COMMENT | Death is an unpleasant fact of life. But does death have any bearing on me at this moment? No. It’s not my time yet, or so I think.

You see, when we talk of death, it’s usually about the death of friends and acquaintances. Anxiety over our own impending death may be too much to bear. So we insulate ourselves from the imminent arrival of the grim reaper.

I have written of the possibilities of living, the finality of dying and the enigma of what happens when our life fades to black.

People of various faiths have different takes on the hereafter – from the cycle of birth and reincarnation to judgment day and eternal life in heaven or our lurking in purgatory...