The grip death has on us as a species is so influential in all aspects of our lives whether we know it or not. We like to rehearse it but ultimately we hate actually confronting it. We spend a lot of time allowing the threat of death to color our emotions.
This leads us to be ill-prepared for the realities of death. We never really plan to die. Which leads to us dying lonely in boxes that stop us from reconnecting with the environment around us, effectively making us die lonely. Separated from the earth while being 6 feet under.
I hope that in the future that we can shift collective beliefs to have natural burials that can serve the environment around us and lower the costs and resources needed to continue the ecologically damaging practices that aren't in our best interests. I think this can happen with better education and a shift from the institutional default of cremations and graveyards.
"Separated from the earth while being 6 feet under" - WOW! I loved the way you put that! It is very true, too. Yes, death is something that is so spontaneous that it is hard to prepare for its realities, I agree. That is why it is so important to live every day like it's your last, and that includes connecting with the environment to the fullest of your capability.