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> At the end of the day, every living thing on this planet - every tree, every plant, every mushroom, every fish, every insect and every mammal dies and is eate

> At the end of the day, every living thing on this planet - every tree, every plant, every mushroom, every fish, every insect and every mammal dies and is eaten. Except humans. Humans cremate their corpses. While we might get into a debate about whether some forms of life somewhere on Earth technically consume your scattered ashes, it's quite the distance from hitting you on the head until you die and then chewing on your flesh.

cercatrova 5y ago
Cremation is relatively recent in human history (oldest record dating to 17,000 years ago), the vast majority of which we buried our dead who then decomposed/were eaten.
meristohm 5y ago
I prefer for my body to be eaten by other living things, big or small, and ideally in a way that doesn’t pollute the land and water too much (I accept the heavy metals and other toxins I have built up over the years will leech one way or another). I have no problem separating the dead body from the previously-living being, and I hope more people can adopt this view. This doesn’t mean I will stop handling dead bodies respectfully, at least as far as I see it. When I kill a fly or an ant I own the act, matter-of-fact without performative solemnity, and put the body in the compost to fuel further life. When I ask the vet to kill my dog I will be sad as this family member dies in my hands, and eventually the dominant emotion will be love and joy at all the good times we had together.
- shuntress 5y ago
  I would assume based on your comment that you're already aware of these [0] but if not, consider reading up on "Towers of Silence". It may interest you. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Silence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Silence
cheese_goddess 5y ago
Some cultures (some nations) cremate their dead. Others bury them. Some bury them in the soil, where they are eaten by soil organisms, some bury them in the sea where they are eaten by fish and some bury them in the air, where they are consumed by scavenging birds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Silence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Silence Relatedly, animals still kill many humans every year: > Philadelphia, February 28, 2018 -- A new study released in the latest issue of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine shows that animal encounters remain a considerable cause of human harm and death. Researchers analyzed fatalities in the United States from venomous and nonvenomous animals from 2008-2015. They found that while many deaths from animal encounters are potentially avoidable, mortality rates did not decrease from 2008-2015. The animals most commonly responsible for human fatalities are farm animals, insects (hornets, wasps, and bees), and dogs. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180228112528.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180228112528.h... Though most of the humans killed this way are not even eaten, which is arguably a waste. One reason is that many of the killer animals are herbivores, particularly cows: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cows-officially-most-deadly-large-animals-britain-a6727266.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cows-officia...

cercatrova 5y ago

Cremation is relatively recent in human history (oldest record dating to 17,000 years ago), the vast majority of which we buried our dead who then decomposed/were eaten.

meristohm 5y ago

I prefer for my body to be eaten by other living things, big or small, and ideally in a way that doesn’t pollute the land and water too much (I accept the heavy metals and other toxins I have built up over the years will leech one way or another). I have no problem separating the dead body from the previously-living being, and I hope more people can adopt this view. This doesn’t mean I will stop handling dead bodies respectfully, at least as far as I see it. When I kill a fly or an ant I own the act, matter-of-fact without performative solemnity, and put the body in the compost to fuel further life. When I ask the vet to kill my dog I will be sad as this family member dies in my hands, and eventually the dominant emotion will be love and joy at all the good times we had together.

shuntress 5y ago
I would assume based on your comment that you're already aware of these [0] but if not, consider reading up on "Towers of Silence". It may interest you. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Silence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Silence

cheese_goddess 5y ago

Some cultures (some nations) cremate their dead. Others bury them. Some bury them in the soil, where they are eaten by soil organisms, some bury them in the sea where they are eaten by fish and some bury them in the air, where they are consumed by scavenging birds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Silence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Silence Relatedly, animals still kill many humans every year: > Philadelphia, February 28, 2018 -- A new study released in the latest issue of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine shows that animal encounters remain a considerable cause of human harm and death. Researchers analyzed fatalities in the United States from venomous and nonvenomous animals from 2008-2015. They found that while many deaths from animal encounters are potentially avoidable, mortality rates did not decrease from 2008-2015. The animals most commonly responsible for human fatalities are farm animals, insects (hornets, wasps, and bees), and dogs. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180228112528.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180228112528.h... Though most of the humans killed this way are not even eaten, which is arguably a waste. One reason is that many of the killer animals are herbivores, particularly cows: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cows-officially-most-deadly-large-animals-britain-a6727266.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cows-officia...