When I hear burn baby burn , I'm thinking of a disco inferno, but, for some folks, this phrase has them thinking about death.
According to The Cremation Association of North America, more and more baby boomers are considering cremation as their last rites over a ground burial. Although many Baptists view cremation as an unacceptable destruction of the body, some 37 percent of Americans say they would like to be cremated after they die.
Research also shows that people who would prefer cremation tend to be well-educated, earn higher-than-average incomes, and reside in Western boomtowns and Sunbelt retirement communities far from their birthplace. Psychographic surveys show that they share a socially progressive agenda, supporting issues like doctor-assisted suicide and the legalization of marijuana. Most choose cremation for the convenience, the lower cost, or to help preserve land.
Some Funeral Home Directors say they are finding that many people now live away from their family and they feel it's easier to be cremated and have their remains sent to another part of the country. With people living longer, they have more time to direct their children as to what they want to do. And they consider that cremation involves fewer decisions for their family.
But even in cremation--you can go out in style. At one funeral home in Raleigh, NC a family can sit in a softly lit viewing room and watch through a window as their loved one enters the cremation chamber. If relatives want to, they can say prayers and scatter flowers over the body before the metal door closes, or even push the button to move the body along.
So what do you think? Have you decided whether you want to be cremated or buried after you die?
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3 comments:
Touchy subject, Bev, that many people do not like to think about. My fundamentalist background kept me from considering this option for years. But as I get older, I realize that the old phrase "dust to dust" means something. Today I am strongly considering this option--if for no other reason than the insanely high cost of funerals. Plus I would rather my family have a memorial service, playing Jimmy Buffett, Bob Marley, and the Eagles and remember all the fun we had together than some stuffy sad funeral presided over by someone who didn't even know me.
Pat,
Nate and I went to S.C. a few weeks ago to finalize burial preparations for his mother (in advance). We learned she paid for her mausoleum more than 20 years ago for just around $2,500. Today, she would have to pay close to $10,000!
As much as I don't like discussing the subject, I know its one Nate and I will have to discuss eventually. And yes, I could definitely groove to some Eagles. My dad was a huge Eagles fan. Favorite song: "Take it Easy"
I'm with Pat for the memorial service music. Good choices!
I have no religious objections to cremation and have always planned to be cremated if I outlived my parents, because they would have had a hard time accepting cremation.
The other choice I would consider is a green funeral--either no casket at all or a natural wood one that will decompose. All that talk about a concrete vault that will keep the water out, etc., just creeps me out. Let me gently go back to the earth.
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