And how do we keep a balanced outlook on life?   If you believe the song from Fiddler on the Roof, there is one word for it – TRADITION.

And how do we keep ourselves from falling into the trap of being overly self centred?  Well it might be worth keeping an open mind that includes making peace with transience. 

In: Most modern funerals make you feel worse, but my sister’s was different, Elizabeth Farrelly (SMH, November 9-10, 2019) suggests that “… we could learn much from other more earth-centred, less denialist cultures, including those that have cultivated Australia for 65,000 years.”

Get the full story here: Better way to say final goodbye

In a related story: How to say goodbye for the last time, Katherine Fenney, (SMH, October 3 2014)

But the point is: We talk about it. We talk about the end, because without it, there can be no beginning, and there is no story in between. And what’s the point of living if you don’t have a good story to tell? Too many people are afraid to confront the very thing that unites humanity: The End.

More at this link: Say goodbye for the last time