The Benefits of Cremation

Posted by Regine Louise Mendoza on August 4, 2022

The entropy of a loved one’s life is an unfortunate event that must be normalized, still. After all, immortality is but a myth–everyone dies, only at a time that remains unpredictable and unknown. But since the fact itself is established to be certain, there should be no shame in opening discourses about what happens next when someone lies on the death bed already. As the most recalled notion says: “failing to plan is planning to fail.” Basically, as absurd as it sounds, one must define the series of actions to take when a particular event transpires. Doing so can save one a lot of time and prevents him from wasting any of the resources at hand.

With this, there have been two prominent ways of concluding a loved one’s funeral for the longest time–by the conduct of a burial service or cremation. The former is an option where the deceased, who is placed inside a coffin, is placed six feet under the ground as his final resting place. On the other hand, the latter offers to burn the remains of the departed to dispose of the same–this process turns the biological body into ashes, which can be brought by his loved ones to their preferred spot at home or cemetery, among others. The main driver that determines which among the two is selected is the personal choice of the deceased’s immediate family.

But to give more emphasis to cremation, numerous benefits can be derived from choosing the said option. Here are five of them:

1. Time Efficiency

To start, the process of cremation requires a shorter time for its completion. The majority of the hours will be attributed to the actual process of burning the deceased’s body, but there are not much of preliminary or incidental actions that must be done to ensure that it has rendered its finality. By asserting this choice explicitly before a person dies, then settlements will be less burdensome for the end of his loved ones since they already had an idea as to what to plan for ahead of time. 

On the other hand, a burial service requires attending to the need of finding a spot in the cemetery that is within the family budget and is preferred by the departed’s loved ones. Moreover, making and designating the tombstone can be a pretty hectic task if the worker delegated to do the same is not properly picked–at the very last memory of the person who passed away, a bit of a hassle can still be encountered. 

2. Affordability

            Another benefit that can be derived from choosing cremation over burial service as the form of the funeral is its affordability. Since most of the expenses will have to go to the incineration procedure alone, saving up for other cost items such as the preferred repository of the ashes can be made possible. This is very unlikely for the option of burying the deceased’s remains in the ground–buying the lot itself is a bit more costly, alongside the materials and labor that are needed to consummate the process. 

Also, most ceremonies that precede the actual burial involve a solemn event after a mass, so these add up to the list of considerations to be made when going with this choice. 

3. Convenience in the Long Run

            Also, an evident comparative advantage of the cremation process over the burial service is the convenience that it causes for the family of the bereaved in the future. Apart from the fact that electing this option only demands fewer resources, the loved ones of the deceased are less likely to meet any form of hassle after the funeral ceremony is over. Specifically, it aids in saving spaces within cemeteries. On certain occasions such as the celebration of All Soul’s Day–or even a simple family picnic to commemorate the memories of a dead loved one–there is no need for the entire family to join the multitude of visitors in these heavenly sanctuaries. 

Moreover, the ashes of the deceased are portable; depending on the family’s discretion, they can be put in a specific room or part of the house to serve as a reminder of their presence even after departing physically. If certain loved ones reside in a place away from the domicile of the bereaved and his immediate family, the ashes can also be divided and partitioned so that everyone dear to him may bring a piece of him wherever they may go.

4. Perceived Sustainability

Compared to the smoke produced by the incineration process, the environmental damage caused by burial services is far less manageable. Primarily, there are increasing demands for wood to construct coffins where the remains of the deceased will be encapsulated. Furthermore, choosing this option requires the body of the bereaved to be embalmed, which again requires harmful chemicals for the surroundings. Collectively, these can impose huge disruptive effects on the Earth, which is alarming once combined with the pressing issues of climate change and global warming.

5. Elemental in More Creative Ceremonies

            Since the overall process of cremation does not demand full attention to several details–since there are only a few aspects to be scrutinized when going for this as the funeral choice in the first place, then the ceremony for the commemoration of the memories shared by the deceased with his loved ones and other people can be made more creative. 

Particularly, once the ashes are received from where the body was incinerated, the family may heed the final words uttered by the departed as to where he wants to put his remains. Some prefer to scatter the same within the sea or mountains, while others opt to put the ashes in a prestigious jar that will be brought by the immediate family of the bereaved wherever they go as they venture for new milestones in life in the future. 

Still, the final say as to whether the immediate family will avail of a burial service or cremation to conclude the funeral of their deceased loved one will depend on their discretion, which must be following what the departed has expressed if there’s any. Notwithstanding what the choice will be, the fact remains that no one will ever go wrong in choosing the latter, given how beneficial it can be for the welfare of the persons involved in such an untimely passing of an individual.