WHEN I DIE DON'T BURY ME DEEP !!
- 3/ 4/ 2006 <--Prev : Next-->
"WHEN I DIE DON'T BURY ME DEEP - LEAVE ONE HAND FREE TO FLEECE THE
SHEEP"
My dear Mum used to quote that to us in days gone by... I tried to
Google the saying to see from whence it emanated but failed... does
anyone know ?
Anyhow, the old saying came to me the other day as we raced past the
Bulawayo crematorium and I remembered hearing several people
complaining lately, about the fact that it is impossible to make
your
last wish to be cremated, because our crematorium is not working !!
Now, being somewhat claustrophobic, I absolutely refuse to be
buried,
and HeeHoo knows perfectly well that he must make sure I am well and
truly burned after death.
I sincerely hope that in this article, I do not offend anyone who
is
grieving, I tend to be flippant about things that scare me, and
being
buried alive (or dead) is definitely one of those things.
Mum also told us an awful story about a famous singer - Mario Lanza
I
think it was, whose wife had a dream about him, and demanded that
his
body be exhumed, only to find the red satin inside of his coffin all
clawed away !!
And so burial is totally out of the question for me and the
crematorium must be FULLY FUNCTIONAL when I need it.
There are awful stories of Bulawayo bereaved folk having to travel
as
far afield as Mutare and Harare, unforgivable when one is grieving
and suffering, to have to panic about the lack of cremating
facilities in the country's second largest city.
Stories abound about the defunct Westpark Crematorium - no diesel to
ignite the boilers... a badly built kiln .. incorrect use of
firebricks... what do we do now.. do we the Bulawayo Pyromaniacs
club
together, pass around the hat as is usually the case these days...
and get the fires burning again just so we can die in peace ?(Or in
pieces !!)
Cremation is a purely personal option ... a friend of mine who
confirmed the demise of the crematorium, said and I quote Kathy
"For my part, when I'm dead I am agonna. They can put me into the
compost pit and I'll continue working in the garden. All I ask is
that they dig a deep enough hole so my four legged friends don't dig
me up and drag me around the garden as they have dragged me around
the block."
Cremation is also a religious option and I am led to believe that
most folk in Africa prefer to be buried in a grave in a graveyard.
The debate rages on ...is cremation a matter of Christian liberty
or
a forbidden pagan ritual ... ?
Most archaeologists believe that cremation was invented during the
stone age, about 3000 BC.
It was most likely first used in Europe or the Near East. It became
the most common method of disposing of bodies by 800 BC in Greece,
and 600 BC in Rome. However, other societies had other methods.
In ancient Israel, sepulchres (tombs or vaults) were used for
burial;
cremation was shunned. The body was exposed to the air of the tomb
and simply decomposed.
The early Christian church also rejected cremation, partly because
of
its association with Pagan societies of Greece and Rome. Christians
buried their dead in graves or in catacombs (underground vaults).
In ancient Egypt, bodies were embalmed - in ancient China, they were
buried.
BUT IN BULAWAYO THE OPTION OF CREMATION MUST BE ALLOWED IF CHOSEN ....
If I die on the old drop zone
Box me up and ship me home
Pin my wings upon my chest
Bury me in the leaning rest
If I die in the Spanish Moors
Bury me deep with a case of Coors
If I die in Korean mud
Bury me deep with a case of Bud
If I die in a firefight
Bury me deep with a case of Lite
If I die in a German blitz
Bury me deep with a case of Schlitz
If I die, don't bring me back
Just bury me with a case of Jack.
If you would like to ensure the crematorium is restored to being
fully operational again, and you would like to be listed on a
petition that is being prepared please e mail me at
magskriel@mac.com
