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Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Question #36

Question #134 from "The Book of Questions" by Gregory Stock, PH.D.

Would it disturb you much if, upon your death, your body were simply thrown into the woods and left to rot?

Explain ...

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

No problems with it here - my body is only the vessel of the real me.
I would hope, however, that someone still alive after I am dead would respect me enough to dispose of my body properly.

cincin21 said...

Well ... it would disturb me that no one CARES enough about me to have a cremation and scatter my ashes somewhere meaningful .... but as far as my body goes, it is the SOUL that really matters ... and upon my death, my soul would be freed from my body and my body would no longer be ME.

eubulus said...

I won't care. I'll be gone.

Anonymous said...

A tangent, if you will...Is the soul just that mystical part of you goes to a higher level of existance when we die?

According to the Hebraic understanding of the person, the soul represents the totality of the person; your heart, mind and body together make up your soul. Remember in Genesis when God breathed into Adam, the writer of Genesis tells us Adam became "a living soul."

So in Matthew 11:28-30 when Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls," one could reason He is referring to rest for your mind, your heart, and your body?

So to answer the original question...God is certainly big enough to give my body rest no matter what little critters may be snacking on it. (And non-biblically speaking, I would haunt whoever left me in the middle of the woods!)

Thanks for indulging the tangent!

Anonymous said...

Nah, wouldn't bother me -- just an empty, no-longer-useful bit of flesh and bones.

But I wouldn't like anyone ever to come upon such a grisly sight...unless I had been murdered and the murderer thought he was finished with me and my body kept appearing to him wherever he fled to get away from me, in progressing stages of decomposition until I was just dirt as I began! Well, maybe not.

Anonymous said...

I would hope that before I was tossed, whatever useful parts (if any) would be taken. I don't think I would be bothered. My most important contribution to the world has already been made: Suz and David will live long after me I hope. If I can fertilize the Earth and feed a few critters, so be it.

Anonymous said...

It would not bother me at all as the body is just a vessel, but I would not want to hurt the others who care about me.

"Dust to Dust was not spoken of the soul"

Anonymous said...

Yeah..kind of....I know our skin is just a temporary vessel and all of that, but geeze, you would think I meant something to someone other than to be tossed away like refuse.

Anonymous said...

I could really care less, it's going to rot anyways underground.

Anonymous said...

It would hurt me to know that no one cared enough about me to properly dispose of me. Other than that my only concern would be that someone would stumble up on such a horrible sight.

Anonymous said...

Not at all...I'm on the burn and blow plan anyway. As long as it rotted into the soil as compost and wasn't allowed to leech into any water I'd be fine with it. Our bodies are merely carbon based vessels to carry our souls and our essence...my soul and essence won't be there so why not allow the vessel to return to the earth. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust.

Judy said...

Not at all - I won't need it by then!

Anonymous said...

Honestly i would not care at all, I'm dead. So basically its would you want to be eaten by worms or an animal?

Anonymous said...

Sure, no problem. They could even suspend me by a part of my anatomy, or better yet sit me upright on something that would support me. It would make it far easier for the animals to pluck out my eyeballs and render apart for dinner.

Anonymous said...

I would be content with that. I want to be recycled by the planet and it's flora and fauna. I had thought to have my ashes scattered for that reason. This just avoids the intermediate step and probably in the end is better for the ecosystem. I don't want to decompose in a metal box where my body does no good

Anonymous said...

As long as I didn't know beforehand that I was a worthless piece of flesh....I'd be fine with it.
(Bitter....nah!)