Mesa Legend - Opinions - Seeing the dead among the living is not for everyone

OPINIONS

Seeing the dead among the living is not for everyone

Michelle Lawerence
Mesa Legend

I stood in line for over an hour to look at human corpses. Not just any human corpses, but ones that were dancing, diving for soccer balls, skateboarding and jumping hurdles.

Part of it was because I sold myself on the “once-in-a-lifetime” propaganda, the other part was shear morbid curiosity.

I did a lot of reading about it before paying the $14.50 after hour admission, and decided it was something I had to see.

A man who married a woman, took her last name, later remarried and kept the first lady’s name, not to mention sculpts using dead people is being considered to be a among those of genius stature for inventing a chemical substance that preserves human bodies.

I don’t know if it’s his brilliant new wife’s creative marketing skills or if this guy is really doing something revolutionary here.

I heard little kids asking “Are they real”? I heard adults saying things like “This is so cool,” Wow,” and” It doesn’t even look real”, while others were making their best attempts to explain to their friends and family how it was done.

I uttered “That’s kinda creepy” a few times and “It’s hard to see the dead people through all the live people.”

Maybe it was because of the huge crowds blocking my experience, but I was looking to be moved, whether that came in the form of awe or shock or disgust.

I wasn’t really any of those things, although I was and still am marveled that someone has the rigidity and desire to put up such a spectacle, and that so many people are paying to see it.
I actually do recommend checking it out because at the end of the day, it will leave you pondering, but it might take a while to digest.

Looking back, I was definitely fascinated by the fetuses and barely recognizable human embryos. I was indeed taken aback by the 300 pound man who was sliced down to one gigantic slab.

I was truly gripped by the reaffirmation that underneath the skin every one is nearly identical, and I was certainly intrigued by the circus side show aspect of it all.

I was however, disappointed that the contrast of healthy lungs to smoker’s lungs did not in fact inspire me to kick the habit.

Oh well, maybe next time they’ll put live people on display, that just might do it.