The Reality of Mortality | Ask A Mortician Featurette

I was first introduced to the death positive movement when I started questioning the issues with modern embalming...

Alright, that's a lie.. My first impression of the death positive movement, and probably the most famous mortician,  Caitlin Doughty, came rather unexpectedly. As with most Youtube channel discoveries, it came at 4am one morning,  and I was completely fascinated by her responses to "insidery death questions."

The first video I watched of hers was an explanation of the different ways to close the mouths of corpses...Needle injectors and hand stitching are the mainstream ways to do so,  in case that question was burning through your dura mater. 

I don't know what fascinates me more: the comedy of trying to ease someone into the finality of morality..or her historical penis factoid collection. It's a tossup!

In all honesty, Caitlin's videos have given me a lot to think about.  Who else walks through Walmart at 5am thinking about why Alkaline Hydrolysis is still so taboo (and illegal)  No one... Just me?... Okay, fine. But seriously, it needs to be discussed at some point.  

She is the author or of two books Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and From Here to Eternity. --Which I will be adding to my Amazon Wishlist, in case anyone's "dying" to share the love!

These videos have really opened a conversation I didn't think I needed to have.  I don't think I've ever contemplated my final wishes before. The more I do,  I don't want to be worm food.   More importantly, I do not want to leave behind, to whomever, the financial burden of a traditional Western casket burial. 

I used to actively oppose cremation,  getting an icky feeling and trying to talk people out of it.  I'm not sure where that fear or dislike stemmed from, but the miasma theory could have been to blame. 

The Miasma Theory,  as Caitlin describes, is the thought that dead bodies are gross, that our remains are gross and teeming with fluids and bacteria that are just going to go haywire after death.. Not exactly the case,  most often.   

She states that dead bodies pose almost no risk of sickness to the living,  so I'd like to get past my fear of spending time around them. 

I've nearly conquered by uneasiness caused by cemeteries--I am able to spend time aside my loved one's graves, but I'm still not too comfortable in public cemeteries.

That's all I have for you today, guys.  I hope you'll take a second to check out Caitlin's channel "Ask A Mortician."  It will definitely make you think!  As always, thanks for sticking around until the end.  Drop a comment over on my Insta if you've made it this far.  

I will see you back here with my next post, if you haven't already deciphered my latest instagram posts, the theme for December is death.  So, enjoy!

-Miss Motionless