The death of a family member can be hard to process for a variety of reasons. However, it is important for people to think about what they need to do with the deceased’s body. There are a couple different ways that this situation can be handled. Many people go for the traditional funeral involving a wake, a burial, and often a gathering afterward to mourn the loss of a loved one. However, more and more people are beginning to turn toward cremation as a way to handle the deceased’s body. In many ways, cremating a body is a solution that benefits everyone else, including the environment. Here are a few reasons why a family might want to consider cremating their loved one’s body.
- Consider the Cost
One of the largest factors in deciding between a traditional funeral and cremating a body is the cost. Funerals are expensive. From choosing the coffin to purchasing the plot of land in a graveyard and a headstone, everything involved in the wake and funeral ceremony itself can add up quickly. Family members might also have to do a lot of travelling to arrive, which can add on to the total cost. Cremating a body, on the other hand, is generally a one-time cost for the equipment being used to turn the body into ashes. Funeral urns are more affordable compared to caskets and coffins. Unless a family chooses to have a ceremony to mourn the passing, this can end up being a fraction of the price of a traditional funeral, making it a much more appealing option financially.
- Consider the Effort
Preparing for a funeral is time-consuming. From choosing the funeral home to deciding what funeral options there are to making sure that family members can and will arrive on time, things can pile up quickly. After all, a death in the family means that other family members are going to have to take time out of their days to take off work, travel to the funeral location, and possibly get lodging as well. Not everyone wants to make this kind of commitment or put this kind of pressure on family members who may not be able to make it. A cremation, on the other hand, is relatively quick and does not require nearly as much planning or effort, making it much easier on a family who is grieving. Cremation services like Aftercare Cremation can guide you through the process as well.
- Consider the Environment
It can go without saying that graveyards take up a lot of space. This means that trees have to be cut down, the land has to be terraformed, and natural elements need to be disrupted. Considering the state of the environment, many people do not want to contribute to this. Cremating a body does not carry nearly as much of an environmental impact as a traditional burial would, meaning that for someone who was environmentally conscious, choosing a cremation might do more to honour his or her memory.
- Consider the Versatility
With a funeral, there isn’t much that a person can do to memorialize the deceased, aside from pictures and memories. On the other hand, a cremation will typically leave the grieving family with something physical to remember the deceased by. This gives the family the freedom to choose what they want to do to honour the deceased as best as possible. From spreading the ashes somewhere that was important to the deceased to finding a specialized urn or even finding jewellery to carry the ashes in so that the ashes can always be with the family, there are many ways that ashes can be used to remember the deceased, making it a far more versatile way of memorializing the person who was lost.
