Death

There are many different theories and beliefs about death. Some believe that a person only lives one life, and that is here on earth. Others believe that they will die and return to earth in a different body or as another creature, also known as reincarnation. There are those that believe there is life beyond this world. Which one of these select groups has the right answer to death? We may never know.

I had a friend pass away this last year, and it gave me some time to really think about death. Our textbook, Core Concepts in Health, reiterates this when it states, "The news of a friend's or loved one's serious illness can shock us into an encounter with mortality that creates a need to cope not only with the painful reality of our friend's or loved one's illness, but also with our own eventual death." I was stuck in the frame of mind that death was for the sick and the elderly. I heard many stories of younger people dying, but none of them seemed real. It was as though those were rare circumstances. Our textbook touches on this concept when it states, "Where the reality of death is concerned, Ð''out of sight, out of mind' often appears to be the rule of the day." All of this turned around when I found out my friend, Scott, had passed away. I was really taken back, and it did not seem to be real; it all just seemed like a bad dream. The moment when I finally realized that he was gone was at his viewing. I was able to see Scott in his casket, but for some reason it did not seem like him. Even though he was lying two feet in front of me, I could just tell it was not him. Then it hit me; he did not have a smile on his face. In the six years I knew Scott, not once did I see him without a smile on his face. His body lay in front of me, but it was not the Scott I knew. It was then I realized I did not know his body, but I knew his spirit. The Scott I knew was not in the casket but next to all of us in the room. You could feel his presence as though he was standing right by you. It was not his body that I knew, but the familiar feeling of his delightful spirit and personality comforting each one of us with his smile.

I am a firm believer that there is life beyond this world, but I am not saying that this belief is the answer for everyone. I think that as long as you have something to look forward to and something to live for, his life has much more meaning. If you live each day like it was your last day here on this earth, and enjoy the many things this world and others have to give, you live life as a much happier person. The key to life and the key to death is the same; it is in believing in something or someone.

If you believe in only life on earth, and no life after death, you can still make the most of your life. You would cherish the things around you, because you would not know when death would strike you. Each day would be spent enjoying the many things the world and others give to you. You could make the most of each day, and live each day like it was your last.

If you were one that believed in reincarnation, you could have the mind frame that you are only you one time. You would want others to think highly of you, so you would go throughout each day trying to gain others' respect, and leave them with a lasting impression of you. You