I read with amusement news articles of Americans stocking up on potassium iodide tablets which they believed will protect them against the radioactive clouds drifting from Japan's quake-damaged nuclear power plants. Similarly, a panic buying of sodium chloride swept China when it was rumoured that the common table salt could help ward off the effects of radiation poisoning.

Being ‘kiasi’ is one thing but to become so fearful of it to the extent of behaving irrationally, I find that both entertaining and ridiculous. Most of us, if not all, fear death to some degree but I strongly believe that if our time is up then we should just accept it gracefully rather than to try ways and means to prolong our stay unnecessarily. I would rather die a ‘good death’ then to meet death with excruciating pain and suffering. Thus, I would choose to face the fear of death and overcome it because it is impossible to achieve a ‘good death’ if we fear death.

Though I am not afraid to die, I am afraid of being maimed or disabled as that would mean I have to live the rest of my life in pain. I am afraid of others close to me dying because I know that will bring me heartache, but even that I know will pass because I have experienced that in my life. I am afraid of poverty and I am afraid of a life without meaning, but I am not afraid of death. I am not that old but I have lived long enough to know that death is a part of life. I have lost my grandparents to death and each took a little bit of me when they went, but I survived and I became happy again and life goes on.

Some of you might find this strange, but the reason I am not afraid to die is because of my firm belief that there is no god. I know religious people find that idea unbelievable and I know this because I have come in contact with very religious relatives and friends. Though they claimed to believe in a compassionate god, everything I learnt about God made me afraid. I was afraid of God because he could see the dirty little thoughts in my head. I was afraid of Satan and his demons because they were evil and looking for the chance to possess me. So, knowing now that there is no god and that death is merely an indescribable peace, I am not afraid to die. To me, the world made sense without Him and became nonsense with Him. It took a long while before I had the courage to say that out loud. The first time I did, I was sure I would be struck by lightning. But I have said it many times now and I am still around to continue saying it.