Ian McKellen offers life advice (including on Life & Death)

[WillParkinson]

http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/ian-mckellens-life-advice-20131122

I don't understand religion. I don't get it at all. I understand why people need it, but I think they're wrong. They don't. I do see that on a crude-ish level, when someone dies, it's nice and comforting to think that they're going to heaven and that they're going to be wrapped up warm for eternity. But they're not. Heaven doesn't exist. If you just think about it for a minute, the person is dead, they're gone, they're not coming back, and you'll never see them again. And when you go, you'll never see anybody again. Just face it. I feel stronger because of it. Knowing that I can't lean on religion to get through life. If you are leaning on it, you won't be living your life to the fullest.

[defacto7]

1. That's just the way it is!

There is so much more a person can get out of life if they can just get away from the obsession with "after death". Life is great! There is a lot to live for and so much to keep us busy in real life and humankind that we don't have room for that nonsense. It also comes with a responsibility for life, earth and each other. People who are stuck on an afterlife sometimes find an out from that responsibility by claiming that our world doesn't matter or that some people are expendable for their ideology. No, not all of them... but because of apocalyptic, second coming thinking it is becoming much more common.

We have to think about life here and now and be responsible for it.