The Industry of Death and it’s Anti-Environmentalism
One of the major questions we concern ourself with is “where will we go when we die?” This question is often one that is a search for existential meaning and comfort, and commonly results in people turning towards religion. We think of heaven, returning to the universe or the collective conscious, and being reunited with lost love ones. Rarely do we consider the fact that our bodies are made to and will decay, to return to the material earth in which they were born.
Our inherent relationship with nature is one of give and take. As the earth provides us with all that is needed for life, our bodies decompose to provide nutrients for all other beings. Our bodies are meant to participate in the cycle of life, one that takes life and will give life back.
Yet, the thought that our bodies could decompose and be eaten by worms and other “lowly” bugs or beings is disgusting to us. The image of our bodies stinking and covered in bugs and mold disgusts us, and rightfully so, as this disgust is rooted in the desire to survive. It is hard for us to comprehend the life our material bodies will provide beyond our own individual life.
I do not think that this disgust should be avoided, because this reaction can be born from survival instincts. Rather, I believe that part of this disgust is rooted in the focus on our detachment from nature, our discourse around the afterlife that neglects to explore our relationship to nature — and consider that in itself valuable , — as well as our dislike of the beings that assist in decomposition.
The culture that surrounds the separation from the environment and uses nature as profit is undoubtedly at play here as well.
This disgust of decay of our own bodies pushes us to take measures that protect our bodies from such. Some of these processes include cremation, caskets (that are then places in plastic caskets to be buried underground), and intense embalming processes that rely on environmentally harmful chemicals. An element of all of these is a stark and preserved separation from nature’s natural processes and the cycle of life.
Death has become a capitalist industry, rather than a natural process that situates us as in a relationship with nature.
In the United States alone, death is a 20 billion dollar industry. Funerals cost thousands of dollars, and so does the deceased (often decided upon before their death) chosen burial process. The cemeteries in which they are placed are heavily maintained too. Instead of letting natural plants grow, grounds are ripped up are reformed to be more aesthetically pleasing, grasses are overwatered even in droughts and mowed almost daily, and harmful chemicals are used to maintain pleasing plant color. These acts of maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the cemetery come at a cost to the environment in more ways than one.
We make profit off of our efforts to preserve our bodies, prevent decay, and maintain this separation from nature in halting the reciprocal relationship with the earth: one of giving and taking life. It is our disgust of the natural processes of decay and the natural world, coupled with this need to preserve our bodies and maintain their purity so that we can have a good afterlife.
Some believe that they cannot reach heaven unless their bodies are kept pure, even after their death. However, this notion highlights an underlining devaluing of nature, as it values heaven and places it as above nature or planet earth. Reaching heaven by keeping the body pure is more important than contributing to the reciprocal relationship with nature. Our culture that enforces a separation of nature only fuels this belief that heaven, or any idyllic afterlife type world, is better than what earth has to offer us. It is the true desired place, rather than here on earth.
It should come as no surprise that natural burials are much less common in the United States. Some are even illegal depending on the state that you live. One of the reasons I think that this is true is because these natural burials are much harder to keep in accordance with our aesthetic desires. Cemeteries would look much different if they were full of natural burials. They would look “wild” and less maintained.
When I was trekking in Sa Pa, Vietnam, I came across a burial site for one of the villagers. The grave struck me, because it was hidden in the rice hills, and was not noticeable until the guide pointed it out as a burial site. Instead of being placed in a cemetery they were dispersed throughout the hills and buried with no casket, allowing for decomposition.
This grave was much different than anything I had seen in the United States. It was no shock to me that this sort of burial came from a village that has a much different relationship to most people living in the United States. They are outside more and interacting more with nature, while the culture in the States and much of the Western world seeks to separate us from nature.
Our disgust of our own decay is natural, expected even. But I can imagine a world where we do not let this inhibit our contribution and participation in the reciprocal relationship that we have with nature. Nor limit our ability to engage in the beautiful circle of life, and give life to other beings, even the smallest of them. In order to reach this, one hurdle we must overcome is the deep rooted ideology that requests us to separate ourselves from nature and find profit within nature and from this separation.
Decay can be a beautiful process of change, if we are welcoming of all stages of life and death. I hope that by the time I am buried, I can be food for the plants, soil, worms, and bugs. I can think of worse places to end up.
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