If you’ve recently lost a loved one, or if you’re planning for your own end of life, you might feel torn between choosing cremation and burial. Each of these options is worth considering, and each has legitimate strengths and weaknesses, so how can you choose which one is the best fit for you and your family?
Personal Wishes
If you’re deciding on behalf of a loved one who passed away, you’ll want to consider their personal wishes first and foremost. This person may have already expressed a strong desire for one option over the other; if so, the decision will be simple for you.
However, there are also cases with ambiguous expressions or confusing context that you’ll need to sort out. For example, this person may have commented on the beauty of a burial service in the past; is this an indication that they wanted to be buried in the future?
It’s not always easy to answer these questions in a straightforward manner. Simply gather the information you can, think about what you know about this person, and try to conform to their wishes as best you can.
Customization and Flexibility
You’ll also need to think about the customization and flexibility of each option. Fortunately, with both cremation and burial, you can memorialize your loved one in any way you choose. You can choose whether or not to have a public viewing. You can choose what type of ceremony to have and when to have it.
If you choose burial, you can choose where and how they will be buried. However, your other options will be somewhat limited.
With cremation, in contrast, your options are practically unlimited. If you choose to display the remains traditionally, you can display them in a beautiful urn – and you can even create a custom, personalized urn for your loved one. You can pick a design that fits them and engrave it with a personalized message, then display the urn wherever you want. You can also choose to scatter the ashes somewhere, distribute them amongst friends and loved ones, or even turn the ashes into a piece of jewelry.
Emotional Considerations
There are emotional considerations to bear in mind as well. People respond differently to cremation and burial, and this is a highly individualized response. For some, there’s something comforting about the body remaining intact when it’s lowered underground. Visiting a gravesite may be more emotionally fulfilling for these people. For others, the body itself is not important, and it’s much more emotionally fulfilling to have a custom urn on display or return the ashes to the Earth.
Cost
Cremation is almost always less expensive than burial. The median cost of a funeral with viewing and burial is around $9,420, while the median cost of a funeral with viewing and cremation is closer to $6,970.
One important thing to keep in mind here is that the cost is going to be highly variable, depending on the options you choose, no matter which option you go with. There is a wide range of products, from high-end to low-end, to choose from – and there are no right or wrong answers.
Still, if you have a limited budget, or if you want to apply more money to memorial services, choosing cremation could be advantageous.
Environmental Impact
When it comes to environmental impact, both cremation and burial have dynamics to consider. When cremating a body, the process releases significant volumes of carbon dioxide into the air. It can also introduce certain types of pollutants originating from the body – like mercury from tooth fillings.
Burial is arguably worse for the environment, as it takes up finite space and could directly introduce harmful chemicals into the Earth, such as those found in embalming fluid.
Cultural and Religious Ties
You may have certain views on cremation and burial because of your cultural and religious background as well. For example, orthodox Judaism strongly opposes cremation, though many Jewish people find cremation to be acceptable.
In Mormonism, the body is believed to be inextricably linked to the soul, making burial the only option in areas where cremation is not required by law.
In contrast, the Hindu view is that the soul is bound to this world by the physical body – and cremation can encourage the soul to leave the body and achieve “mukti,” or a spiritual oneness with the universe.
It’s Your Choice
Ultimately, this is your decision to make. Cremation and burial each have advantages and disadvantages to consider, and each are celebrated for various reasons in different cultures. Depending on your circumstances and the nature of the deceased, this may not be an easy choice to make. Do weigh the factors to the best of your ability, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself, either. There are no right or wrong answers.
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Johan Wallman
