who_wants_to_live_forever jane mr. spalding: i read your piece entitled "who wants to live forever" on killthebuddha.com. thank your for your clever insight laced with a good sense of humor. however, i do have a thought you may [or may not] find interesting. it occurred to me when you wrote, "was the passing of queen elizabeth, the queen mum, at the ripe age of 101 a tragedy?" to answer your question, of course not. she lived longer than most people can even hope to live these days. but why is the death of a four year old so tragic? because of his infinite potential: he hadn't even begun to develop his person yet. no one ever stops to think this child could have been a rapist or mass murderer. so it is a tragedy. what i think society fails to see [and we are one of few cultures that doesn't] is that death is a part of the life cycle. we are afraid to allow people to die. this fear is rooted in the foundation of viewing death as a negative force. overpopulation will replace this fear, but not until it is entirely too late. only then will we allow, perhaps even encourage people to pass on. there cannot be birth without death. and the fear of death is already causing economic problems. so where is the smiting hand of god when you need it? sorry about the lengthy missive....this started out as a small thought that evolved into some sort of economic argument. sad thing is, i could go on for awhile! anyway.....thank you again for your insights. i will continue to read your writing and other authors on killthebuddha.com and beliefnet.com. with regards, lauren 040303 what's it to you? who go blather from