Back in 1993, some cat burglar tweeker pulled a gun on me and robbed me while I was sitting in my car trying to back into traffic. His accomplice had me blocked in with his van. Nobody could see us. There was nothing I could do. I could tell the gun was loaded.

He got $2 cash and my $12 Timex bicycle watch. And then, he decided it would be best that I not be able to identify him. He told me to drive into the carport, turn off the car, and put my head on the steering wheel.

I could see down the barrel of the 9mm semi-auto pistol. I knew that I was going to die. For a brief moment, I had felt some fear. A few seconds after that, there was acceptance and there was peace. I have never felt that peaceful, ever in my life. It was magical.

I did what the guy told me to do. I was ready to die. Then I heard a click.

The guy looked at the gun and panicked. I chased him to the van. Shortly after he got into the van, the gun went off. That's when the adrenaline kicked in and the pain and fear of life returned.

AFTER that experience, a few interesting things happened. One was that I had a horrible bout with PTSD and spent a year in therapy. Once that was over, I came to the conclusion that I was supposed to die that day, and that every day after that was a bonus.

But the most interesting thing about it was my lack of fear, when it came to the topic of death. I started thinking about it. While true that nobody really knows what happens, and I am not a religious person, I came to suspect that it would be no different than my personal state from BEFORE I was born.

Was I afraid before I was born? Did I miss out on anything? Could death possibly be a return to my original state post-birth?

While I may no longer fear death, I do have concerns about HOW I will die. I don't want to suffer, and I don't want to be afraid.

I may have no control over that, but I am convinced that life ends on a peaceful note, completely unaffected by the fear of dying. This part, at the very least, is based on personal experience.

Not everyone has the experience that I had, so I am certain that there are a wide variety of ways in dealing with the concerns associated with death. I hope that you can find some peace with it. Best of luck.