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Human Tree



It's Not Easy to Become a Tree

Many of us have favorite trees to which we are inexplicably drawn. Or, we remember that one tree that stood at the center of our childhood experience. In our sometimes stress-filled, chaotic lives, trees stand as graceful portraits of stability, flexibility, and inspire us to embrace life’s challenges with serenity and composure. Current research agrees that a restorative walk in a green space boosts well-being and cognitive function by reducing the stress hormone cortisol and calming the parasympathetic division of the central nervous system.


 
                                      




But if not intellectually, then intuitively we know that our physical and emotional needs are intimately and holistically linked to the delicate health of our biosphere and all of the unique living and breathing organisms therein. Organizations such as the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy are dedicated to building and nurturing a “relational practice” of spending more time in forests and other natural places to not only improve our physical and mental health, but also our relationships with one another, the places we call home, and with our selves.


So, indeed, it is a splendid dream to want your body to become a tree after it dies. Your body would live on in this magnificent stately form of elegance and beauty that symbolically represents life itself. For many people, the images of Capsula Mundi helped to popularize the idea of becoming a tree after death. This conceptual form of full-body disposition was developed in Italy by Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel. As of now, Capsula Mundi is an intriguing work of art perhaps, but not a viable, realistic form of burial. The article “How to Become a Tree When You Die—Debunked” published by TalkDeath helps to break down the difficulties associated with becoming a tree, but I will touch upon some of these challenges here.

To begin, I don’t know of any funeral home or natural burial ground at this time that would be willing to wrap a dead body into a fetal position and place it into a biodegradable egg-shaped pod. In addition, the burial process, which would include digging a deep vertical grave to accommodate the pod, sounds logistically unrealistic for all involved in the burial.


Here’s what the science tells us: after the root ball of the tree would be placed over the burial pod, a lot of water would need to be added to the grave in order to help the tree take root. If a dead body is consistently surrounded by too much water, the anaerobic environment may result in the formation of adipocere, a waxy substance around the body which prevents it from properly decomposing into soil.


Simply put, a dead body needs oxygen to decompose. According to TalkDeath, “adding water to an environment lowers the temperature of the soil and disrupts the body’s decomposition process. Additionally, young root growth could be disrupted by the presence of the body or could push remains toward the surface as the tree grows."

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