How can we know if death is even a bad thing? None of us have personally experienced it, it is the great unknown, the undiscovered country. Weather one is a great person, or of little signifigance, they all succumb to Death, the great equalizer. It is a mystery that people have been trying to solve for years, but the only way to solve this final puzzle is to experience it for oneself. Therefore, I personally I neither look forward to death or dread the prospect of dying. I know that I must face it just like anyone else who has ever lived. I still believe that there is something more than this life, but until the time comes for me to pass into that plane of existance I concentrate on the life I have now and try to live it to the fullest.
The saddest part about death though is not the person who dies, but those who live on without that person. Those lives are like threads in the fabric of our own and their absence in our life is like a hole in our fabric. But realizing that death is a part of life, we find a way to move on not thinking about our own sure mortality, because life would be depressing if we only thought about it ending. Rather, we look for more and more ways in wich we can make our life more fulfilling.
I want to be an old man when I die, I want to live life to the fullest. Amanda, I know you will definitely live to see your grandchildren grow up, and when its your time you will be ready for it. Have fun filling in all that time that you have!