LYRICFLUENT
LYRICFLUENTWhat Happens To Our Bodies After We Die? Lyrics by Addison Anderson Addison Anderson
Below, you will find the lyrics for What Happens To Our Bodies After We Die? by Addison Anderson.
Since the dawn of humanity
An estimated 100.8 billion people have lived and died
A number that increases by about .8%
Of the world's population each year
What happens to all of those people's bodies after they die
And will the planet eventually run out of burial space?
When a person's heart stops beating
The body passes through several stages before it begins decomposing
Within minutes after death
The blood begins settling in the lower-most parts of the body
Usually eight to twelve hours later
The skin in those areas is discolored by livor mortis
Or post-mortem stain
And while at the moment of death the body's muscles relax completely
In a condition called primary flaccidity
They stiffen about two to six hours later
In what's known as rigor mortis
This stiffening spreads through the muscles
And its speed can be affected by age, gender
And the surrounding environment
The body also changes temperature
Usually cooling off to match its environment
Next comes decomposition
The process by which bacteria and insects break apart the body
Many factors affect the rate of decomposition
There is, however, a basic guide of the effect
Of the environment on decompositon
Called Casper's Law
It says that if all other factors are equal
A body exposed to air decomposes twice as fast
As one immersed in water
And eight times as fast as one buried in earth
Soil acidity also greatly affects bone preservation
High-acidity soils with a pH of less than 5.3
Will rapidly decompose bone
Whereas in a neutral or basic soil with a pH of 7 or more
A skeleton can remain in relatively good condition for centuries
Different cultures throughout history have developed
Unique approaches to burials
As far back as the first Neanderthal burials
Death was accompanied by rituals
Like the positioning, coloring, or decorating of corpses
Traditional Christian burials decorate the body in dress
While in traditional Islam
A body is wrapped in a piece of ritual fabric
With the face oriented toward Mecca
Traditional Hindus ceremonially burn the body
And Zoroastrians, followers of one
Of the oldest monotheistic religions
Traditionally place bodies atop a tower to expose them to the Sun
And scavenging birds
Before the Industrial Revolution, burials were simple and accessible
These days, with suitable burial land running out
In high-population areas
Purchasing private gravesites can be costly
And many people can't afford simple burials
Even cremation, the second most common burial practice in the world
Comes with a high cost
As for the question of running out of space
The issue isn't so much about total land in the world
As it is that large populations cluster together within cities
Most of the big cities in the world
May run out of suitable burial grounds within a century
For London, it's even sooner
That may happen by 2035
So are there alternatives to traditional burials
That might help with the space issue?
In some countries, skyscraper cemeteries enable vertical burials
Some options focus on the body's relationship with the environment
Promession, for example, freeze-dries and pulverizes the body
Creating a powder that can turn into compost
When mixed with oxygen and water
There are also green burials that use special materials
Such as biodegradable caskets
Urns that sprout trees
And burial suits that grow mushrooms
Eternal reefs take that concept to the depths of the ocean
Using a mixture of ashes and cement to create marine
Habitats for sea life
Death is an inevitable part of the human condition
But how we treat bodies and burials continues to evolve
We may each have different spiritual
Religious
Or practical approaches to dying
But the ever-increasing demand for burial space
Might give us a push to be creative
About where our bodies go after the final stages of life
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