Why Greeks are exhuming their parents
André Glucksmann, French Philosopher Who Renounced Marxism, Dies at 78 - NYTimes.com
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/11/12/world/europe/andre-glucksmann-french-philosopher-who-renounced-marxism-dies-at-78.html?emc=edit_th_20151112&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=25414714&referer=
How Corpses Shape Culture - The Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/article/How-Corpses-Shape-Culture/234260?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elq=e6d0f73bb9f94b0ca00e5b70e7aba305&elqCampaignId=1929&elqaid=7027&elqat=1&elqTrackId=c23db62d96394d26b933885fbae4cb91
(I'm not sure you'll be able to access this article, so someone let me know & I'll repost in its entirety here. It is interesting).
In regards to the Greeks exhuming their loved ones after 3 years of burial seems crazy to me. What is the point of placing bodies in the ground only to know you will have to dig them up three years later? It seems incredibly disrespectful to the dead that they take them out of their coffin and throw the bones into a sheet to be stored in a warehouse. If i was a loved one of the person being exhumed that would be a very difficult process to see. I also find it odd the Orthodox church does not believe in cremation because I believe Jesus once said something along the lines of "As dust I came and as dust I shall return". Just something to think about
ReplyDeleteIn response to why Orthodox Church does not believe in cremation it is because they believe the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. They consider cremation to be the deliberate desecration and destruction of what God has made.
DeleteYes, it seems very crazy Ben. Although the Orthodox Church does not believe in cremation, I feel that if I was put in that same position then I would have to cremate my loved one. I would rather not obey by the church then have to exhume the bones of my loved ones body. And like you said, it does seem disrespectful. Especially if the family doesn't have the money to give the dead a proper service of exhumation, the bones are simply dumped into an underground tomb with other bones without prayer.
DeleteIf you knew you had to dig up a family member in 3 years, then I see why there are people who would want to cremate their loved ones. I feel like it would be a sense of relief to the family to know that their loved one doesn't have to be exhumed from the ground because they cannot afford a plot.
DeleteI would definitely cremate my loved one if I would have to dig up their bones three years later. I think this not only disrespectful to the body, but also gross and weird for the family to be a part of this.
DeleteEllie,
DeleteI agree I would want my loved one to be cremated as well since I would know what happens to the bodies after they die. I just think it is disrespectful for these bodies to be dug up and put into a pit with so many other bones, as if they weren't a human person before. It makes me thankful knowing that I get to choose the way I want to be buried after I die.
In speaking about the Greece article it is mind boggling. I have never heard families having to rent a plot for so many years or their loved one will be exhumed. Then put the remains in a "digestive pit" is disrespectful and very psychologically painful to the family.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Liam, that it is disrespectful for those people who are dug up and moved to a mass grave of bones. It makes me think of how thankful I am to be able to choose my own way of burial in the U.S. It has to be hard on the family members watching as the grave digger claims all the bones from the wrinkled clothes in the dirt.
DeleteI agree that digestive pits are disrespectful and painful to the family. No one should have to go through a "second burial" because they are not wealthy enough to keep their loved ones remains in one spot. I also don't believe that the remains should be thrown in a digestive pit because people don't want to pay more fees by claiming their loved ones. I think a crematorium would be beneficial for the people with a poor financial situations that way they can still keep their loved ones.
DeleteHow sad is it that an issue like this has arisen in our world that a family can not buy a burial plot for their loved one, but only have the option to rent a plot for 3 years, and then they have to repeat the hardship of the burial process, and reflect on hard this event was the first time. No one should have to face two funerals for one person, and especially not the deceased individual who deserves the respect of having a final resting place without having to be reburied, which forces strain on their family.
DeleteI believe this aspect of exhuming the bodies would almost add more anxiety to end of life care. This would almost have me choosing longevity of life over quality of life because I wouldn't want my loved ones treated this way after they die. So therefore, how we treat the dead after they have passed can greatly impact the way we treat them when they are alive.
ReplyDeleteI have always said quality over quantity, but after reading this article I agree! I would not want to let my loved one go especially if I know that they have a chance of being treated like this after they die. I completely agree Amanda, that the way we treated a person after they passed away definitely impacts the decisions we make when the person is alive.
DeleteI think that is it sad that people do not want to claim their loved ones bodies in fear of the funeral costs. People are worrying so much about what the cost of a funeral, burial, exhumation, and even a spot in an ossuary that they are willing to leave a loved ones body behind so they don't have that additional financial burden. With families not claiming their loved ones from the ossuary, the bodies are being dumped into digestive pits which are just mass graves for unclaimed bones. The digestive pits are even filling up because there are so many unclaimed bodies. I don't think families should have to worry about their loved ones ones they are dead, but due to the limited amount of space this is now a growing issue in Greece.
ReplyDeleteMegan, I thought the same things when I was reading the article. It is extremely sad. The fact that funeral costs are so high that families do not want to claim their loved ones is so sad. When I die, I obviously want my family to claim me and celebrate my life. Greece needs to do something to accommodate these families who cannot pay for the expensive costs for a burial site. Dumping bodies in a pit is extremely disrespectful to the dead person's legacy and to that person's family.
