7 ms·

I've asked my lone offspring to dispose of my bodily remains in the most convenient way possible when the time comes. The only request I make of him is that no

I've asked my lone offspring to dispose of my bodily remains in the most convenient way possible when the time comes. The only request I make of him is that nobody reserves a place on earth in my name. No headstone or any of that.

MiddleEndian 8y ago
In theory if tombstones are to last forever, the whole world would eventually become graveyards.
- hannasanarion 8y ago
  Permanent individual graves is a modern anglosphere thing. In Europe, grave plots are normally rented, and if the family stops paying, the remains are moved to a mass grave or cremated and the plot is re-used.
  - ryacko 8y ago
    “cemetery associations often are required to establish and fund perpetual or maintenance trust funds” Graveyards are hardly subsidized, they are for-profit businesses, and even if they run out of space, could survive through two major depressions before bankruptcy.
    - Alex3917 8y ago
      > Graveyards are hardly subsidized How much in land taxes do they pay?
- alexis_fr 8y ago
  “Permanent” tombstones are often limited to 30 years. It’s probable I will lay in my grand parents cemetery, but probably not alongside them.
  - docbrown 8y ago
    If there’s a 30 year limit, why are tombstones that are >30yrs still standing in most cases? One of the oldest cemeteries in my town has dates going as far back as mid-1800s and I don’t think they go through periodically and dig bodies up.
    - pwagland 8y ago
      It depends very much on which country you are from. US/UK seem to have burial plots forever. Many European countries have a rental/lease system where you get the plot for 30-50 years, and that can be extended if wanted by the family/estate/descendants, or the plot is re-used.
    - qbrass 8y ago
      They won't bother unless they start running out of space.
- ars 8y ago
  I ran those numbers: 51.08 million square miles / (4 ft * 8 ft) = 44.5 trillion. Estimates are for 100 billion humans have ever lived, plus (currently) 255 human births per minute (and falling) = 331,017 years
  - MiddleEndian 8y ago
    Well hopefully we're space faring by then!
    - gpderetta 8y ago
      Burial at C it is then.
      - starbeast 8y ago
        Home, home on Lagrange...
casefields 8y ago
“Asking” means it probably won’t happen. You need to put it in a will.
- philwelch 8y ago
  Wills are generally executed long after the body is dealt with. Probate can take years and a body needs to be handled almost immediately. If you can handle the morbidity of it, you can arrange for your own burial or cremation and even pay ahead of time; there are usually big discounts, since they can't shake you down the same way they can shake down a grieving widow or whatnot.
KozmoNau7 8y ago
Go with a "natural death" arrangement, where your body will not be embalmed (formaldehyde is nasty stuff), and will be buried in a vessel that biodegrades quickly, in a forest or similar area. I'm going with this method when I eventually die.
- dorchadas 8y ago
  I want a Viking funeral myself. But, more seriously, part of me hopes that I'll recognize when my time is coming and be able to just wander off into the woods or something and die that way, with my body left where it drops. Even though I feel like that might be against what the article is suggesting.
  - jrace 8y ago
    That sounds like a great idea....unless you are the poor person who stumbles upon the decomposing corpse.
  - Pica_soO 8y ago
    Im pretty sure wild boards will have the same Disney-decency you have and wait till you died in pieces. Okay, they might snack a little, to pass the time- just the little parts. They certainly do that with those suicides who hang themselves in the woods. Seriously, take at least some cyanide with you, to get it over quickly.
  - enriquto 8y ago
    Of course, for that you have to tell people about your immediate plan. If you simply "disappear", this will likely trigger a very expensive rescue expedition that will find your freshly dead corpse, and it will ruin your Viking funeral.
  - protomyth 8y ago
    I'll recognize when my time is coming and be able to just wander off into the woods or something and die that way, with my body left where it drops. Please don't do that. It sucks seriously for the people who have to go find you when the missing person report is filed, and it really, really sucks for the "doesn't know what is going on" person who finds your body. Predators are not exactly 100% effective.
starbeast 8y ago
I'd go for Diogenes of Sinope's request of what to do with his body after death: To be left outside with a stout stick, so my corpse can either be eaten by dogs, or fight them off should it find this upsetting.
tomjen3 8y ago
That is funny, my only instruction is to dispose of me in such a way that those who cared about me can be close to the grave. To me a headstone or other grave marking is a way to help those who grieve the loss. Can you explain why you don't want one?

