Poll: Are Cemetaries a Waste of Space?

[Escapefromwhatever]

Devoting small plots of land to the emotional health of those who have survived their loved ones is not a waste. I am saddened that the yes option on the poll currently has more votes than no. Of course, this is coming from somebody who has lost a lot of loved ones, but it certainly makes it seem as if the Escapist community lacks compassion. Perhaps, if we were facing a large shortage of space, this question would be more relevant, but, at least in the United States, we have huge tracts of unused land. I cannot speak for other nations, but I doubt that they cannot spare a few acres for a cemetery here and there.

EDIT: Remember, people, logic and reason are very nice, but don't worship them. We're not vulcans, we do have emotions, and it is unhealthy and illogical to ignore them. We must take care of our mental health, and if you look at it that way, then cemeteries do serve a very important purpose.

 

[Jimmy_Mac]

So long as we made a giant computer with a gravestone sized screen that could store the names of the dead and simulate an image their gravestones, then I think we could get rid of cemeteries plus that means we can still bury the dead so long as we logged them in the computer.

Might make funerals a little odd though.

"Throw the body in the hole! Now if you'll come this way we can set up his account."

 

[Miumaru]

This is actually a tough one. On one hand it is a tradition and on the other hand bodies could fertilize the earth and save space.

Good thread dude...hmmm gotta think about this one.

They dont do any good though. If they were just put into the ground they might, but there is the coffin, and some are basically cemented in if I remember right.

It would be better if what use of the dead's remains could be used to aid the living, then the rest was either disposed of or put to other use. Some may go for it, some may already be commiting their body for that, but lots of people will object, either for religious reasons (which I never side with), or to feelings for their deceased, which I can understand, but why not let them be useful dead too?

And yes, I would allow my body to be used this way to benefit others.

 

[Interference]

While I understand the need to have somewhere to go to mourn someone's death, it would give me a massive Judge Dredd fandom trip if the dead of the world were sent to massive Resyk centres where they're broken down into useful chemicals.

 

[reinersailer]

When my time is over, i want to be buried naked and then plant an alder above my body, the rest is the job of the smallest members in life. So nothing is wasted.

 

[MazarTheMad]

No graves = No zombie burning/hacking/slashing ect.
it's as simple as that.
no more misplaced rage aganst the undead.
>_<

 

[Anezay]

This poll could easily be renamed "Are you a cold, emotionless bastard with no soul or heart?"
On a side note, I voted yes.
The dead don't need you to worry about their bodies. They don't care. They're dead. You may care, but it's not you in that box now, is it? Everyone has died, everyone will die. Eventually we'll run out of room to put all those boxes. If you need to remember someone, put their ashes on your mantle or something. You'll see it more often there anyway. Use useful land for useful purposes. Also, I am a terrible person.
While we're at it, let's get rid of all the various fields used for sports. Golf courses and football fields have got to be bad for the environment. They do, however, attract money. If you want exercise, go for a run around your town. That way you get exercise, and you get to know your town better. See all the interesting, um, cemeteries.

 

[Pegghead]

I like 'em around, they give good locations for horror films, they're quite peaceful, mourners can go to them.

 

[Superhyperactiveman]

Just cremate the bodies. You can give them a place of honor in your home and you don't have to worry about dumbass teenagers in the cemetary desecrating your loved ones. It happens...

 

[Daniel_Rosamilia]

Wow... Really touch discussion here...
Phew, I;m going to have to go with most people have said, because it makes sense.
Get rid of the graveyards, unless they're for people that have really contributed good to society/humanity, or soldiers.

With my body, donate the organs, burn everything else, then scatter the ashes near the Great Barrier Reef.

 

[Internet Kraken]

From a purely logical standpoint, yes they are a waste of space. Dead people don't need any sort of special accommodations, and there corpses could be used for effective purposes rather than simply burying them in the ground. The resources invested into building and maintaining their graves is unnecessary.

However, not everything should be judged from a purely logical standpoint. This is one of those things. Cemeteries serve a very important purpose. They show respect to our departed. They remind us of those that have left us, and it helps people to keep them in mind. It helps prevent them from merely fading away. Plus they provide emotional comfort. People rest easy knowing that the bodies of their loved ones are in places we consider to be safe and holy.

So no, I wouldn't say they are a waste of space because they serve a good purpose. It's not like we have reached the point in our society where we desperately need all available space so the presence of cemeteries is a major burden upon society.

 

[ShotgunShaman]

Just because something isn't logical doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. A little ceremoniousness is healthy.

 

[Peteron]

They may seem like a waste of space to many. But honestly I would rather see an area dedicated to remembering the dead than a gas station or a supermarket. I have no problems with people burying their dead in that manner. I however, plan to have a viking burial. And you call something like that a waste of space when there are uneccesary amounts of fast food resturants and other stuff? Really? I could think of 1,000 other things I would remove before honoring the dead.

 

[revjay]

I'll be cremated and my ashes will, well hopefully be flushed or something because who wants a jar full of dead guy so yeah I'm not a fan of cemeteries.

 

[ShadowsofHope]

Well, either they are barracks for the first true undead apocalypse, or in more realistic terms.. Yes, yes they are. Especially when they get hit with flash floods, corpses being dragged out of their holes with flowing water and littering the ground.. rather an unpleasant sight, you know.

Personally, I just want my body to go to some science lab. I could give a fuck less about ever being buried. Whatever science doesn't want from me, burn. I won't have me becoming a zombie if I can help it, damnit!

 

[Chunko]

No, It brings people pleasure to be able to visit their deceased loved ones.

 

[RUINER ACTUAL]

How is a casket in the ground with a rock on top any better then burning the body and putting it somewhere? There is no point. It's symbolic retardation. We worry about where our body goes after we die, and there's people alive who have no place to live!

 

[Lamppenkeyboard]

I think that it makes sense. We should try to start preserving the space we have left though. Say we cremate corpses and put them in large multistory mausoleum buildings. Something practical such as that.

 

[KeyMaster45]

What we need to do is start cremating everyone, and if someone is required by their religion to bury their dead then do so on land owned by their religious group or themselves. If we keep giving everyone a grave we'll soon run out of room for houses, rainforests, libraries or even stores.

So yes, cemetaries are an objective waste of space (the use of objective meant to mean that it is not a waste of space from subjective views such as those of relevant religions).

Well, there's an easy solution to that space problem when it comes to housing. I think "Poltergeist" taught us the repercussions of that strategy though.

Spoiler: Exhibit A