A thought for the New Year

[newcastle]

New Year’s Eve saw a veritable Egyptofest of programmes on TV….featuring the pharaohs, pyramids and lots and lots of mummies.Some stuff was the usual repeats…but there was quite a lot of new programs. At least, new to me.

The sheer volume of bodies exhumed since the commencement of Egyptomania is staggering. It makes you wonder why it still goes on. Is there anything new to learn?

I suppose we owe a lot to the ancient Egyptian habit of mummification, without which we’d know little of the lives of the elite. Just as well they had plenty of desert in which to bury the bodies!

Of course, most countries don’t have that luxury….with land being at a premium. Hence the rise of cremation as a way of dealing with the dead. But, in these days of climate-awareness, the idea of pumping umpteen kilos of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere when waving goodbye to aunty Ethel has its own issues.

Hence the current fad for “aquamation”….dissolving the body in a hot alkaline bath and crushing the remaining bones. Apparently, it’s the way Archbishop Tutu has chosen to greet Saint Peter.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about it. Flushing the dissolved remains of your nearest and dearest down the drain seems a tad irreverent. But perhaps appropriate when disposing of someone you positively disliked.

Alternatively, you could neutralise the solution and pour it over the rose bed. A nice thought.

What are your plans - if any - for shuffling of this mortal coil?

[Who2]

Depending upon my location hopefully in Egypt, I intend to be
mummified by people who know how to do it.
If not, buried I have always believed if it takes 9 months to be born who is to say death
comes in seconds, minutes, hours ?

I have already prepared the ground with Salima, Nick and others in the know.
Should all come to fruition in a few years hence, you will be able to view it on The Smithsonian Channel,
National Geographic, Discovery and probably on Youtube..

[newcastle]

]I suppose wondering whether you might be “ taken” whist still alive….but in a catatonic state….is a recurring nightmare for many.

I’m not sure whether being cremated, dissolved or buried would be preferable in that eventuality. At least mummification gives Salima et al 70 days to realise their mistake, restuff your innards, and send you home.

With some people, mummification has been successfully performed whilst still alive ( just)…

Keith Richards

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