Stone Notes

I love cemeteries. It is a rare occasion when I enter one and don't leave with a greater sense of self. This picture was taken from a historic cemetery in downtown Atlanta. When it was created in the 1800s, it was outside the city limits- now skyscrapers cast shadows over the graves.

I think it's interesting that graveyards of the past and current burial sites are so different. A hundred years ago, we revered the memories of our loved ones with at best a huge vault, and at worst a small stone that stood up and proudly bore the lost one's name. Nowadays, sadly, things are different. Graves are usually mere squares embedded in the ground. They create no profile, no marked interest to the wandering eye.

Why do this? Certainly people had less money in the past than they do now, so money must not be an answer. If we can afford PlayStations and iPods, certainly we can afford a stone. The answer lies in efficiency.

Yes, mankind's march to make life more efficient has even bleeded over into the sacrosanct world of death. Flat headstones allow the groundskeeper of the graveyard to callously ride over the graves as he cuts the grass. In older cemeteries, he has to do the unspeakable act of using a weed whacker and taking care as he works around the monuments.

I know that in the grand scheme of things I'm not worth too much, but I'd like to think that I'm worth enough to not ride over in a lawnmower. My wife feels the same way, so we both agreed to make sure that our graves are substantial enough that they won't be disturbed. Even if that means hauling my body out to the woods, digging a hole, and placing a concrete pipe over it. Anything's better than a plaque.