Standing in the middle of a large grassy area just staring at the ground. What is he doing I wondered? Is he looking at something? You would think if that were the case that perhaps he would bend down to have a closer look. I waited but he continued to stare with his head bent to the ground as if he were in a trance of some kind. St Thomas has it's fair share of "special" people who live in group homes and other community settings and I briefly wondered if he was one of them. He seemed to be a man in late middle age and so I considered alzheimers. I was just mystifed and now even a little concerned for him. I actually considered stopping my car to study him further and perhaps even approach him, when he finally lifted his head and trudged slowly away.
And then I finally clued in .....as I passed the gates of the cemetery. It was one of the types that don't allow headstones, only plaques set into the ground.
While many people would surely disagree with me I just can't seem to get my head around the concept of cemeteries. Who dreamt that up? Put a corpse in a box, bury it in the ground and then erect a monument on top of it. The one and only way I can see the value of burial is if you put the corpse directly in the ground where it can at least provide nourishment for the plants and the grubs, and perhaps the odd ambitious coyote.
But the real question I have about cemeteries is not the burial part but the visiting part. What good does it do to go there and stare at the little plaque, or the big headstone for that matter? I suppose for some it is a way of grieving; of coming to terms with the reality of a loved ones passing. Or for others perhaps it is a reminder of their owm mortality. And for still others there is probably strong religious overtones associated with the idea; a method of prayer perhaps. Personally cemeteries don't do any of these things for me and I think they should all be ploughed and turned into farmland.
Oh, and the next time I hear about some ancient sacred burial ground that someone is claiming to own I'm gonna go there and throw a few stones at someone.
"When I am dead and buried, on my tombstone I would like to have it written, "I have arrived." Because when you feel that you have arrived, you are dead."---Yul Brynner
"He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery."---Harold Wilson
love
peter
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Another good post old man. I have to add that even though I have no religious connection whatsoever, I often do enjoy going to visit our parents at the cemetary. I often speak to them as if they were still here listening to me. Sometimes I thank them for everything they have done for me. Other times, I brag to them about some accomplishment of my children, or lament that they didn't have much opportunity to know them. I also quite enjoy tending the garden there, but the one thing that always happens when I am there is that I THINK about them, and I always enjoy that.
I am sure I could do this anywhere, but as they are so handy to me, this works for me.
Love Old John
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