One thing we can be sure of is that we will die. Everybody will.
Some people do not like the thought of this and don't accept it. They prefer to think
that death is not the end of us but that we might live on, perhaps in another life on
earth, or in another place where people are rewarded or punished.
But wanting something to be true is not the same as it being true.
And there is no evidence to support the idea that our minds could survive the end of our
bodies.
What sense could we make of the things that we value -- love, experiences, communication,
achievements, the warmth of the sun on our face -- if we were disembodied?
And if life were eternal, wouldn't it lose much of what gives it shape, structure, meaning
and purpose?
Think about reading a good book or eating a delicious cake. These may be great pleasures,
but one of the things that makes them pleasures is that they come to an end. A book that went
on and on forever and a cake that you never stopped eating would both soon lose their
appeal.
Death is a natural part of life.
It makes sense for us to try not to be afraid of this but instead to come to terms with
it.
Then we can focus on finding meaning and purpose in the here and now, making the most of the
one life we know we have and helping others to do the same, choosing good over evil without
the expectation of reward in some other place.
When we do die, we will live on in the work we have done and in the memories of the other
people whose lives we have been part of.
Our bodies will break up and become part again of the cycle of nature. The atoms that form
us now will go on to form others things -- trees and birds, flowers and butterflies.