Let me offer my humble opinion on this matter.
I just read about this latest story of ashes being scatter at Disney. This is NOT uncommon at all; it happens all the time...you just don't hear about it. In fact, I have a very good friend of mine who was a part of a family vacation to WDW, in which one of the purposes of that vacation was to scatter the ashes of a recently departed family member who loved WDW so much and could think of no place he'd rather been for eternity.
Now, let's be real for a moment. Taking out the "death" part of the equation, what are we really talking about?? Ash, just ash....basically power, dust, etc. To which is entirely sterile, no disease, no nothing. It is material that would be compared to not dusting your end-tables for 8 months to a year. Also, in every instance that I’ve of hearing about someone scattering ashes at any Disney park…that’s just it, they are “scattering”…a little here, a little there, a little on a tombstone at The Haunted Mansion, a little at the wishing well in front of Cinderella Castle, a little on MainStreet USA, etc. Mostly being very unobtrusive about it, not drawing any attention to what is going on. It’s a very private thing for a loved one, especially in such a crowded environment as a Disney park.
Also on the note of “scattering”, again that’s just in the manner of sprinkling in a very confined space, as not to disrupt anyone or anything. Scattering does NOT mean throwing an entire urn of your dearly beloved high in the air as you take the final five story plunge on Splash Mountain, coating everyone on the ride in a layer of mud…now that the ash has combined with a good douse of water from the ride!! The scattering of ashes in a pubic place, like Disney, is to make sure your loved one is there for all eternity…not cleaned up by the night crew. So, most people who do bring ashes to Disney, place them in areas or in ways that are away from most of the general public’s daily access. So, all you germ-o-phobes out there, don’t worry….someone’s “Uncle Ralph” is extremely unlikely to get on you.
So……what are we REALLY talking about here?? I believe it’s an engrained human fear of death. Plain and simple….and no one wants to be around, be near, be reminded or think about death…AT ALL. Because it reminds us all of our own mortality and that someday…we will all die. That’s just the fact.
Please, don’t get me wrong…I too, don’t relish in the fact that one day, someday…I’m going to cease to exist and shuffle off this mortal coil. But while I have a healthy fear of death…I also have a large desire to live my life, and to also know that life does not stop here on this earth…just because our bodies do. (But that’s for another discussion)
So embrace life, celebrate living each day. But as for the subject that got me to this editorial…I think that if someone’s last wish was to have their ashes scattered amongst various areas around a Disney Park…then GO FOR IT! Have fun with it; make it something special, something memorable. Celebrate you dearly departed’s life. Be respectful of others in the general public as you do it, but I see nothing wrong with it.
DisneyWorld, or any other Disney park around the globe…are the happiest places on Earth. I think it would be a happy place to spend eternity too!
* Note to self – The Tower of Terror is already a pretty dusty place in the lobby area, by design. So, scattering some of my ashes there wouldn’t even be noticed. Gotta update my will.