A green new year?

So this is a little different. What do you desire about what should be done with your vacated human body upon your death? That might deserve your consideration in 2025. There is no Biblical instruction on the disposition of our bodies, but in those times, burial was the tradition, probably more for sanitary reasons than anything. 

On a trip to Mexico, I learned that the Mayans would sacrifice women and children by throwing them into the village’s cenote, which is essentially a deep well as the Yucatan Peninsula doesn’t have surface water. They also got the village water out of the cenote. Hmmm. Not sure that was smart.

Now, regarding land-based burials, I’ve always wondered why we bury coffins horizontally instead of vertically. Wouldn’t we save land costs if we buried ourselves standing up? The VA does double burials, allowing the spouse to be buried above the veteran. 

So what are your options?

Option 1. Do nothing. Leave it up to your family. I’ve never had a personal experience with a contested burial, but I’ve heard about them. It’s best to leave instructions for your burial in your Georgia Advanced Directive for Health Care. 

Option 2. Specify a standard ground burial. You can direct where but it’s unenforceable really. If your family plants you next to Uncle Ernie, who you despised, there isn’t much you can do about it.

Option 3. Get cremated. Generally far more affordable and your family can carry you around. 

Option 4. Georgia allows a green burial. Your body will return to nature fairly fast, in 10-12 years I’ve read. There’s only one green cemetery in Georgia that I know of. Not very popular yet.

Option 5. Spring for a mushroom coffin. Supposedly it will return you to nature in 2-3 years. You are still buried in a green cemetery, however. Your family and guests can smoke the mushrooms that your body creates as it decomposes! 

So that is my first helpful column for 2025. More to follow, I’m sure.

Kelly Burke was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he spent his younger years, followed by his high school years in Atlanta, where he graduated from Georgia Tech, followed by Mercer Law School. He has been in the private practice of law, a magistrate judge, and an elected district attorney. He writes about the law, politics, music, and Ireland. He and his wife enjoy gardening, playing with their Lagotto Ramagnolo named George Harrison, and spending time with their grandchildren.