Death around the world

Death is one of the only things that we can take for granted in our life time, still, despite

being an universal experience, it differs from culture to culture.

When we analyze this subject, all of the different aspects related to death change when we

jump from one place to the next. For example when talking about the main causes of death,

as expected, in wealthier countries, where good medical care is readily available, the largest

cause of death will be age related and terminal illnesses. Wheareas, in undeveloped or

developing countries, mortality is mainly caused by infections, such as HIV or Malaria.

These diferences extend deeper into the way that society deals with death, be it by rituals

or by theories related to the afterlife, or lack there of. In our western society, we are

acostumed to funerals, a ritual where loved ones of the deceased are present and a burial

takes place. In other places, it is custome to cremate people in a religious cerimony. These

rituals go back thousands of years and are a crucial part of a societies cultural identity.

Likewise, theories related to the afterlife also extend all the way from heaven and hell to

reeincarnation or even immense nothingness.

Even with all of these differences, throughout our life we will always share an emotion at

one point or another, grief. Death is a part of human life, accepting it is important, and in a

way, looking at all of the different possibilities created by the human race, can give us an

inside look on how our minds are able to turn something scary and unavoidable into

something peaceful.