We are all going to die, it's probably the biggest thing after conception that we KNOW will happen.
So lets discuss Death.
There are really two views on death, and these are the two I want to focus on in relation to life.
1. There is nothing, death is the end of your exsistance. You're born, you live, you die. That's it. Be it 5 minutes or 105 years, that is all you get to experience reality.
2. There is an afterlife. I personally have a different view of the after life, and it's not the traditional Catholic one.
www.near-death.com has some very compelling NDE's (Near Death Experiences) which paint a picture of what comes next IMHO.
What I want to discuss is, the effect for you the two beliefs have. Does the thought of nothingness bother you? Do you believe that thoughts of the afterlife are just a crutch to make death acceptable.
Personally, I believe in an afterlife. I believe there is more to the universe then just what we are now. Do I have any solid concrete proof. No. I do not.
If life is just what we have now, then the cruelity of life is far more magnified then most people might think. If there is an after life, and the Earth and our time here has some greater importance then just exsisting... well, it makes the cruelnes sof life more acceptable.