progress for the dead and the dying

Why is it illegal to NOT bury someone in a huge five thousand dollar coffin, in a plot of land that probally cost another five thousand dollars?

Im getting the feeling it is all about money, and little about 'safety'

"...Im getting the feeling it is all about money, and little about 'safety' .."

you have noticed , have you ?

i remember many years ago a 'plot salesman' cold calling on us .
he pointed out - on a map - the various plots available and the prices .
he said : "i'm sure you'd want one of the nicer (and pricier !) ones ; you'd want people to know that you've 'arrived' " .
we said : "we'll think about it " .
last week received an invitation by local funeral home INCLUDING FREE DINNER ! perhaps we should shop around for free dinners ?
hbg

Burial plans are contingent upon docile and cooperative suvivors.

The Undertakers of America Association has a lobby in Washington.

It is to protect groundwater from contamination. We may be 100% natural but rotting flesh has some nasties in it. The same reason we have liners in landfills.

from wiki :

"Natural burial
A growing trend in modern burial is the concept of natural burial. Popularised in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s, natural burial is being adopted in the United States as a method for protecting and restoring the natural environment.

With a natural burial, the body is returned to nature in a biodegradable coffin or shroud. Native vegetation (often a memorial tree) is planted over or near the grave in place of a conventional cemetery monument. The resulting green space establishes a living memorial and forms a protected wildlife preserve.

Natural burial grounds are also known as woodland cemeteries, eco-cemeteries, memorial nature preserves, or green burial grounds."

also :
"In Orthodox Judaism embalming is not permitted, and the coffins are constructed so that the body will be returned to the Earth as soon as possible. Such coffins are made of wood, and have no metal parts at all. Wooden pegs are used in the place of nails. Followers of the Islamic faith also prefer to bury their deceased so as not to delay decomposition. Normally, instead of using coffins the deceased are buried in a shroud, and the bodies of the deceased are not normally embalmed. "

from what i understand , 'natural' burials are perfectly acceptable - except in cases of of communicable diseases - , of course , the undertaker would likely have a different opinion .

how the heck did we get into this
hbg

...WIKIPEDIA...

Absolutly.
And i wont argue that one bit.
Kinda nasty to think that you could be drinking water that is coming from a burial ground.


But, why can we not bury our loved ones in specified areas with out all the hoopla of funeral homes, golden handled caskets, and huge pieces of concrete.... all wich take 12xs as long to decay then our bodies do?
ya know?

i think it is a wierd custom you ask me.

Like the character in the film "Kingdom Come" I've told my wife that when I die she should just bury me in the backyard and tell everyone I left her.

The burial vault is a health requirement intended to contain the nasty bits. The coffin and funeral are customs that date back centuries.

Blacksmithin, your idea reminds me of that old movie (with Bette Davis?) about a serial murderer burying all the dead bodies in the garden, which was exceptionally beautiful...

I can't remember the name of the movie! Anybody?

"...The burial vault is a health requirement intended to contain the nasty bits...."

been to jewish interment were no vault was used ; i believe jewish custom discourages use of vault (see wiki above also).
hbg