"There are no atheists in foxholes." Yes, there are and they are as uncomfortable, and as uncertain, and as frightened as any believer. The only difference is that they are honest and forthright about their doubts and fears. They don't use a belief in a powerful, but fictional deity as an emotional crutch. They face the truth and they face death with a dignity that is impossibly for a true believer, whatever his or her religion.
What we tell our children to ease their anxieties should not be what we tell ourselves. The universe is a thoroughly adult place. It takes a mature mind to survive its chaos. Yet, even a mature mind only has so many days on earth. Make the best of them. Live for today, not for a metaphysical tomorrow that will never come. Don't let a happy life be marred by the desire for a happy after-life as well.
There is no other side. There is nothing to pass over to. When someone dies you lose them forever. That's life. Deal with it like adults, people. Take comfort in the fact that they lived and that you were fortunate enough to have known them, not in the pleasant fantasy that they somehow still exist and that you will see them again. Embrace the truth. Truth is all we have or can ever have. Death is the final word. Death.
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