I have a different take on death than many, as I came close to death several times as a child, and twice as an adult, so while I don't seek it out, neither do I fear it.

And so many people forget that death is often a kindness, to those who are sick, injured and/or and infirm, and have been suffering long. Death is often a blessing.

And yeah, death can also knock the wind out of you, make you question your very existence and the reason for it, as happened to me when a close friend died unexpectedly. And, closely following the deaths of my dad and my mother-in-law, plus the September 11th attacks, I grieved and grieved hard.

But in the end, I came out stronger as a result, and better able to handle anything that life throws my way.

More than anything, death is part of life, one of its many phases, and if you really wrap your mind around the concepts of quantum physics, it doesn't really doesn't exist anyway. Nothing truly dies; it merely changes form.

As the Bhagavad Gita says; that which lives, lives forever. Only the shell, the perishable, passes away. The spirit is without end, eternal, deathless.

Interesting timing for this post, as well, as I am working on a series of articles to help people who are going through the grieving process.

Thanks for this post, Philip.