a family member but the costs of a traditional casket funeral is just ridiculous. When my grandparents started getting up there in age they began looking into the costs of funerals and putting money away and even pre-paying and when finding out how much a casket funeral cost they decided on cremation so my family would not be burdened by costs of their funerals.
ReplyDeleteI originally wanted to be cremated because the idea of being in a box freaks me out even if I am dead. I don’t want to be a in box in the dirt with the bugs. But the more I thought about my death (at any age) the more I realized I do not care what happens to my body so I am donating it to science and if my organs are useable I plan on donating them.
I found this article very interesting. I never realized that the average cost of a funeral ranged from $10,000-15,000 and that cremation is only a fraction of the cost. It makes sense that people are turning to cremation during this time of economic turmoil. The thought of being cremated is a little intense/ scary to me and would not want my own body to be burned, but I also would not want to be a financial burden to my parents. I guess if I am dead it would not matter! I could make this decision for others more easily, but its difficult for me. I like the idea of going to a cemetery to visit those who have passed, but at the same time I guess I would be reunited with those people in the after life, so I guess it would not really matter.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this article; I had some knowledge that funerals were expensive but I never realized they costs anywhere from 10,000-15,000. I also think it is interesting that America in general is becoming more "Hinduized" where the concern for the body is decreasing and we are focusing more on the spiritual aspect. I have to agree with Kristin, the costs of a funeral are ridiculous, it costs more to bury someone than hospital birthing bills.
ReplyDeleteI had always considered cremation for myself because I want the memories of my life to be remembered; I do not want someone's last picture of me to be in a casket. Also, I feel that it is a waste of space for my body to be buried underground when truthfully, I may receive a visit maybe 5 times a year. I'm sorry to disagree with Emily but cemeteries creep me out. With an urn at least it is mobile so that if you were having a family function you could move it elsewhere. However, with cemeteries they are clearly noticeable but are also concrete in that it may be difficult for other family members to get to you. It would be more economically practical to do a cremation than a buriel and I would hope my family would understand.
I have thought a little about cremation because my mom always tells me that when she dies she wants to be cremated. My mom wants to be cremated not just because it is cheaper (which I did not realize that funeral and burial costs were around $10,000-$16,000) but because it is more environmentally friendly. She pointed out to me that burring coffins takes up a lot of room and one day their may not be enough room to be able to burry everyone with all the new developing and such. She also said she didn't really get the point to burying someone anymore. Although it can be comforting to some people to go visit a loved one's grave, it's not like they are truly there. If you cremate someone you can either hold onto their ashes (which could offer the same comfort as a grave site) or you could spread their ashes over an area that they loved (which is what my mom wants). I didn’t like the idea of being cremated at first because I have always liked visitations. I feel comfort in seeing my loved one one last time. I realized however, that I could still have a visitation if I wanted to, because I could be cremated after. At the same time, a picture could also be used and placed next to my ashes. While I’m not 100% sure on exactly what I want, I think that creation is a good idea because of the benefits that it offers (it’s less expensive and more environmentally friendly).
ReplyDeleteI agree that this article and the ideas it presents about cremation were very interesting. I think that it is somewhat of a travesty that people on their deathbeds are worried about the nature of how there body will be disposed and how they can mitigate the expenses of such instead of spending their last moments alive with those they love (I doubt that anyone idealizes a death talking about fiscal matters). What is more, I often see commercials on television for insurance policies designed solely for the purpose of covering funeral costs, which to me are way too expensive. For these reasons, then, I think that it is very reasonable that more and more are turning to cremation. In fact, although it would require more deliberation, this option seems at least somewhat appealing for my own body after I die.
ReplyDeleteI was curious about the biocremation that the article referred to and did some research on it. As the name implies and the article mentions, the method is "greener" than the alternative cremation by fire, resulting in fewer carbon dioxide and hazardous mercury emissions. Perhaps with more people turning to cremation, this will gain addtion attention.
My mom and step-dad and step-mom all want to be cremated. They say that the body after death just isn't important and they want to be envronmentally friendly and want their ashes spread somewhere that they loved rather than in an expensive casket in the middle of a graveyard surrounded by many other dead people. I am not against cremation and I would not be opposed to being cremated myself. Although my step-mom said she wants to be cremated, my dad says if he is still alive, he will absolutely not have her body cremated becuase he doesn't believe in it (this is coming from a self-declared Aethiest). There has been much debate over this fact in my family because I think that you have the right to choose if you want to be buried or be cremated and if my step-mom chooses to be cremated then my dad must respect that and follow through with her wishes.
ReplyDeleteThis article gave me a lot to think about...
ReplyDeleteI had a class in high school where we went to Spring Grove Cemetery and did a whole literary project. It was pretty cool and we saw head stones that were dated in the 1700's and read about them from what was written on their head stones. I just always thought that it would be cool someday that someone could come by my grave and hopefully my headstone would say something good so they'd wonder about me long after I'm gone. I've just always thought this.
This article and reading everyone's comments, there are great arguments and reasons to be cremated; low costs, not taking up a lot of ground space, mobilization with the family... It really makes me think long and hard about what I'd choose for myself.
If I was cremated, my loved ones would have me close to them while they are alive, but what about when they die? My ashes in a container will have no meaning to anyone anymore. What happens to an urn or something that no one even knew who they were? It would just be a lost vessel. At least if I was in the ground people would know I existed...
And then there is the debate to donate your body to science... Which I'm interested in, also. There is just so many decisions to make in life and I can't ever decide what shoes to wear...
I thought you already gave us a lot to think about in this class, but this is putting me over the edge, Dr. Cate!
The Catholic Church believes that an individual's body should be respected and buried in a traditional funeral so that the body can rise again at Judgment Day. My parents have those wishes when they die, so I going to stand by what they want. It will probably cost a lot and it will be a lot more to transport caskets from the US to Mexico since both of my parents want to be buried with their families there. However, after reading this article I'm debating where and how I want to be buried. Cremating I took into consideration before, and this article makes it sound so much better, and cheaper! One of my aunt's that passed away a few years ago was cremated, and there was so much controversy about it since she was Catholic. She is now sitting in the dining room of my uncle's house. I kind of thought it was creepy at first, thinking that she was in a little urn, but I guess it was because it was something i wasn't used to seeing. I guess this is something to look into further so my family won't go into debt!
ReplyDeleteI have been to 2 funerals this month and I've got to say...I've never talked to my mom about my family and the way they dealt with deaths and funerals and she gave me an easy background. My great grandmother was cremated and placed in a spot with her husband so they could sit next to each other forever and thought that was cute. I'm beyond terrified of being placed 6feet into the ground..forever..so I'm glad I read this article to see that cremation may not be as bad as I imagined and it may be kind of cool to be spread around the world as long as nobody drops me (because that would be my luck). I've got a lot to think about with what I want obviously so talking to some people that have chose cremation and why might be a good start but the article cleared some stuff up for me.
ReplyDelete