Ran across the photo today and it reminded me of the ongoing discussion at home about death and dying. My son seems to agree with the road sign "Dead End", to him we simply cease to exist when we go. No heaven, no hell, no reincarnation - just utter, bleak blackness.

Living is hard enough already - do I really want to look forward to being wiped off the face of the earth and being nothing more than wormfood? It creeps me out.

I wonder if his attitude stems from the onslaught of death and the dying on a daily basis. We see it in games, movies, cover of newspapers, the daily news - it's just everywhere! I don't recall seeing that much of it when I was 14, then again I was outside playing with my friends. He on the other hand engages in battle via the Internet to murder, plunder and pillage. And that's fun to him. It concerns me on the other hand.

Kids should not be so desensitized toward violence that it becomes the norm. I really want him to have a reaction when he sees someone dead or dying and not pass it over as though it were nothing. Maybe he just can't believe that those people would go toward a better afterlife - I mean, if it were true why wouldn't we all just off ourselves and leave this nutty planet? Because nobody has the answer. I'm not going to leave any sooner than I have to but in the mean time I will keep the faith that "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."