Nothing is more inherent to human condition than death. When I see the different cultures and religions in the world I only see a response to men's deep fear of dying. God him/her-self was created by humans who in their lack of understanding the universe and the purpose of existence, they look to the sky and imagined an almighty being and a life beyond death. If you have an eternal life to wait for, then the burden of life's end is more manageable, but it does not by any means makes god and beyond a reality. It only shows human kind's ignorance and limitations to understand the universe. Personally I don't believe in life after death (or in god for that matter). I don't believe that we are born with a purpose, but I do believe in giving life a purpose, anything you decide is worth living for. But it is a personal decision and not a given at all. Like the Pearl Jam's song says "I know that I was born and I know that I will die. The in between is mine. I am mine".
Here are some thoughts about life and death that I found interesting:
"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching."
Anonymous
"Every man dies - Not every man really lives."
William Ross
"We all die. The goal isn't to live forever; the goal is to create something that will."
Chuck Palahniuk
"Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily."
Napoleon Bonaparte
"We all labour against our own cure, for death is the cure of all diseases."
Sir Thomas Browne
"It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live."
Marcus Aurelius
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
Mahatma Gandhi
"Suicide is man's way of telling God, 'You can't fire me - I quit.'"
Bill Maher (although I don´t believe in god I found this one quite funny!)
Song: "To Bid You Farewell" by Opeth