Baba
Human burial problem
Namaskar,
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all started in the Middle East long ago. And at that time there was a shortage of firewood, so when a person died then burning the body was not an option due to a dearth of fuel, i.e. firewood. At the same time, they saw that there was plenty of empty space. The solution they arrived at was to bury the dead bodies - not burn them. The propounders of those religions put this into practice. And so it became the standard rule: bury the dead body.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
So many dead bodies & so little land
Now times have changed; the situation has become reversed. There is no longer a shortage of fuel; there are all kinds of scientific ways to burn a dead body. But there is a dramatic shortage of space, especially in the cities all around the globe. So the circumstances have completely flip-flopped.
But due to dogma, people do not want to burn the deceased. Followers of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism continue to bury corpses, per their religious dogma. So around the globe there is a crisis over where to bury those corpses. There are so many bodies and so little land.
Tombstones exacerbate the problem
At first, they were simply burying the dead, but not putting a tombstone to mark the place. Because making a tombstone was a big job. However, with the advancement of science, tombstones are now readily available. That makes the land shortage even more severe. Consider this: In the past the corpse was buried and then in a few decades or less another corpse could be placed in that same spot. But with the rampant and pervasive use of tombstones, burial spots are taken indefinitely - the arrangement is permanent.
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One of the dogmas fueling this issue is the mistaken religious belief in doomsday: Those religious followers believe they will unite with all their past family members in heaven. So they do not want to burn their dead body as they think they will need it in heaven etc. Thus even though all rational, logical, and scientific assessments point to curtailing the burying of the dead, those religious followers will not change their ways. They do not want to burn their dead body as they think they will need it in the future.
Now consider the dichotomy that is taking place: Billions of dollars are spent constructing fancy, state-of-the-art, skyscrapers for deceased persons. Such high-rise cemeteries are air-conditioned / temperature controlled, with marble lobbies, door-men, and all sorts of amenities. Side by side, within the same city limits millions of local citizens are living in shanty-town shacks without running water - and no access to clear water. These slums are full of disease, half-naked children, and women lacking basic medical care. Huge finances are used for the deceased while poor, impoverished people have nothing and struggle to remain alive. And all this is unfolding within the same city limits. It is an abuse of resources - and a slur on our human society.
Unsustainable planning
At present, there are 4 - 5 billion people on the planet who follow one of the semitic religions (Islam, Christianity, Judaism). As they die and tombstones are erected for each person, all the remaining land will be quickly used up. And to start piling people into high-rise mortuaries is impractical and expensive. Such buildings are costly; they need regular upkeep; and, they will only last 100 or 200 years - at which point they will need to be taken down and rebuilt etc. So the whole entire enterprise of (a) burying the dead and marking their spot with a tombstone and (b) using high-rise cemeteries is completely unsustainable. It is an utter waste of natural resources, i.e. land, and a terrible misuse of money.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
So this dogma of burying the dead started out of necessity - i.e. due to a lack of firewood. That was two thousand years ago. And now it has become a big problem. A fight has erupted between the dead and the living. Those who are alive do not have enough space to live. For instance, in Cairo half a million people live between tombs due to a shortage of space. People literally do not have any room, just they survive sleeping among the tombs.
The new fad: skyscraper cemeteries
The situation has become so bleak and dire that now skyscrapers are being constructed to serve as cemeteries. That is the latest “fix.” That shows how dogmatic people do not like to give up their dogma. And that dogma - of burying the deceased and using a tombstone - is harming the growth and well-being of society. Such mortuary skyscrapers are proof how this very rule has now become a burden. Yet people are carrying the dead body of that dogma of burying the deceased.
Conclusion
1. This dogma of burying the dead started in the Middle East long ago due to an inability (i.e. lack of fuel) to burn the bodies of the deceased.
2. Now the situation is reversed. There is plenty of fuel for burning the bodies and a lack of land to bury them.
3. But swayed by their doomsday dogma and religious rituals, those followers of the Semitic religion are unwilling to change their ways. They do not want to give up their dogma.
4. The pervasive use of tombstones only exacerbates the land shortage problem by essentially making every burial spot a permanent ordeal.
5. In result, in cities around the world where the Semitic religions are dominant, they have taken to building skyscraper cemeteries.
6. This entire process is unsustainable. There simply is not space on this earth to bury the dead and have enough land for the living. That is why many say this is the fight between the deceased and the living.
