A cemetery is a highly specialized place, and people attend it for particular reasons. It is emotionally challenging to visit it because individuals typically moan and feel sadness at the graveyard. However, this location can become informative if it is analyzed from a scientific point of view. That is why I visited a local cemetery and identified 20 insightful observations that provoked my thoughts and typically led to adverse and tragic emotions.
Various types of headstones were the first aspect that drew my attention at a cemetery. They were of different shapes, forms, sizes, and even colors. I conducted additional research to find their names, which allowed me to differentiate upright, slant, flat, bench, and wing headstones (Allen, 2020). That discovery made me think that the deceased’s relatives drew unnecessary attention to headstones because their aesthetic properties were meaningless. Furthermore, I noticed many epitaphs, including Rest in Peace, A Life Measured in Memories, and Gone but Never Forgotten. These words made me sad because they indicated that people had lost their beloved relatives and friends.
Another group of my observations related to who was buried. For me, the most challenging aspect is witnessing the graves of children. When I noticed the headstones of an infant and a teenager, I became overpowered by grief. That emotional state is justified by the fact that it is not traditional when very young individuals die. When it occurs, it is impossible to imagine what the deceased’s relatives feel and think. If adults depart, it is still a tragedy, but society considers such an event more natural. The grave of a woman of my age made me less tearful, even though I thought that she was young for death. I suggested that some extraordinary events had caused a death of a person in her 40s. Simultaneously, the death of older adults who are 75 years old and above is considered less tragic. When I found the grave of a 90-year-old man, the oldest person I could find, I was curious about how the person had managed to live such a long life. Since this man died in 1977, I wondered how many historical events he had personally experienced.
Observing a family plot provided me with contradictory feelings and emotions. On the one hand, I understood that something tragic had happened, which resulted in the death of three people. At the grave, I noticed that the three had died on the same day, and I suggested that they had died in a car accident. On the other hand, since the headstones allowed me to see that the family had been Christians, a slight consolation was that the father, mother, and child were together in heaven.
In addition to that, I noticed a few objects that I did not understand. Firstly, I found some graves where a coin was left on a headstone. I did not initially comprehend the meaning of this fact, but additional research demonstrated that it was a way to pay respect to a deceased soldier. Secondly, I came across an unusual headstone that was in the form of an open book. I cannot explain why it was necessary to make such an exclusive and notable gravestone. Thirdly, I found a headstone of a 25-year-old woman with a dreamcatcher symbol that was placed near the cross. I suggested that the object had been meaningful for the deceased woman, but I could not know for sure.
During my visit, I experienced two events that surprised me. I did not expect it at all, but I faced a group of people who were waking, smiling, and laughing at the cemetery. For me, that location was associated with peace and tranquility, and it was strange to see joy there. I was also surprised by the fact that there were more female graves compared to male ones. That finding made me think about why women died more often.
I was disturbed when I found a headstone of a person whom I knew. That discovery made me recollect how I talked to him. I became sad because the fact made me remember that everyone is mortal. Simultaneously, I was a little shocked when I noticed a headstone of a person who had been born on the same day as me. This image gave me the creeps, even though I am not subject to superstition.
At the cemetery, I encountered a funeral procession with many people. All these individuals looked sad and moaning, which was typical of that event. I understood the feelings of these people because I had already attended funerals. Later, I witnessed a single woman who were crying near a newly established headstone. I felt sorrow because it seemed that the woman had just lost a beloved person.
Furthermore, I noticed various objects left at graves, and flowers were the most widespread. It was usual to see natural and artificial flowers at the cemetery. I additionally witnessed a baseball cap and decided that the deceased person was either a baseball fan or a professional player. However, toys were the most challenging finding at the cemetery. Traditionally, these objects personify joy, but this location provided them with feelings of sorrow and remorse.
In conclusion, my visit to a local cemetery provided me with a rich experience. That event was challenging for me because I typically felt negative emotions. People are mortal, which denotes that the death of any person can be a sudden event. However, it is possible to extract a positive lesson from this observation because this idea teaches people to live fully-fledged lives and enjoy every moment.
References
Allen, D. (2020). Most popular types of headstones. Cache Valley Monuments.