This newsletter comes out every other Thursday and hopefully provides you with thought-provoking content about the mundane, wacky, and weird. I will be writing until the 75th edition. If you know someone who may enjoy the newsletter, you can share it here.
“Nothing is certain except for death and taxes.” Today, we will be diving into death, and how people decide what to do with their bodies after life. The passing of a human life is encompasses topics such as ritual, grief, religion, and meaning.
There are many methods for what to do with a body after it dies, but the two most common are burial and cremation.
In the United States, cremation is becoming more popular. While in 1954 only 4% of Americans were cremated, this number is expected to rise to 80% by 2040. What changed?
Christianity has traditionally exclusively allowed burials because they believe that the body must remain intact to allow for the soul and the spirit go to to heaven. “Christians also used burial as a mark of difference from the Iron Age European pre-Christian Pagan religions which usually cremated their dead.” It wasn’t until 1962, that the Catholic Church allowed cremation, amid pressure from church members.
Here is a graveyard in Colma, California, which is a town just south of San Francisco where the dead outnumber the living 1,000 to 1.
In the early 20th century, San Francisco deemed its real estate was too valuable and transported its cemeteries to the sleepy town of Colma about 15 miles south of the city.
The most famous mausoleum (large stately tomb), is the Taj Mahal in India. In 1632 it was commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Empress Mumtaz Mahal. In addition to the famous tomb, India is notable because it has the highest number of cremated individuals in the world. Historically, religion has been the main reason for how a person is disposed of in death. In many Christian-dominated African countries, cremation is still taboo. In Zimbabwe, the city council of Bulawayo, held public meetings to try to highlight the benefit of cremations. However, the meetings stopped after many protests from Pentecostal Christian groups.
Here are a few reasons why cremation is becoming more popular:
Religion. The church has eased its restrictions on burials and the United States is becoming less religious.
Mobility. Cremation allows families to have more flexibility in when they choose to have a gathering. This is important because extended families are no longer in a short vicinity of each other. On the other hand, burials are typically done on a shorter notice.
Environment. Cemeteries take up a lot of land. They are mostly grass and rocks and don’t offer biodiversity for plants or animals. Many argue that the land used for cemeteries would be better served as a park or public housing. Additionally, there are a lot of chemicals used to preserve the body for funerals.
Cost. A burial typically costs $6,500 and cremation will be about a third of the cost. Family members are sometimes left in the lurch to pay for the funeral. The more expensive price of burial can cause more family financial disputes.
Location Land for a cemetery is expensive. Many cemeteries that still have open plots are in non-desirable locations. Robert Hill from Quora writes, “My grandparents in Chicago are buried in a cemetery that’s sandwiched between a freeway and some train tracks. It’s loud, the traffic is awful, the smell isn’t great, and no one would want to live there.”
Here is a cemetery adjacent to a highway in New York.
Cremation allows for someone's ashes to be spread in a place that is special to them, and not beholden to how nice of a gravesite they can afford.
One form of cremation that is gaining popularity is using ashes as compost for trees. Better Place Forests, is an organization that bills itself as a sustainable alternative to traditional cemeteries, specifically for families who choose cremation. Instead of a family choosing a tombstone, the family chooses a tree dedication spot and that is the place where they spread the ashes of a loved one. By choosing that tree, they are contributing to the creation of a conservation memorial area, so it is permanently protected.
Here is a redwood forest that Better Place Forest has helped conserve. The image on the right is a memorial plaque of the person who passed away.
Better Place Forests only operates in seven states so far. In the meantime, many people opt for spreading the ashes of a loved one in specific natural locations that were meaningful to the deceased person.
Cryonics
Many people who think of cryonics have this image of Austin Powers in their heads.
Cryonics freezes the body in liquid nitrogen with the goal of preserving the deceased until they could be brought back to life in the future. The first person to be cryopreserved was in 1967 and since then, it has remained more relevant in science fiction than reality. Despite being available for decades, there are still only about 250 people who have been cryopreserved. Notably, this number includes the baseball player Ted Williams, who was cryopreserved following his death in 2002.
Donating your body to science
When you donate your body to science, it is often preserved to be studied by medical students and scientists. People who opt for this, typically do so to help other humans and advance science. However, it remains a relatively small portion of how people choose to be taken care of after they die. Many people view it as too utilitarian and invasive.
At the end of the day, you never forget the death of a loved one and their final resting place. Many people are opting for a cost-effective way to have a beautiful and peaceful way for loved ones to remember them.
Netflix show I am watching
On the topic of death, Jenny and I have really enjoyed the Netflix show “After Life”. Struggling to come to terms with his wife's death, a writer for a newspaper adopts a gruff new persona in an effort to push away those trying to help. The main character Tony is played by Ricky Gervais and left me laughing and tearing up in almost every episode.
Purchase I am enjoying
Since I have been on the other side of 30, my hangovers come with a lot fewer drinks. Liquid IV is a “super water” and has the perfect amount of sodium to sugar ratio to hydrate your body quickly. Anecdotally, it has saved my mornings on a couple of occasions.
Quote I am pondering
“Don’t ask your barber if you need a haircut”
Pic of the week
Alex Gunn (my childhood best friend) and I are in Baja California this week. He has a few months off before his residency kicks off at Duke 😈, and I am excited to get a trip in before my bachelor party in San Diego this weekend. This image is from a restaurant in Los Cerritos, a small surf town up the coast from Cabo.