MiddleEndian 8y ago

In theory if tombstones are to last forever, the whole world would eventually become graveyards.

hannasanarion 8y ago
Permanent individual graves is a modern anglosphere thing. In Europe, grave plots are normally rented, and if the family stops paying, the remains are moved to a mass grave or cremated and the plot is re-used.
- ryacko 8y ago
  “cemetery associations often are required to establish and fund perpetual or maintenance trust funds” Graveyards are hardly subsidized, they are for-profit businesses, and even if they run out of space, could survive through two major depressions before bankruptcy.
  - Alex3917 8y ago
    > Graveyards are hardly subsidized How much in land taxes do they pay?
alexis_fr 8y ago
“Permanent” tombstones are often limited to 30 years. It’s probable I will lay in my grand parents cemetery, but probably not alongside them.
- docbrown 8y ago
  If there’s a 30 year limit, why are tombstones that are >30yrs still standing in most cases? One of the oldest cemeteries in my town has dates going as far back as mid-1800s and I don’t think they go through periodically and dig bodies up.
  - pwagland 8y ago
    It depends very much on which country you are from. US/UK seem to have burial plots forever. Many European countries have a rental/lease system where you get the plot for 30-50 years, and that can be extended if wanted by the family/estate/descendants, or the plot is re-used.
  - qbrass 8y ago
    They won't bother unless they start running out of space.
ars 8y ago
I ran those numbers: 51.08 million square miles / (4 ft * 8 ft) = 44.5 trillion. Estimates are for 100 billion humans have ever lived, plus (currently) 255 human births per minute (and falling) = 331,017 years
- MiddleEndian 8y ago
  Well hopefully we're space faring by then!
  - gpderetta 8y ago
    Burial at C it is then.
    - starbeast 8y ago
      Home, home on Lagrange...

casefields 8y ago

“Asking” means it probably won’t happen. You need to put it in a will.

philwelch 8y ago
Wills are generally executed long after the body is dealt with. Probate can take years and a body needs to be handled almost immediately. If you can handle the morbidity of it, you can arrange for your own burial or cremation and even pay ahead of time; there are usually big discounts, since they can't shake you down the same way they can shake down a grieving widow or whatnot.

KozmoNau7 8y ago

Go with a "natural death" arrangement, where your body will not be embalmed (formaldehyde is nasty stuff), and will be buried in a vessel that biodegrades quickly, in a forest or similar area. I'm going with this method when I eventually die.

dorchadas 8y ago
I want a Viking funeral myself. But, more seriously, part of me hopes that I'll recognize when my time is coming and be able to just wander off into the woods or something and die that way, with my body left where it drops. Even though I feel like that might be against what the article is suggesting.
- jrace 8y ago
  That sounds like a great idea....unless you are the poor person who stumbles upon the decomposing corpse.
- Pica_soO 8y ago
  Im pretty sure wild boards will have the same Disney-decency you have and wait till you died in pieces. Okay, they might snack a little, to pass the time- just the little parts. They certainly do that with those suicides who hang themselves in the woods. Seriously, take at least some cyanide with you, to get it over quickly.
- enriquto 8y ago
  Of course, for that you have to tell people about your immediate plan. If you simply "disappear", this will likely trigger a very expensive rescue expedition that will find your freshly dead corpse, and it will ruin your Viking funeral.
- protomyth 8y ago
  I'll recognize when my time is coming and be able to just wander off into the woods or something and die that way, with my body left where it drops. Please don't do that. It sucks seriously for the people who have to go find you when the missing person report is filed, and it really, really sucks for the "doesn't know what is going on" person who finds your body. Predators are not exactly 100% effective.

starbeast 8y ago

I'd go for Diogenes of Sinope's request of what to do with his body after death: To be left outside with a stout stick, so my corpse can either be eaten by dogs, or fight them off should it find this upsetting.

tomjen3 8y ago

That is funny, my only instruction is to dispose of me in such a way that those who cared about me can be close to the grave. To me a headstone or other grave marking is a way to help those who grieve the loss. Can you explain why you don't want one?