When you get right down to it, there is no dignified way to go, be it decomposition, incineration, dissection, tissue digestion, or composting. They're all, bottom line, a little disagreeable. It takes the careful application of a well-considered euphemism-burial, cremation, anatomical gift-giving, water reduction, ecological funeral-to bring it to the point of acceptance.
The author Mary Roach, in her book "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers," reflects on the various methods of dealing with human remains. She emphasizes that none of these methods—whether it be decomposition, incineration, or dissection—can be considered truly dignified. Instead, they all involve unpleasant aspects that are often difficult to confront.
Roach argues that society relies on euphemisms to soften the reality of death and the ways we handle remains. Terms like burial, cremation, and ecological funerals serve to make the process more palatable. Ultimately, she suggests that these euphemisms help us accept the inevitable truth about mortality and how we treat our bodies after death.
