by Scott Birch

Created on: October 31, 2008   Last Updated: November 01, 2008

It makes sense that we as an evolving species are still afraid of the unknown. Fear is a survival technique, but since we no longer have to worry about what may be waiting for us in a dark cave; we fear what the future holds for us.

In addition to the everyday "fears" that we combat (described better as stress), we are faced with much more pressing anxieties throughout our lives. I believe these main concerns include the inevitability of our own death and the fairly safe assumption that we are beings living by our own means on this planet.

"What will happen to me when I die?" We are the only living things that know we will expire at some point.

Depending on the religion you subscribe to, or the one that your parents subscribed you to, you may fear the concept of hell. You could be stressing about the requirements for getting into heaven.

Not only is there no reason to believe that such a place exists, but also it's an unhealthy way to perceive the life we're presently experiencing. Life is so much more beautiful when we acknowledge that we exist only by the slightest of chances. We're living; conscience beings and our days are numbered.

Why dream of another life when you already have one? Should we not just accept that this is our one chance to be happy, to feel fulfilled and to make a difference during the short time we have on this planet?

The entrance requirement for getting into heaven is the people you leave behind. If they believe you lived a life that would warrant access to a higher place after death then you have surely made the most of your years. Heaven only exists in the minds of the people who mourn your death.

Personally I choose to face the inevitability of death with a different attitude. I am a fan of logic, which rules out the possibility of eternal fire (or the equally hellish idea of an eternal church service). I believe that the best indicator of what it will be like when we die is what it was like before we were born. We will no longer exist and we won't know it, we won't remember that we lived and we won't know anything. It will be more nothingness than we can comprehend. I can say this with reasonable confidence since I have no reason to think anything else.

This realization brings with it the release of fear. I don't have to worry. I was born and will pass away, just like every other living and struggling organism on Earth. I can't change it, and in an odd way that delivers a sense of peacefulness. All I can do is live my life the way I want

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