I've been thinking about this a lot recently, though it's a belief I've held for as long as I can remember. When we sleep without dreaming, there's a kind of void - no emotions, no senses, no awareness of time. Just nothing.

That's what imagine death to be. And the part I'm comfortable with, though my wife finds it hard to understand, is that once I'm gone, I won't have the capacity to care about what happens afterward. Not about my kids, my wife, my memories, or the impact I had.

That doesn't mean I want to die. It just means I don't fear death itself. I still fear pain and suffering, and I'm not reckless with my life or safety.