I used
to believe that the cemetery was a place of death. That the existence of cemeteries
was simply a practical solution to what we do with remains. Over the past nine
weeks, my opinion has changed. The
cemetery is not a place of death; it is a place of life.
As we
have wandered through Spring Grove, I learned of those buried there. I learned
about their lives, beliefs, values, heritage, and customs. The monuments
whisper stories to us, and although sometimes we have to strain to hear them,
they tell us about the lives of those buried beneath them.
And we
don’t simply learn of the individuals, we learn about history and society. I
absorbed more about the values of society through the generations, than I ever
would have in a sociology class. We saw the observed the larger monuments,
popular in the nineteenth century, to the simplistic minimalist style more
poplar now. We have gotten less cryptic as time has passed. Older monuments
speak to us through depictions representing the person’s life, while
contemporary ones bear phrases such as “What’s Cracking?” and “Gone to see for
ourselves”. I’ve learned about the people who made Cincinnati a major city, and
saw how time has changed us from the German heritage that we are known for, to
a cultural melting pot representing European and Middle Eastern influences as
well. Walking around Spring Grove is like walking a timeline of our city.
I have
learned what I wanted from my life. There is a difference between what we do
and who we are. I do not want a marker symbolic of my profession, but rather of
who I am, and who I strive to be: a person who loves to learn, who loves
people, and who will do anything for others. I think I want my memorial to say,
simply “She Loved”.
I stand
by what I concluded in my first blog, “I have reached a two-fold conclusion.
First, I believe that cemeteries exist so we feel that we will be remembered.
In the grand scheme of things, we are on earth for a very brief amount of time.
We want our lives to mean something; we want to know that we made an impact on
this world. Secondly, they serve as place where those who have lost a loved one
can go and remember who the person was to them. Cemeteries are not for the
dead, they are for the living.”
I still
certainly believe these statements whole-heartedly. A cemetery can offer no
comfort to the dead. To the living, however, a cemetery offers a home. No one
wants to be homeless. We all want a place to lay our head down at night, and a
cemetery offers us comfort that we will have a place when we lay our head down permanently.
The
cemetery offers us a place of immortality. We cannot physically live forever;
our bodies were not designed to. But through cemeteries, we are allowed a place
to be memorialized for eternity and to tell our stories to others. I hope that one day; two hundred years from
now, a person will walk past my memorial and stop to remember me as I did those
buried at Spring Grove.
I
cannot answer if cemeteries will be around in the future. Our societal views may
change, and they may no longer be deemed necessary. Scientific advances may
make the cemetery an unnecessary burden. But I do believe that there will
always be memorials in one way, shape or form. We have a deep human need to be
remembered.
My experience
at Spring Grove has taught me the many dimensions of the roles of a cemetery.
It is not a simple answer, because I think the purpose of the cemetery is up to
the individual. For some, it may be a scientific answer, or a moral, or philosophical
one. I came into this course with the notion that I was going to learn a little
history, and maybe play with some ghosts. I thought it wandering around a
cemetery would be interesting, but a little macabre. Leaving the course, I have
found one of my new favorite spots. Spring Grove has taken the place of the
park for me. I have found stories, peace, beauty, and inspiration there. And I will continue to return. I have more
stories to hear.
No comments:
Post a Comment