"Do not seek death.  Death will find you.  But seek the road which makes death a fulfillment."

 - Dag Hammarskjold

Death and Dying

Death, the one true certainty in life, still remains the ultimate mystery.

Our views of death and what ‘happens’ to us when we die, along with how we treat our dead, vary vastly across cultures and from person to person.  Some treat death with solemnity whilst others view death as a celebration of life and the beginning of our next big adventure.

Despite claims of ghosts and reports of near death experiences, there is no scientific proof for what happens to us after death.  Many of our answers come from the state or religion: nearly all cultures and major belief systems propound in some form a notion of life after death.

Many Christians for example, believe in an afterlife, heaven and hell and even resurrection – they believe Christ himself rose from the dead.  Other religions like Hinduism and Buddhism believe in reincarnation, a cycle of birth, death and rebirth, until through various means one becomes liberated.  Some traditions continue to talk to and honour their dead long after they are gone.   

All of these beliefs inform the way that people choose to live, to die, and to deal with their dead.

Ever-changing social and environmental factors influence our beliefs and attitudes towards death.  This directly affects the way we treat our dead and dying, and, more importantly, the way we live our lives.

This blog sets out to explore the various perceptions of death throughout time and across the globe.