As we humans grow old, we think back over the years and remember a number of events that marked the stages of our life. First among these are the births and deaths that greatly influenced both the course of our life and our approach to it.
Indeed, life brings many joys and sorrows but its primary imperative, as throughout the natural world, is that we do our best to stay alive and thereby contribute to the welfare of our family, friends and species as a whole. Unfortunately, that goal often goes unmet as, usually through no fault of their own, beloved individuals die along the way.
We miss their company and inspiration but, in the end, their deaths mark the progression of our own life. Knowing that our time will soon end, we take comfort in the fact that our demise will become a reference for those we leave behind.
