Death is something rarely talked about and even more rarely ever seen. We view it through the eye of television programs like crime dramas or the news - safely kept at a distance that doesn't necessitate our having to deal with the real emotional issues at hand.
I pretended to die for a little while so I could snap this photo. Really, it probably doesn't look much different than if I'd have passed out drunk or taken a nap. The idea came to me after reading an article in Slate about the greenest way to go. I know I may not have absolute control over what happens to me when I die, but does my dead body have to be a burden on the environment?
If you don't have time to read it, basically your body leaves a carbon footprint, obviously, that can be reduced or enhanced depending upon your method of disposal. Embalming leaves a greater environmental risk than natural burial, and standard 6-foot graves can cut off needed oxygen and cause your decomposition to release methane gas.
Of course cremation is a possibility, but what I'm more interested in is a process called promession. Essentially, you frozen by liquid nitrogen and shattered to pieces - yes, Terminator-style. Your coarse ashes can then be placed in a small container and buried beneath a sapling or bush to become living soil. Cool, huh?
And while all the details aren't yet sorted out, I've already made one decision about my death. Like my grandmother who selected Morning Has Broken to played at her funeral, I've known for some time now what song I'd prefer be played. The YouTube link below is Beirut's After the Curtain. (*ignore the random amateur video - this is obviously not an official Beirut YouTube video)
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