I’m a Christian. Not a very devout one but that doesn’t really matter here. As far as I know, most religions believe in the notion of heaven and hell. Or atleast heaven. But I’ve never believed in the idea of heaven or hell. I’ve always viewed both these concepts as some sort of defense mechanism that human beings created as an assurance that they will be rewarded for their good deeds and those who have done them wrong will be punished when the time comes. To me, these courts of justice exist on earth itself. I believe in karma. In the belief that if you do good to others, good will be done to you, on earth.

But when my grandmother passed away, I found myself wanting to believe in the traditional notion of heaven and hell. Not because I, eventually, want to walk into the light and live a happy afterlife, but because I want to believe that the people I love will not just stop existing.

Oblivion is terrifying. I am terrified by the thought that the people who have made an impact on our lives, who we have fallen in and out of love with, who we grew up with, shared our happiness and tears with, who we once thought we’d grow old with will, one day, just be faces in a photograph, a memory etched in our hearts or minds, a gravestone we visit every year or more, or maybe the urn full of ashes that lays resting somewhere in our house.

We’ve all had people we’ve lost touch with or just don’t like anymore. That’s okay. But what about the people who are still a part of our life but who we take for granted? Maybe you’re a kid who didn’t get what you wanted for your birthday or you’re fighting with your friend about something that, let’s face it, isn’t going to matter when you look back on it a few years from now. The fact remains; eventually, the people in your life aren’t going to be with you any longer.

Maybe they’ll go to a better place or maybe their soul will end with them, depending on what you believe. Either way, one day you won’t feel their presence beside you. Take this as a reminder to cherish the people you love and cherish every moment as though it was your last one together. I realise this sounds possible only in theory but I’m sure you get what I mean–just don’t take people for granted. We don’t know what’ll happen to us after we die and have no control over it. But we can control how we choose to spend our life on earth with the people we love. So would you rather tell your loved ones you care about them when you actually have the chance? Or live your life with the regret of not having told them and the uncertainty of ever seeing them again?