7. The only rational solution is to adopt the practice of burning / cremating the deceased or some type of new, scientific “green” solution of composting the body.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Namaskar,
in Him,
Daya’vrata
~ In-depth study ~
Cannot re-establish a dogmatic, religious theory
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “People also behave in artificial ways for the sake of the prestige of an ism – ways that do not correspond to their internal feelings. Isms have such an influence over the human mind that even if a person has been defeated through logic or reason, he or she refuses to accept the defeat. People therefore have to wrench their minds free from the serpentine shackles of isms.” (1)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Wherever there is movement it is related to time, space and person. A particular movement related to a specific time, space and person cannot tally with another movement belonging to a different time, space and person. When the movement of a particular time, space and person maintains parallelism of similar movement related to a particular physical and mental wave, the resultant is called an "ism". Therefore, when there is a change in either the physical or mental wave or both, the validity of a particular ism is lost due to the change in the time, space or person in which it was accepted. An ism may be accepted in a particular mental wave, but if due to a change in the physical wave the mental wave fails to maintain parallelism, the result will be that that particular ism will be considered [obsolete]. If anybody tries to re-establish an old political, economic or religious theory of two thousand years ago – a theory or ism based on past time, space or person – using whatever type of psychology, sentiment or adroit propaganda, it will not be possible to correlate it with the existing physical waves. Once lost the parallelism between the ism and the physical wave cannot be restored, even if the old mental environment is re-created. We perceive the change not only in the physical wave but also in the mental wave. No amount of scientific effort will make it possible to restore the mental wave of the past. There was a time when kings were worshipped as the incarnations of God, but today if anybody tries to reintroduce this antiquated practice using psychological propaganda, it will be impossible for people to accept it.” (2)
Foolishly consider themselves God’s chosen people
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “The followers of isms foolishly consider themselves to be God’s chosen people [because of their mental fetters], and they do not hesitate to brand others as non-Aryans, kafirs [infidels] or heathens, in utter [rejection]. They think that the Supreme Father bestows His grace only on them, not on the rest of creation. They are not prepared to understand that those they call non-Aryans, kafirs, heathens or mlecchas are also part of His manifestation.” (3)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “People also behave in artificial ways for the sake of the prestige of an ism – ways that do not correspond to their internal feelings. Isms have such an influence over the human mind that even if a person has been defeated through logic or reason, he or she refuses to accept the defeat. People therefore have to wrench their minds free from the serpentine shackles of isms.” (4)
Here are some of the facts and figures related with these skyscraper cemeteries.
References
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 4, Ism and Human Progress, Caetra Púrńimá 24 March 1959 RU, Lucknow
2. Prout in a Nutshell - 4, Ism and Human Progress, Caetra Púrńimá 24 March 1959 RU, Lucknow
3. Prout in a Nutshell - 4, Ism and Human Progress, Caetra Púrńimá 24 March 1959 RU, Lucknow
4. Prout in a Nutshell - 4, Ism and Human Progress, Caetra Púrńimá 24 March 1959 RU, Lucknow
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~ Courtesy of Daily Mail ~
The Brazilian solution features a series of over-ground crypts where families can visit the space where their loved one is held Cemetery overcrowding presents a challenge the world over, particularly in cramped cities and among religions that forbid or discourage cremation. The reality of relying on finite land resources to cope with the endless stream of the dying has brought about creative solutions. The world's tallest existing cemetery is the 32-story high Memorial Necropole Ecumenica in Santos, Brazil. In Tokyo, the Kouanji is a six-story Buddhist temple where visitors can use a swipe card to have the remains of their loved ones brought to them from vaults on a conveyer belt system.
Versions of stacked cemeteries already exist in some shape or form in places like New Orleans and across Europe, in Egypt's Mountain of the Dead, in China and in the amphitheater-like Pok Fu Lam Rd Cemetery in Hong Kong. And in some places they started recycling burial spots, such as in NY, and in other places they put tomb on top of tomb in a high stack. But the future will likely look more like the ambitious plan of Norwegian designer Martin McSherry for an airy cemetery skyscraper that looks almost like a gigantic honeycomb with triangular caverns.
Other plans for cemetery towers have been presented for Paris and Mumbai. In Mexico City, another big project has been proposed: the Tower for the Dead, which will combine a vertical necropolis and an 820-foot-deep subterranean complex. (Courtesy of the Daily Mail UK)
References
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 4, Ism and Human Progress, Caetra Púrńimá 24 March 1959 RU, Lucknow
2. Prout in a Nutshell - 4, Ism and Human Progress, Caetra Púrńimá 24 March 1959 RU, Lucknow
3. Prout in a Nutshell - 4, Ism and Human Progress, Caetra Púrńimá 24 March 1959 RU, Lucknow
4. Prout in a Nutshell - 4, Ism and Human Progress, Caetra Púrńimá 24 March 1959 RU, Lucknow
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