Walking in the Bardo

This was part of my walk route this morning. Incredible, no? This cemetery is right down the road, but until today it never occurred to me to turn in and go through during my morning walk. Not because it’s creepy, because it isn’t (at least by day). I guess it felt a bit… off, treating it like vista instead of a visit to pay respects.
 
But today I went in. Walking through it is very different than driving by. Beautiful, with nature and topography defining the land. Headstones of different shapes, sizes, and ages follow the hilly contours. Flowers and rows of small pebbles suggest which ones have visitors and which just have vines.
 


It got me wondering how many people are buried vs. cremated these days, and whether there’d eventually be a tipping point — a byproduct of land-use politics, organ donation breakthroughs, environmental concerns. As it turns out, it’s already happening. Three years ago was the first time the number of cremations exceeded burials, and it has risen each year since then (*National Funeral Directors Association). In 2035 it’s expected to be 80 percent. That’s a big leap in our lifetime.
 

I wonder how many people buy family plots anymore? For me the cognitive shift away from burial began when I chose to be an organ donor on my driver’s license, and my concern grew for what we’re putting into the environment. Once the line of thinking drifts from preserving your body to what its usefulness can be, I guess it’s a natural progression. Which might make cemeteries of the future an even more historical and contemplative walk.