Death makes us reflect on life
by Brian Wainstein, Editor-In-Chief

   One of my role models died recently, and his death led me to some introspection.
   I admit I am still not past the point where I consider myself immortal.
   What better definition of immortality could one find than Terry Pratchett's "Immortality only means you haven't died yet."
   I subscribe to that notion completely.
   What is there for me to fear?
   I have conquered disease, healed from wounds, survived accidents, climbed mountains and crossed oceans.
   Nothing, it seems, can stop me, and since my family members have done the same, it seems nothing could stop them either.
   The death of my role model, my grandfather, shook me to the core.
   What happens after death?
   Numerous religions and philosophies have sprung up, attempting to answer that question with solutions ranging from an eternal paradise to a vast limbo.
   The real answer is that nobody can tell us what happens after death.
   The only people who know are not in any position to share their knowledge.
   Personally, I find it hard to think that a mind that spanned almost a century, a mind that has seen nations rising and falling, could just disappear with no trace.
   Scientists still do not know for certain why it is that the brain works and how it does.
   Is awareness merely a cosmic accident, as agnostics would believe, or is there a purpose behind it, if for nothing more than to look at all the pretty lights in the sky?
   Our universe is a gift; even the most wretched person on the planet is gifted far beyond the most dazzling diamond.
   People are gifted with life and granted the ability to appreciate the universe.
   People can feel the texture of this page under their fingers, see the text on the page and hear the sounds around them.
   All these senses and more are ours to treat as we please.
   Art galleries, television, radio, food, parks, gardens and the rest of the world are there for us: enjoy them.
   We should revel in being alive and treat every day we have like the priceless gem it is.
   I wish us all a long life.