Why Choose Cremation Over Traditional Burial?

Today’s modern world has welcomed various ways to pay respect to our dead. There are green burials — a process in which the deceased’s body is buried underneath in a manner that aids in the conservation of natural resources. There’s also another method in which the deceased’s body is buried in an organic pod that would later on turn into a tree.

Among these various burial methods, there are two that stand out and remain as the most popular: Cremation and burial. Cremation is the process of burning the deceased’s body until such time that the body turns into ashes. As for the traditional burial, it includes the embalming, viewing, service and ultimately, the burial of the body in a designated place in the cemetery.

Here we discuss why people choose cremation over burial. This article may help you in making the final decision of how you want the departed to meet his/her end-of-life needs.

Cremation VS Burial

Below is a simple comparison of cremation and burial, as lifted from Cremation Source Organization:

• Some people respect the process of allowing the body to decompose naturally and consider cremation merely as hurrying the process while others believe that cremation denotes reverence.
• Cremation reduces the body to cremated remains within a matter of hours whereas traditional burial follows the process of slow and natural decomposition.
• Cremation is a simpler process that also helps save ground space, but it is not so in case of burial. Nevertheless, both are regarded as safe ways of dealing with the dead body.
• The cremated remains can be stored in a cremation urn and displayed on a shelf or mantle at home, scattered on land, scattered from the air by plane, floated on water, placed in a columbarium, buried in a burial plot (does not require a full-sized plot), or entombed in a crypt within a mausoleum. So, you can carry the cremated remains of the deceased with you if you are moving elsewhere but this not possible in case of burial.
• Cremation is a simpler process that also helps save ground space, but it is not so in case of burial. Nevertheless, both are regarded as safe ways of dealing with the dead body.

Why Choose Cremation?

Below are the some of the most common reasons as to why many have come to prefer cremation to burial.

Lower cost

Cremation eliminates such costs as embalming, cosmetizing, a viewing, and even the cost for a casket and a burial vault. Moreover, the cost of cremation urns is a lot cheaper than a memorial garden. “A cremation is no less dignified than a burial, but can save the bereaved family $1,000’s in funeral expenses.  Direct Cremations in Canada these days can start from as little as $695.00,” says Canadian Funerals. Since finances are usually the greatest concern,

More flexible

Cremation is also a lot more flexible than a traditional burial. This option allows families to choose funeral rites before the cremation, a memorial service after the cremation or a cremation without a service at all. This process also allows families to choose the best time to have the cremation. Traditional burials tend to follow a stricter schedule and have fewer options for families to choose from.

Protects the environment

Nowadays, more and more are becoming environmentally conscious. Traditional funerals have a tendency to be hazardous to the environment considering the chemicals used during the embalming process. It also tends to use more financial and land resources. Cremation on the other hand, ensures the safer option despite the process of burning. Fewer chemicals are used and the process doesn’t use the same chemicals as in embalming.

More personalized

These days, we like to personalize things. Just about every part of life, we want our identities and personalities to resonate. When it comes to paying respect to our dead, cremation offers a greater sense of customization. Once the body has been reduced to ashes, you have the full liberty as to how you want to deal with the ashes. Whether you want to keep it in an urn at home, throw the ashes to the sea or keep some of it in a locket necklace, you have full control and choice.

DNA protection

As for whatever reason living loved ones or the departed would have, cremation protects the body from any further use of the person’s DNA. The cremation process eradicates any form of the person’s DNA, which can provide a sense of relief and peace of mind to some.

Whichever of the two you may end up choosing, keep in mind that there is no right or wrong. Each of us has our own ways of paying our tribute and celebrating the life lived by our beloved deceased.