Cremation, as a funeral method that has been widely practiced in China for a long time, carries profound cultural traditions and national feelings.
It is not only a remembrance and farewell to the deceased, but also reflects the society's respect for the dignity of life and the recognition of death. However, with the development of society and the concept of environmental protection, the environmental protection problem of cremation has gradually become prominent, which has also given birth to the exploration of new funeral methods.
First of all, the environmental challenges of cremation cannot be ignored. Traditional cremation requires a lot of energy consumption and may produce some harmful gas emissions in the process, which has caused certain pressure on the environment. At the same time, there is also a need for a place to place the ashes after cremation, which is no longer suitable in the case of tight urban land resources.
In the face of such challenges, new funeral methods have emerged.
For example, water burial, as an emerging funeral method, has been revered by some people. It scatters the ashes of the deceased into the sea or river, allowing the deceased to become one with nature, which not only reduces the occupation of land resources, but also reduces the impact on the environment. In addition, water burial is considered a more sacred form of burial in some religious or cultural traditions.
However, despite the advantages of new burial methods such as water burials in terms of environmental protection, their social acceptance is not so ideal. On the one hand, it always takes time for people to get used to new things, and on the other hand, these new funeral methods have also caused some controversy.
For example, there are concerns that scattering ashes into the ocean or rivers may pollute the water quality and cause damage to the ecological environment.
In addition, there is a type of burial known as "biodegradation", in which the body of the deceased is covered with a biocloth containing natural enzymes, which causes it to quickly decompose and return to nature. This approach also has advantages in terms of environmental protection, but it also faces the problem of social acceptance.
On this issue, Wu Fei, a professor at Peking University, put forward his own views.
He believes that the cremation method burns people to ashes, like garbage incineration, which is an insult to the deceased. He advocated the restoration of traditional burial methods, believing that this is more in line with the traditional culture of our country and is also a respect for the deceased. Professor Wu Fei's views have aroused widespread public attention and discussion, with some supporting his views and others refuting them, arguing that burials occupy land resources and do not meet the development needs of modern society.
In general, cremation, as a traditional funeral method, has its historical and cultural value, but with the development of society, we also need to explore new and more environmentally friendly funeral methods. This is not only a need for environmental protection, but also a respect for life and death.
However, the acceptance of the new funeral method in society needs to be improved, and we need time and effort to promote and understand. In this process, we need to balance tradition and modernity, respect individual and collective choices, and find a way to respect the deceased while protecting the environment.