Cemetaries. What do you think about them?
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My mother worked for and ultimately ran one for 50 years. I can see both sides. Religion plays a big role.
As Michiganherd said, people are dying to get in and no customer has ever complained. I heard every joke known to man growing up, as you can imagine.
Another waste of space are the huge cloverleaf intersections on the Interstate system. USDOT has been debating that for 40 years. Sell it ? How do you provide safe access/egress?
As Michiganherd said, people are dying to get in and no customer has ever complained. I heard every joke known to man growing up, as you can imagine.
Another waste of space are the huge cloverleaf intersections on the Interstate system. USDOT has been debating that for 40 years. Sell it ? How do you provide safe access/egress?
My dad said people are always dying to get into cemetaries.
Seriously, every time we passed one. Got old, of course, but now I say it to my kids.
Seriously, every time we passed one. Got old, of course, but now I say it to my kids.
I like the process of seeing my fathers resting place, but I also like that my best friend (small urn) will always be a part of my home.
As for me, I'm really not sure what I want. But I do think at some point, cemetaries are going to be a problem.
As for me, I'm really not sure what I want. But I do think at some point, cemetaries are going to be a problem.
But the thing is, once they become a problem what do you do? Do you dispose of a bunch of corpses? Even ten generations down the line there will probably be some people complaining "That's my great great great great great great great great grandfather, you can't desecrate his grave."
Makes me think of the catacombs under Paris. Pretty weird but substantial impact.
But you're right, it's a tough call any which way. I wouldn't want my fathers grave disturbed. Many cemetaries in WV are having issues, as ground shifts cause cracks in tombstones and naturally disturb the graves.
That's another issue. First, when does a grave convert from a place of meaningful memories for descendants to a meaningless waste of land holding a body of someone nobody knows or cares about? And second when does a meaningless waste of land holding a body of someone nobody knows or cares about convert to having historical meaning because it's been so long since the person died?
Obviously it takes a long time to become meaningful history but OTOH if we found a cemetery thousands of years old we wouldn't say "Let's dig these up and use this land for something important." We'd want to preserve it as history and try to learn about the people simply because they lived so long ago.
My grandfather and uncle had a farm out in Ritchie county. In the middle of one of the hills was an old family cemetery, I used to hike up there all the time and look. There weren't many gravestones but I recall the oldest having been from 1860-something. It was interesting.
Overall, I think they are a waste of space, but then I think that if the cemetery wasn't there that the land would probably be used for another strip mall or a McDonalds anyway, so maybe it's not such a waste afterall.
When a bug would splat on the windshield, my Gramps would say "He won't have the guts to do that again."
Upon thinking about this I wonder about the legalities with cemeteries. Who owns a cemetery and how long are they bound to keep the bodies buried? Are the legally bound to keep the in perpetuity?
Presumably the cemetery owner makes money by selling plots of land. But as a cemetery becomes full and there are fewer and fewer plots to sell they must make less money. And they still have to pay to cut the grass and whatnot. It seems there would come a time, when the cemetery is full, that owning it is a money loser since there are no more plots to sell.
Presumably the cemetery owner makes money by selling plots of land. But as a cemetery becomes full and there are fewer and fewer plots to sell they must make less money. And they still have to pay to cut the grass and whatnot. It seems there would come a time, when the cemetery is full, that owning it is a money loser since there are no more plots to sell.
Considering I had one foot in the grave and the other one on a banana peel 4 years ago, I may donate my remains to science fiction.