I’m 27 years old now and it’s August 24th 2014. At this point I don’t plan on being dead for quite some time. I write this only to be prepared for the possibility and to make the information available so that it will not be forgotten upon my death. I’d like to live into my 80’s but I’ve found my life to be quite unpredictable and I’ve learned that I can rarely know for certain where I will be, even in twenty-four hours.
As much as I’d like to live on this earth in the manner that I am accustomed to for another half dozen decades I’m also ok with dying because I’ve learned to look at the greater picture. There are seven billion people on this planet and I am just one. Beyond that there are millions of other species totaling up to an uncountable number of lives, each going about their own business. To think that I matter that greatly where my life is a necessity for this earth, well I think that would be somewhat absurd. However, I do think that every move I make and every word I speak does matter. I believe that everything that every creature or being does, does matter. And I believe that we all matter equally. But death is a part of life and I accept that. I know many people have not accepted that and when I die I know there will be some people that wish I was still here. They will be more than all right though especially if they follow this will.
First and foremost I am writing this to make sure that nothing ridiculous is done to deal with my body. To use precious resources or cause unnecessary environmental harm in order to put my body to rest would be to spite me after my death. No coffin is needed. I don’t want a big machine to dig a hole for my body. Please no burning fossil fuels to gather in one place. And I’d really like a service, if any, that requires no resource input. Money will not be needed to deal with my death.
Of course I know some people would like to have a gathering and if that is the case I would like it to be of the utmost simplicity. Better yet, rather than one gathering that everyone must travel to please keep the gatherings local so that unnecessary travel is not undertaken. Please ride a bike, walk, or take pubic transportation and make sure to be inclusive of anybody who’d like to be involved. In an ideal world my body will not be present, as I will have felt that the time was right and I will have wandered into nature to return my physical self to the earth in a natural manner. My body will serve as nutrients to whatever animals choose to eat me, the larvae of whatever insects laid their eggs in my body, the microbes in the soil that decompose the last bits of me, and ultimately the trees and plants that incorporate my elements into their growth. If I haven’t managed to slip away and die please make sure that I am given a natural burial, ideally on public or private land that serves a better function than just holding bodies and tombstones. Imagine where Forest Gump buried Jenny. That would work just fine, minus the tombstone.
Rather than a standing around type gathering I’d like for you to do something to benefit the earth, your community, and yourself. Please do this in an enjoyable, positive manner rather than in mourning. Celebrate the good that I have done and dedicate some of your time to doing good as well. Give appreciation for the life that you have and the life that the earth provides to you.
I would be honored for you to commemorate the life that I have dedicated to the earth in one of these manners:
-Get together with friends for a nice bike ride. Cycle around your city smiling at everyone you see and brighten the days of the people you pass by.
-If the global food waste scandal has not been solved yet then go dumpster diving and prepare a meal for people you love and people in need. In this manner you will be able to share nutrition and health while decreasing waste that is destined for the landfill, all without spending a penny.
-Go for a swim instead of taking a shower. For just one day embrace your natural body and forgo all the accessories that you think you need to be clean and healthy.
-Plant some fruits or veggies and make them free for anyone to enjoy. Plant them in your front yard, a community garden, in a public place, anywhere that they will be seen and accessible to any passerby. Share your bounty!
Lastly, for what most people focus on in their will, material possessions and money. As I write this I am learning to live a full and abundant life without the usage of money. I have found my greatest happiness in the service of others and I have learned how to meet my simplest and most important demands of food, water, clothing, shelter, and friendship without the usage of money. I have found great purpose and value in a life of non-ownership and thus have shared my earnings and possessions with others rather than collecting up as much as I can. Because of that I probably won’t have much to leave behind in this way. However if I do and I die within a short time after writing this I’d like you to donate it to the following non-profits- 1:1 Movement, Guitars in the Classroom, 1% for the Planet, Food is Free, and Food Shift. If I die much longer down the road just donate everything I have to the last ten non-profits that I had made a donation to. Have someone check my financials for that information.
To sum up this will in a few sentences, when I die please:
-Use no resources or money.
-Commemorate my life by spreading health and happiness around you (or if you don’t care just go on living your life).
-Give everything I have, if there is anything, to non-profits that will use it to make the world a happier, healthier place.
I have chosen to live a life that aims to benefit all for the sake of all, not for the sake of a god. However if the Christians, Muslims, or a selection of dozens of other religions were correct I am off to an eternity in hell. Not because I really did anything wrong but simply because what I did was not in the name of their god. That is unless by the time I died the organized religions changed their regulations about who gets to go to heaven and hell. However, from what I’ve seen those rules and ideas were just created to control the masses and are likely to be untrue so there is no need to fret an eternity in hell. If the soul can leave my physical body and continue on in another manner I just hope it continues to do good. I wouldn’t be surprised though if this life was all that I had and that is why I gave it all I had. I could only be certain that I had this life to live, all the rest was speculation. I’ll have died with a full life behind me, even if it was the day after writing this and I’m happy to have had this time on earth.
May you all reconnect with the health and happiness that is free and available to us.
Love,
Credits:
This article first appeared on Robgreenfield.tv
