This is the only life I have and I plan to cherish it and make it the absolute best life I could have. but what I do not care about is what happens to 'me' once my body no longer functions. Not to be morbid, but amid the Burr Oak Cemetery scandal; where employees have been accused of digging up graves and reselling the plots for a profit, I could not help but think about my body's final resting place.Understanding there are religious and moral implications to how my body is treated in death, I still can not bring myself to care about what was to happens. The only thing that makes me think twice is the respect I have for my loves ones. If a funeral where they see my casket go into the ground helps with their grief, okay. If having a grave to go to helps, okay. But contrary to the opinion of Chicago Sun-Times columnist, Mary Mitchell, it is not a nightmare nor would it be if I found out my great grandparents grave (or anyone older than that) had been removed and the plot resold.
Once a grave is left or abandoned by family, what is its purpose? Hasn't enough respect been paid or must a reminder of you truly be left for an eternity? Once my grave site is not being visited and/or used as a source of strength for those who remember me and were influenced by me, you can get rid of it. I promise I will not be writing a letter to anyone as a form protest. There is entirely too much reverence paid to the dead, I understand it's about showing respect and honoring their memory, but how many of those folks already 6 feet under received as much respect while alive? I'm betting not many.At a press conference the Rev. Jesse Jackson proclaimed, "There should be a special place in hell these graveyard thieves," but why? Sure the execution of their plan was horrendous, as they allowed human remains to scatter about, but who are the victims? The dead? Get this, they're already dead! And seeing as the graves that had been dug up were seemingly forgotten and all the respects and grieving that was to be done for this person has passed, making these victimless 'crimes'.
With better execution a plan like this would merely be a savvy business move, seeing as it netted the culprits nearly $300,000. Assuming my audience respects the dead much more than I, let me hear it. Spirited debate has been pretty absent as of late and I know I'm in the minority here.
2 comments:
While i agree that entirely too much attention is paid to the dead in our society...u couldnt be more wrong.
The fact is, the people who dug up and sold these graves are in the business of providing permanent resting places for people's loved ones. If after a certain amount of time, you're going to just dig up my grave and sell it....then why don't I just bury my loved ones in my backyard.
I don't care if it's a hundred years after they've died, final resting places should be final, especially if I'm paying for it.
Secondly, to do what the people at Burr Oak did is even more unacceptable because it was deceiptful. It's not as if they notified anyone, they just dug shit up and resold it as if nothing was ever there.
There is weighted emotion when dealing with matters of the dead because any matter associated witha lost loved one will bear the tremendous intesity of their death, regardless. It's not earth shattering what they did, but it's a simple case of right and wrong
i had the same stance as the above author before reading the blog. but after reading the blog i came to a certain understanding the the author of the blog. although i just think its my own personal attitude towards death, the afterlife, and what should be done with bodies, religion, etc. this is prolly why im in the minority. i plan to have my body cremated. no sense in wasted space, and wasting away in a lay of land. i would rather be in a jar, close to my family. if people want to honor me, and remember me, and cherish my memory. then keep me close, and have me around.
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