Fearing death oft-times seems similar to the fear that accompanies any act which you’ve never done before. About to be married, going to finish school, going on a trip... fear is part of all of these experiences, at least until you’ve done it. But I think the fear is made worse because of the stories we’ve told, and heard, about it. Modern movies are a prime example where we can watch what might happen if we die and what we might miss, etc. The more tragic a story the greater the fear that that might overwhelm us. The poems, tales, and stories highlight the effects of death.

But in a similar vein, I find comfort in the more positive stories too, such as the ones about Jesus in the Bible. How death came as a result of sin, and how, for some reason, a sacrifice was required to pay the penalty of sin - something else had to die in your stead, like a pigeon or sheep. But of course, how could that really pay that price? No wonder sacrifices were needed regularly. That is until Jesus’ death - an eternal life could pay for an eternal death, for good and forever. All I need to do is believe in Jesus and share that payment. This is a good story, preferable to the ending of say, 300, or Gladiator, for me at least.

I’m not sure the eternal life to come will eventually be boring either. The story suggests we remain basically the same, and what has been true is that we grow. True, what interested me as a kid doesn’t hold the same power over me now, nor could I as a child really get into fonts or NLP or traveling! So I reckon that eternal life means eternally growing and developing. I can’t picture it, I’ve not lived it yet, there is some fear there, but overall it sounds pretty good.