Death
is a messy business. It's a business that some dedicate their livelihoods to
dealing with.
Morticians
strive to make the passing of a loved one a seamless process, even if it is a
difficult one. However, it's important to understand the cremation vs burial
pros and cons to make a final decision.
When
making a decision for someone else, it's best to respect their wishes as much
as possible. But for those considering their own future, these are the points
to consider.
Cremation vs Burial Pros and Cons
It's
important to note that for both processes, utmost care is taken to respect the
remains. Both methods offer opportunities for viewings, services, and the like.
Cremation
It's
easy to think of cremation as being a modern invention but it's been around a
long long time. While some cultures are well known for taking steps to preserve
remains, others were more concerned with ideas of releasing the spirit.
Even
so, like more traditional burial, cremation methods have kept up with
the times offering alternatives in technique and energy consumption.
Pros
The
cost of cremation vs burial is the easiest pro. A cremation costs as little as
one-third of a burial.
Cremations
provide remains that surviving family can split up as they want. Remains can
also be converted into jewelry or even start boxes for trees.
A
cremation service is easier to plan and bring people together. Dealing with the
initial remains doesn't need to fit a tight timeframe. Ship or transport ashes
and create satellite services.
Cons
Cremation
isn't without its impacts. The energy needed to consume a body is intense.
Crematoriums also invest in high-end filters to keep toxic heavy metals,
particularly mercury, from being pumped into the atmosphere from fillings and
the like.
Burial
For
some, burial is the only option. Religions such as Jewish Orthodoxy and Islam
don't allow for cremations.
Burial
options include gravestones or markers in a public cemetery, a private plot, or
a vaulted mausoleum.
Pros
Most
people have an idea of what a burial service looks like and that includes
viewings and an internment ceremony. These options also exist for cremation but
often in an altered form. Not seeing a
loved one a final time is difficult.
A
specific resting place makes a visit to the memory a special occasion. Burials
also allow for an area to be planned and upgraded over time.
Ecologically,
cremation vs green burial comes out on the side of burial for ecological
harmony.
Cons
The
biggest con with burial is the space it takes up. For years, articles expressing this concern paint a bleak picture of
this coming day.
Outside
of cremation costs vs traditional burial costs for the remains themselves,
there is the travel and planning to consider. For a burial, you need everyone
to gather at a specific place.
Services
also need to be scheduled and compete with inclement weather.
Consider it
Planning
ahead is the best way to make certain that the weight of the cremation vs
burial pros and cons comes out how you want.
For
any given pro, there is a con to think about. For each con, there is mitigation
to look into. Consider your options and discuss them with family.
For
more on this and similar topics, check out some other articles.
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