DeleteI agree Jenna, it's extremely disrespectful. I just don't understand how throwing a person's body into a pit with tons of other unclaimed bodies is any more proper than just cremating them. The people can have the ashes of their loved ones in their home or if they do not want that in their home they can bury the ashes or release them on a river or whatever they want with the comfort that their loved one's soul is no longer attached to the body and is living free and glorious. I'm saddened that these people are going though so much with no help of the church's rules.
DeleteI agree Megan, because it is hard enough for a family to face the death of a loved one, but then to add on the stress about covering the cost of a funeral can really push someone to their limits. Families should have the chance to grieve in peace away from the dread of going into to debt to bury their loved one. My family, unfortunately, had to face the hardship of covering the cost of a funeral, and it put a strain on our families relationship with each other. I don't want to have to face the same hardship in the future, but if i do i would hope it would never be to this extent of having to rebury my love one.
DeleteI agree Megan, because it is hard enough for a family to face the death of a loved one, but then to add on the stress about covering the cost of a funeral can really push someone to their limits. Families should have the chance to grieve in peace away from the dread of going into to debt to bury their loved one. My family, unfortunately, had to face the hardship of covering the cost of a funeral, and it put a strain on our families relationship with each other. I don't want to have to face the same hardship in the future, but if i do i would hope it would never be to this extent of having to rebury my love one.
DeleteIt's crazy how little room they have for everyone in the cemeteries. I can't even imagine burying someone and going back just three years later to dig them back up. They say it's just like a second funeral for the same person, so you have to go through all the motions again. Who wants that? And I'm not sure I agree with having priests bless the bones of the deceased even though I understand it. My belief is that once we die we leave our bodies behind, where ever it is that we go our bodies stay here and decompose. So I don't believe taking the time to bless the bones really does anything for the individual, nor does stressing over multiple burials costs do any good for anyone.
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad to think of the families in Greece who have to go through the grieving of their parents more than once after their death. They are forced to exhume their parents, because Greece is overcrowded with deceased individuals, but is that really a price that the family should have to pay? The dignity of the dead body is a big topic in itself and how morally corrupt this concept it is, but this also puts a traumatic experience onto the family emotionally and financially. This in no way protects the rights of any individual involved, and this situation should be forced to change in some way. No matter if someone who deceased or alive they do not deserve to have their human rights violated for the sake of saving space. There has to be an easier, and more dignified solution to this problem and i hope they figure it out.
ReplyDeleteThe link about the Greeks being exhumed was very interesting. However, it also brought sadness to my heart when I watched the video. The reason is because I think if I had to watch my parents being dug up from the ground then all of that grieving that I once did would have been for nothing because I would be sad again. Like a lady said in the link "Its like a second funeral" and I believe that would be how it would feel like. Also, it is sad to know that when these bodies are being dug up, they are mostly bones, unless they haven't decomposed then that would be a nasty sight, which could hurt even more. It just seems very pointless to me if the Greeks know they will have to dig up their loved ones 3 years later. I would want cremation done, even though it is against what they believe since you have to be buried in order to resurrect. Overall, I just wish there was something that people could do since the cemetery's are overcrowding. It was like the trip we made to Spring grove, when we learned that many bodies were moved around at least 3 times before their final rest, which is like the question can the dead be harmed? Its really cool how everything is starting to link together in this course.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine having to dig up one of my loved ones after they have been buried in the ground after a couple years. That is just heart wrenching. To bury someone after they die is to ensure that they are gone now and are in a better place and will remain there forever. But, to be dug back up would just be mortifying in my opinion. Seeing the person's bones after those years and realizing that you are pretty much having another funeral for them would just be heartbreaking. The fact that grave's are rented on a 3 year lease is just so weird to me. I think it is so bizarre that people have to pay for a place for a loved one to be buried and if they can no longer afford it then they are going to dig them back up. I wish that if a person is buried, they should stay there once and for all. To bring them back up and to move them around seems kind of disrespectful in my opinion. It is important to think about how cemeteries are becoming full and there is less room to put those who have died and it really makes me wonder what is going to happen.
ReplyDeleteThis whole thing just seems crazy to me. Just renting a plot for 3 years seems crazy. People are dead forever so why are you just renting a plot? it just doesn't make sense. I could not imagine the hurt and pain that one must feel when they have to dig up their family members.
ReplyDeleteI could never imagine having to dig up my loved one after three years. Burying the dead is closure for so many of us and having to go back down some of the hardest years of our life is just unimaginable. It's almost like you are reliving the past and you have to go through the heartache and re-experience the depressing stages again. I am so thankful my religious beliefs are not based off these kinds of circumstances. I would never want my loved ones or myself put through something so traumatizing as this.
ReplyDeleteIt is extremely sad and disgusting that families in Greece have to go through this.It is inhumane to dig up a body and place the bones in an ossuary, which is expensive and even more inhumane. When someone is buried, they are supposed to be laid to rest in peace. I think that digging someone up is a disruption of peace for an entire family. I think if i had to dig up my grandmother that it would be just as painful as when she passed years ago.
ReplyDelete