Here are two TED talks that discuss different ways we can incorporate the use of simple mushrooms into our lives, and eventual death, to improve the state of the world.

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Both videos are practical, highly entertaining, and mind blowingly interesting!

The second video, discussing how mushrooms can be used to decompose corpses, reminded me of something that has bothered me about humanity since I was very young.

There are so many of us, billions, and we all die.  We spend our entire lives consuming the Earth, growing and devouring species to the point of extinction.  And at the end of it all, we are so selfish that we do not give our dead, useless bodies packed full of nutrients back to the Earth.  We wrap ourselves in metal and even in death take up some space in the already crowded Earth.  And then, we carve a stone with our name on it and put it over the ground marking the spot where our rich nutrients are safely being stored and wasted away.

A poetic ending denoting our wastefulness in life that continues to the grave.

Why?

Guess what? Our species is growing!  There are more of us on this planet now then there has been in the entire history of the world! What will we do with all the space clear and fill with coffins?  North America will become one giant prison.  South America will be one giant cemetery.  And we can all just live in Europe/Africa/Asia right?

I have heard so many minds propose the idea of planting a tree instead of making a headstone.  Can you imagine endless forests supported by the nutrients of our dead?  Or orchards; every family can have their own fruit trees, so that visiting grandma and grandpa with the kids at the cemetery can be a joyous event filled with delicious fruit instead of boredom filled with solemn memories.

What better way to honor our dead than with life?

Note: The second video also comments on the various toxins in our body, a major argument for why a deceased body should not be placed directly into the ground.  The use of mushrooms filters the toxins into non harmful organic matter at a rapid rate.