Compost me when I die: The True Revolution.

That's right! Imagine billions of people, many of them useless eaters, who are so selfish even in death they must be pumped full nasty chemicals and sealed inside a metal box so that there's no chance of them giving back to the earth or their peers in death.

Then you have this word "revolution" being thrown around by endless millions of people, yet when the overwhelming majority of them die they'll be pumped full of embalming fluid, painted with oil derivative makeups, dressed in a fancy new polyester suit/dress, packed into a metal box, and sealed in with jewelry and other useful materials. Velvet line that casket: they can't even feel it's comfort!

You have people like Ray Kurzweil talk about the "computer revolution" when computers become smarter than humans and therefore dominate us, yet, a revolution is things going in a circle: a pattern that returns to an original state. The cycle of life!

The Cycle of Life is what makes the world go round, until we humans get involved, consume endless resources, and then in fear of worms turning us into compost we obsess over being embalmed.

Grow food from me!

Save the seeds!

Till me into a huge garden plot, and savor every bite of that produce. Save the seeds. Don't let my nutrients spoil in waste.

Or just bury me 6' under, just without all that embalming casket BS. Take taproot perennials that I have growing in containers in my garden, and plant them over me. Get berries and fruit every year. If that's more digestible then so be it, all I know is don't let me go to waste. I'm not that selfish, don't make me haunt you when I don't believe in ghosts.

We use stainless steel and aluminum to make caskets. Imagine the world without either resource. 100 years ago aluminum had about the same value as GOLD: but until then they didn't know how to utilize the most abundant metal on earth. When they realized how the price dropped. In modern days, stainless steel has become one of the biggest game changers in the human experience. Yet when I die I'm to suck up those resources while being embalmed to ensure there's no hope of me ever returning even a small fragment of everything I consumed my whole life?

Forget a casket, let my taproot Goji Berries be planted over me. Forget a tombstone, picking me every year is true appreciation. Forget flowers, just make sure I get enough water when it's dry for long periods.

I challenge any and all religious folks, show me where humans didn't come from the earth, and then how we're not supposed to return to it for the next cycle of life.


[edit on 27-7-2010 by IgnoranceIsntBlisss]

reply to post by IgnoranceIsntBlisss


I completely agree. There's only so much room in the ground for caskets, even if that is a hell of a lot of room. And you make an extremely good point when you say we don't give back to the Earth from whence we came...even after death we remain greedy and wanting to hold onto anything we can...I'm glad you made this post, I probably wouldn't even have considered this...I would've just been buried in a casket like everyone else without thinking twice about the true repercussions...besides, nothing lasts forever, all those buried people and their bones, and possessions, will inevitably degrade back into the most primal elements and go on to form into other things. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I had atoms inside me that were previously part another person, or even dino poop...isn't that something to think about...

[edit on 27/7/10 by CHA0S]

reply to post by CHA0S


Oh man you're so right! I hadn't even considered how we're all made of the same ancient matter. To horde that matter has to be the greatest of sins! Can anyone from any religion show otherwise?!?!!?

Taboo alert!

Damn ATS you're no fun with this one.

It's quite not like I'm proposing have the birds pick me apart raw like they do over in Tibet:
www.nepaltrips.com...

I could have said they'll be required to serve me up!!

reply to post by IgnoranceIsntBlisss


Yep, that's what I've always told the W. I said, honey, when I die, just cremate me and throw me in the compost bin. I spend much of my time gardening anyway, it seems appropriate. I hope the W does it. Says it'll happen. Of course, the W told me, it's a casket W wants when the time comes. Everyone's got their own choice. I have American Indian heritage so I also don't mind being food for the crows and buzzards, except it's a might messy. So I figured cremation works and composte likes some ashes.

peace

My husband and I both wish to donate our remains to the body farm when our time comes.

Hubby and I have cremation written into our wills, then scatter anywhere nice, or at the base of nice trees.

The idea of a flood or something floating up the bodies is one of the most undignified things that could happen after one dies. Or being dug up by graverobbers.

Also, if a disease of some sort is the reason for demise, fire will purify

Ive chosen cremation myself (not the half done stuff some of those cremations end up like in India, but a super high heat furnace)... the ash is good for the garden

Thing is who you calling a useless eater? ive only ever met a handful of people id 'almost' call that, but you make it out like so many are only good for one thing... fertilizer. Little rough

All my family are cremation also, id go with organ donation but some of the horror stories you hear of how some bodies are more or less cored out bones and all is rather disturbing, id like my corpse too at least be respected until it goes in the oven... not sure any of my organs are even that good enough anyway

So yeah, I agree, do the ground a favor... plain pine box and no embalming, or a stint in a furnace and scattered under the garden bushes. either way the matter your made up from gets recycled fairly quickly.