Death

It is something no-one can avoid, but nobody likes to think about.  The only time most of us think about death is in the immediate aftermath of someone's passing, and so many people are unprepared for it.  When confronted by death, as in the death of a loved one, many feel at a loss as to how to respond. 

How do humans deal with death?  There are many ways, probably as many as there are people.  Much of religion is focused on death, usually either what comes after it or how to transcend it.  Philosophy also weighs in on the subject of death.  There are plenty of stories about philosophers, both eastern and western, dealing with death (Zhuangzi and Aristotle come to mind.)

The first death I remember in my family was my Great-Grandmother, who died when I was in elementary school.  She was 88, and had lived a good, long life.  I don't remember what the cause was, but I remember the different reactions of my family members.  Her daughter, my grandmother, was quiet, eerily so for an effusive person like herself.  Some of my aunts and uncles felt angry, some sad, and some, like me, didn't know quite what to make of the whole thing.  What happened to Great-Grandma?  Where did she go?  Is she happy?

These questions seem silly and childish, but they nevertheless form a large part of religious thought.  These are some of the few parts of the territory of religion that has not been explained by science.  It is possible that they may never be. 

I recently had a conversation with a friend who is a dedicated atheist, and one of the things we talked about was the realm of science and how it affected religion.  He believes that nothing is outside of the potential realm of science, and that religion is made up to fill the gaps in knowledge at the time.  This certainly has some merit; nobody really believes that there is a bearded god with a quiver full of lightning bolts responsible for thunderstorms.  The point where I disagree with him, and I invite any riposte to this statement, is that there are some things that are unknowable through science.

I think that death is one of those things.  Science doesn't help - it is logical, rational and powerful, but it is limited by things that can be observed or measured.  Death is not one of those things, unless you count "medically dead," which is based on heart and brain readouts.  What happens when people die?  Nobody really knows.  That's comforting to me.  I can think or feel whatever I want, and nobody can tell me I'm wrong.  Maybe Great-Grandma is in the nest of the giant robin-god, tending the baby robins. 

Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not.
  - Epicurus