Would you prefer to be buried or cremated?

[givemepastaplease]

I have thought about this a lot and I really don't know what I want and the pros and cons of each option. I really want to make a decision and tell my husband and children so they know for whenever the time comes (hopefully in many, many years) rather than them not knowing and having to make that decision for me. So I've come on here to ask - which would you prefer and why?

I honestly don't care, I'll be dead. Whatever is preferred by the family I leave behind I suppose.

Buried 100%. In fact technically I already have a place in a plot, with other family members. However I am now fully non contact with them and I live 250 miles away so obviously that will no longer be happening. However I fully intend to look into buying a plot in a Catholic cemetery when I can, if possible. So I know that when the time comes I can definitely be buried. Personally I don't like cremation at all. I prefer to go to the cemetery where the person is buried because I know that persons body is actually there, not just their ashes. I take comfort from going to the graves of my family and taking flowers. And I hope that my family will do the same for me when the time comes.

I feel very strongly about having a direct cremation with no funeral. The way I view things, anyone who means anything to me and visa versa, will see me whilst I'm alive, rather than weep over me after my death, possibly and probably having not seen me in several years. I've never really got funeral's and wakes.

There is no way I'm leaving my bones rattling around, I want to be burnt to a cinder

I used to think I wanted to be cremated, but apparently it's something of an environmental nightmare, so now I'm not sure.

I quite like the idea of an 'air burial', where your nearest and dearest carry you to a high place, leave your exposed corpse to the elements and the scavengers.

They then retire to lower ground to tell stories of your life until your bones have been picked clean, at which point, they are recovered and stored in orderly catacombs, catalogued by an ancient bone keeper.

That sounds efficient to me.

Cremated for me. Ever since I watched the Edgar Allan Poe film about the wife being sealed up in the wall...
But whatever you decide, please make sure it's written down somewhere. I've had to make some difficult decisions over the last couple of years. It's not like there were massive family arguments about it, but with a sudden death in particular, it's such a shock and it would have been a comfort to know what my loved one wanted - and one less decision to make at a terribly difficult time.

Definatly cremated.I would like to be made into a diamond as well, but I do not want my family fighting over who gets it.
Not buried, I live opposite a cemetery which is becoming unkempt and neglected thanks to local council.We often walk the dog through it and believe me there are loads of neglected graves.

I wish there was an option to be fed to zoo animals or turned to cat food or something.

I've signed up to donate my body for medical research. After they've finished with my corpse, I will be cremated and my ashes scattered in a woodland burial area.
If they don't want me, I'll be cremated and my ashes will be scattered on my local beach.
I quite fancy being used for police forensic work but can't find any where to sign up for it.

Cremated. It’s cheaper. I’d prefer a direct cremation and a party/pub night out but I understand that the actual funeral has more to do with my loved ones than me so I’ll leave it in their hands.

I absolutely do not want to end up in an urn so they’ve been told to scatter and not put me on a mantelpiece. Somewhere by the sea preferably.

I want the whole burning Viking longboat wossname, because it would be cool.

Definitely don't want to be buried - I'm looking forward to a nice peaceful time being dead and I don't want to have to get up again come the zombie apocalypse!

Not bothered as long my organs are donated to save lives or for science. A body is of little concern to me if I'm dead.

@WhoWants2Know

I wish there was an option to be fed to zoo animals or turned to cat food or something.

Ooh! I wish there was a 'tiger snack' option.

Scottish Isles we've got a few, best be more specific dude!

If it's in any way useful then I'd like my body to be donated to science, other than that who cares really. I'll have no more use for my body and the nitrogen cycle can have at it either way.

Cremated. I don't understand the concept of visiting a grave, that won't be where I am. If people are going to reflect and remember me they can just do it if I come to their mind for whatever reason ie. they might remember me when they are drinking champagne, because I enjoy doing that :-)

My mum was cremated and her ashes are in a small plot in a local churchyard. So many of the headstones have been flagged up as un safe so it looks like over the years remaining family members have moved away or died. My aunty still visits the grave of her father, mother and baby daughter but I can't see any of us keeping it up when she no longer can. I'd like it done as cheaply as possible as I know how expensive they can get and I think they're horrendous amount of money. Having said that, I probably should start looking at a funeral plan. The thought of my son having to find the money to pay for it when I go is awful.

Buried. I think it’s more natural- back to the earth to be fertiliser for plants to grow and give life to something else.

However I know exactly where I would like to be buried and if there is no plots when my time comes I would like to be cremated and my ashes buried with my brother (who passed away 24 years ago this year).

"Burial is natural and simply returning to the earth"

Wow. That is powerful.

Most of my family were cremated and it upsets me a bit to think they were never skeletons for some reason.

I think i would like to be a skeleton but worry as my teeth gave lots of crowns and would look odd.

Cremated. I've got a thing about walking away from graves after burials, it feels wrong putting a loved one into the ground and then walking away. I always want to shout "but we can't just leave them there!" That's just me though, I bet many others feel the same about the crematorium.

Natural Organic Reduction aka being composted is my preference. Then having compost-me donated somewhere to replenish soil sounds really nice to me.

If that's not yet available in the UK before I die, my 2nd preference is a burial in a local woodland burial area with a native tree marker (and maybe a stone one too, that I'm undecided on).

For me, what's left of me having some use is important to me, even though it's more expensive. The environmental benefits - or at least reduction in detriment - has some appeal, but mainly I want what's left of me to be useful. Also, not a big fan of fire.

For my family, I keep a Later Life Consideration document that has my wishes (and what I definitely do not want) in latter life and after death. There are a lot of planning documents and things like Go Wish to organize thoughts on it.

For funerals, I looked at my local funeral homes for options and added things of interest so it's all in one place for them. I alter it occasionally, and have it marked on my calendar to reprint a copy to keep with my will if I make any changes.

Cremated for sure. It feels me with horror to think I'll be laying underground in a box.

Watching the Alfred Hitchcock's Final Escape 1985 confirmed that for me

@LadyJaye

I used to think I wanted to be cremated, but apparently it's something of an environmental nightmare, so now I'm not sure.

I quite like the idea of an 'air burial', where your nearest and dearest carry you to a high place, leave your exposed corpse to the elements and the scavengers.

They then retire to lower ground to tell stories of your life until your bones have been picked clean, at which point, they are recovered and stored in orderly catacombs, catalogued by an ancient bone keeper.

That sounds efficient to me.

Like a prehistoric long barrow? I used to struggle to understand that (especially the evidence that bones were handled and moved around for many years after the person had died) and then I watched what elephants do when they encounter elephant bones and it made sense to me.

I kind of like the idea but think I was born into the wrong culture. We're still too busy pretending we are all immortal.

That's interesting babbles