As you are writing your will, there are some morbid things you will have to consider. For example, ask, “What should you do with your body after you die?” Explore this list of some choices for your final resting place to understand your options better.
Traditional Burial
The most common option that people choose for their final resting place is a traditional burial. Here, you are buried on a religious site or location of significance with a gravestone to mark your place. A headstone is significant because it will tell your story to both future generations and strangers who come across your site.
Cremation
Next in popularity, individuals uncomfortable with the decomposition process often choose cremation. With cremation, you can have your ashes spread, or loved ones can keep them in an urn, so your remains can be kept anywhere rather than just at a cemetery.
Organ Donation
If you would like to have your organ donated, you’ll need to communicate this with your family early because despite what your license says, a hospital will still need permission from your next of kin to donate your organs. And, even if it says so in your will, organ donation is a time-sensitive matter, so they most likely can’t check it in the allotted period. If you do choose donation, your body has the chance to save a life. The remains of your body that aren’t donated can then be buried, cremated, or another alternative.
Scientific Research
If you still want to donate your remains, you can send your body to medical facilities for research. You can choose where to send your body, but you might not have a say depending on where it goes. Medical schools will use your body for training in biopsies and surgery. However, body farms will let your body decay under certain conditions so that forensics students can study it. Finally, private body brokers will sell your body to research labs.
Tree Burial
If you want to give back to the Earth after you die, you can have a tree burial. Here, you get buried in natural materials and have a tree planted over your body. As you decompose, your body’s organic material will fertilize the tree, allowing it to grow into a personal memorial. Much like a headstone, family members can visit your tree to pay their respects.
Cryogenics
For the sci-fi believers, you can have your brain or body cryogenically frozen and preserved until scientists can revive you or upload your consciousness into technology. Cryogenic storage can run at high monthly or yearly subscriptions, so you’ll have to budget for that in your will.
This list only scratches the surface of what you should do with your body after you die, so as you write your will, explore a plethora of options before deciding what’s suitable for you.
