Crystal Banaba - 3

After lunch, Jon pulled Rachel aside and said, “Laura asked me to take you to the shop. I also suspect you have a lot of questions that I may be able to answer.”

He was so friendly, Rachel couldn’t reject his offer. She let him lead her out of the dining hall into the street. As they were passing the community park, Jon suggested they’d sit there to talk.

They found a bench in a tree shadow and sat down. Jon got right to the point, “I understand what you’ve learned about us can be confusing and even shocking, so why don’t you ask me anything that you’d like to know. Anything. I promise to be honest.”

“Ok… not that I didn’t think about this all the time,” Rachel made an attempt at a joke, “but are you one of the founding members of this community?”

“Yes, one of the five still standing. Most have already transcended,” Jon said calmly.

“You keep using these euphemisms for death, like transcended, completed. Why not just call it what it is – euthanasia, voluntary or not?”

“Ah, that’s such a harsh, ugly word, ‘euthanasia,’ isn’t it? It has such a strong negative connotation in the outside world, we didn’t want to bring it to our community. We don’t even use it for pets, not to mention humans. Also, we don’t see death as final. We believe people transcend and leave behind their legacy in the form of memories and crystals.”

“That’s another thing, why crystals? Not diamonds, which is more honest?”

“Aren’t diamonds crystals?”

“Technically, yes, but we both know that what you are making from ashes is diamonds.”

“Tell me about it! I was one of the first enthusiasts of the technology, tried to popularize it as much as I could when I lived in Japan! I wish it became a thing before my wife died…”

“And still, it didn’t catch on, did it?”

“Not really. Not at the time, not in Japan, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. We believe that one of the reasons why was exactly in naming it. Diamonds are so closely associated with the world of the rich, luxury, exploitation, and blood. They literally have a bad name and reputation! By calling them crystals we shift the meaning away from rotten luxury to memorialization, legacy of remembering. It works so much better for us!”