Respect for the Dead? Graves vs No Graves

This may be considered a very personal topic for some. For those who participate, think out your responses clearly before posting, especially if this is a meaningful topic for you.

All over the world we, the living, set aside vast areas of land so that we can put down a spot for the deceased. In some cases, hundreds of years later, we can still see the names and dates of the departed whose loved ones may no longer be visiting their graves.

Should we remove these graves or leave them? Should we continue to rip out pits of soil so that we can put in grand caskets complimented by a stone with an engraved epitaph that marks these areas? Should cremation become a requisite if we continue to run out of space for paying our respects to the dead? Should we sacrifice the rituals we conduct to pay our repects or shall we be a little more conservative?

We don't live forever, and the Earth is not unlimited in space. What should we do and why? Please share your thoughts on this matter.

 

Whilst I agree there is a lot of land being used for Cemeteries and that the Earth has not got limited space, I think it should be left to personal choice. I don'tt hink it would be right to make cremation a pre-requisite, burials etc are a way for those left behind to create the final footprint their loved one will make, if they choose burial so be it, if they choose other then again so be it. I am a realist and I realise there is limited space but then I would hate to bury a loved one, give them their final resting place knowing that in a few years they would be removed to make way for another. There needs to be more efficient management instead of resorting to ripping out graves (this already happens in some places).


Lol thats my 2 cents I guess :) quite tricky to answer actaully

 

Well, the entire population of the planet could fit in Texas. The current population anyway. That leaves space for...a lot of dead people. Humans don't take up that much room, either does graveyards. And the people that have been there for hundreds of years, we should leave them there.

I personally am very emotional when it comes to memories. Whenever I am about to leave a place forever, as in, I'm very certain I will never return, always, I mean always, write "Travis was here", on something that will not bedestroyed or removed. I want to be remembered, and I don't even want people to remember me as a person. I want be to see "Travis was here", and wonder who I was, where I came from, if I'm still alive. That wondering comforts me, kinda makes me feel like I left a mark on the world. If I were to die, I would want a grave,a dn one that would last hundreds of years. It would make me feel important, like i made a difference. Wether that difference be the fleeting thoughts of a child from hundreds of generations after I'm gone, or wether it be a friend of mine that outlived me. I go to the cemetaries outside the city very often with my friends, just to look at the graves and see the people. See the names, and it makes me feel good, like I'm paying respect, like even though I know there's no heaven, I making that perosn who died so long ago, suddenly awake from something and go "Someone's remembering me...even though I died so very long ago."

As it is, humans don't have respect for anything until it's gone. Just like people have no respect for others until they're dead. If we take away gravestones, we take away that person. We erase them from history, we respected them for a short period of time after death, and them we no longer have respect for them. I would hate that...

 

I do the write my name thing too! I never want to be forgotten, so I completely know where you are coming from, hmmm I never thought of graves like that though, thats interesting actually, and a nice thought.

 

Just a note: Cremation can actually be your ashes placed in an urn with all of the appropriate memoriam written on the surface.

I suppose what bothers me most about a cemetary is that some people insist on having grandiose crypts all to one person (there are about ten in the cemetary near my home, where were the crypt to be converted into living space it would be enough room to be a presidential hotel suite).

For some reason I think having your name and last words written somewhere vs having a casket with your body along with it seems rather excessive for memory's sake.

 

I think they should keep them, sicne some people like myself like going up to random graves and reading who's there, even if I don't know them, I do that mainly out of respect from the dead

 

I think there should be a choice. My parents were both cremated and theirs ashes scattered, but we had a memorial plaque for them. It is small and tasteful, but it is a lasting reminder that we love them.

There is room and some beliefs only allow burial as far as I know so this should also be catered for. I don't agree with massive crypts. Space should be thought about.

Here there are a lot of graves from the 1800's. They are damaged and no-one bothers with them. These are sometimes moved to the sides and the land used as open public grass. It looks sad though.

 

i think that there should be marked graves definitely, as a lasting physical memory of the person, i remember being taken to graveyards every so often to tend the grave of my grandmother or my fathers god mother and i would sometimes wander and read some of the other graves, sometimes i even cried especially when reading the ages......
with size i think that the normal rectangle shape is enough, building a large crypt is just pretentious, a simple inscription on a tombstone is enough to convey the relatives love for the dead.
cremation shouldnt be compulsory, ever. it comes down to the personal decision of the family or the deceaseds wishes. something like that should never be forced.

 

graves

graves i think it's respect ful to put the im graves or turn them to ashs:) :) :) :) :) :p :p :p :p

 

i really don't know this one. i can see both sides. u do want to respect the dead but there are better uses for that land as well like farming. not only that, we could use the bodies as fertilizers but no one would prolly do that. but then again, after about 50 years of dying, i doubt anyone will ever remember u again becuz everyone u knew would likely have died themselves or moved on. it's sad, that no one will remember us after a while

 

Then again, i you wait long enough guys, there's no grave to dig up, thebody has disolved and the gravestone will have broken or something. It only takes a few hundred years...=D

 

I agree 100% with the above paragraph.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

 

well.....i can see both sides here but i'm PRETTY sure that at least 10 bodies will be buried before we wait those hundreds of years for that one body to decompose

 

I know Evilman...I was being sarcastic...XD

 

oh, lol. ok, i didn't see it at all. lol when i'm sarcastic, i do this

[sarcasm] choclate milk is the WORST drink in the world [/sarcasm].

god, i wish there were sarcasm tags, lol.

 

It's weird, but there are some cultures that don't incorporate the burying of the dead into their culture. In some tribes the bones are used for tools and other things so that the deceased continues to "contribute" to the tribe in the afterlife. A certain hindo sect in India happens to drink from the skulls of the dead, believing that they can gain their strength and intelligence. I think it's interesting how various cultures respect the dead. If it's custom, let it be.

 

well....i see why they would do that and i see how it can be a good thing. but most ppl would prolly think it's disrespectful

 

Well the point is that respect, like all frivolous perceptions of humanity, is relative. Like I said, if it's a cultural custom, or just a custom in general it should be allowed to be done. Of course there are many ethical exceptions, but it all depends.

 

personally i dont see what the harm would be in letting people, people should always have the right to do these things if they want to, you cant just say "everyone has to be cremated" (sp?) sigh its the same with a lot of things (that all get talked about here......)

 

This is only my view, I am sorry if I have offended anybody.

I do not think there is a point in keeping loved ones buried for many reasons. First, the people who loved that person should make a plaque dedicated to their loved one and kept in their garden or house instead of showing it to the world this way they know that the memory of their loved on ewill be taken care of. Second, though humans take up only a small part of the world the areas of the graveyards only increase and never decrease. Another reason is, the body of the loved one will only rot and memories of a loved ones alive are better than ones dead. Finally, paying respect to the dead is no use only respecting the memory is honourable.
When I die I know that their will be people who know me and miss me but I would rather they remember by the good times rather than my death it would bring me joy if that would happen because then i know I have always lived a good life.