Barbara Walters apparently once asked Katherine Hepburn what kind of tree she wanted to be. She was often mocked for this, but according to a wikipedia article, she was just following up on a comment by Hepburn that she would like to be a tree.
Well, now we can each decide what kind of tree we want to be after we die. Or at least what kind of tree we want to be buried under. A company in Italy is designing a pod that one can be buried in, which is then planted under a tree. Their idea is that instead of cemeteries being filled with stones, they can be filled with trees.
Capsula Mundi is planted like a seed in the soil, and on a tree is planted on top of it. The tree is chosen when the person is alive, relatives and friends look after it when death occurs. A cemetery will no longer be full of tombstones and will become a sacred forest.
Whether you want to be planted under a tree, buried in a traditional cemetery, cremated, or sent to a forensic anthropology body farm – the important thing is to make sure you family knows what your wishes are. We are all going to die someday, and someone is going to have to figure out what to do with our earthly remains. They will be dealing with enough stress at the time; anything you can do to make their decision easier is a friendly thing to do.
Ms. Hepburn wanted to be an oak. I’m not sure yet what kind of tree I’d want to be, which is ok because the tree/pod burial is still in the development stages.
Sorry, comments are closed for this post.