[Totenkopf]

I am really gonna try and stay away from the religion debate on this one.

I am not going to tell a lie, death is one of the few things that absolutely scares me. Why? Because, I do not believe in the afterlife, reincarnation, etc. I just haven't seen anything to give me believe in these things.

In college, I studied anthropology. In my courses we studied belief systems of every culture, as well as the evolution of man. Now, I don't want to stir a huge debate here, but the facts that were presented to me lead me to this belief. Humans are to put it bluntly, animals. We did not arrive here from some higher power, we are the result of natural selection. Over time, our brains devoloped as our bodies became weaker.

Eventually our brain size became large enough for us to become abstract thinkers. A natural question arises when you reach this level of thinking. Why am I here? What happens after death? Fear arises when there is the unknown. So we devoloped stories, rituals, etc. to ease those fears. These over time led to the major religions of the world that we see today. One can see the evolution of religion over time, much like our societies. Starting as myths, primitive stories by the hunter gatherers that grew more complex as we settled into agricultural based socities. Religion was many times used to manipulate only what a small few wanted out of the great many.

I cannot simply have "faith" in a higher power when it is not tangible to me. I have tried, but it is only an affront to leasen my fears of the unknown and I recognize this. When my grandmother died, I had many problems coping with her death. About five months after it happened, I had the most intense dream I had ever had. In it, my grandmother looking about 25 approached me and told me not to worry about her anymore, that she was in the happiest place she had ever been. I awoke feeling grateful, but as the years have passed, I feel that it was just my subconcious helping me along with my grief. Nothing more.

So, I am not one to turn to for words of comfort when trying to understand death. The only thing I realize is I love life so much, and I am trying to enjoy every bit of it that I can before I go. biggrin: