The Death Zone

Usually when out and about on 8,000 meter peaks the elevation about 25,000 ft is known as the death zone, but on Saturday the death zone was Dry Canyon. I don't think of myself as an especially callous person, but I think in our culture mans like me are to remain somewhat stoic no matter what occurs.
I invited my father to come with me to climb up to Big Baldy the day before Valentine's Day. It was somewhat overcast, and there was a thick cloud layer coating the top of the "pregnant belly" as we like to call it. (For those of you who don't know, Big Baldy is the foothill in front of Timpanogos. It rises to almost 9000 ft.) I didn't think it would be such a big deal...not like going up to Timp itself. Besides, this was to be only a scouting expedition for our summit attempt of Timp that we want to do in a few weeks...you know...poke around up there.
We arrived at the Dry Canyon access road and lo and behold there was an ambulance sitting in front of the gated off road. I was in wonder of the thing and wasn't sure what to make of it. There were some people around the vehicle talking or whatever. I got out of the car and began to gather my things. A dude in heavy hiking boots and a large pack came over and spoke to us. He asked us if we were planning on hiking. We told him that we were and then he said that he was sad to say that the canyon was closed...due to a suicide. I've been to Dry Canyon many times and the thing you probably notice most about it is that there are some lovely cliffs to rock climb or just sit at the top of and play your guitar and sing. Naturally, I thought to ask if someone had thrown themselves from the cliffs, however, the nature of the suicide was of the gunshot variety. I suppose the person just wanted to go in a beautiful place. Myself...I think I would have opted the cliffs...more dramatic and all that, but to each his own I suppose.
For some reason I didn't let the thought of someone's death penetrate into my thoughts; I kept the idea of death outside...on the periphery. I feel bad about it now but I don't even know if that hiker knew the person. I didn't say I was sorry...just asked the basics of how it was done and thought how it would affect my day... I suppose I'm just one of those people that deals with the here and now and when I can I feel the consequences later. We decided to go snow shoeing at Big Springs park and it was only when we were up Provo Canyon that I began to feel anything about the suicide.
At this point I thought about how bad it must be for their family and all the questions and uncertainties that they would have because of the death. It's just a horribly convoluted subject. I just think it would seem odd how someone could just cease to be...and have it be their choice. I don't know what there is that greets us on the other side of death or if it is just oblivion. I don't know. It just all seems like such a waste...but why do I feel that way? Why do I feel that someone should live through whatever they are going through rather than end their life? Is it because deep down we know that this is our only shot at existence; that one day the dream will end and that a black nothingness awaits us? If that's the case why would any of this matter in the slightest. I mean, wouldn't it be great to be able to live forever to see everything and find out what the whole meaning was behind this existence? But then that raises the statement, why does it have to mean something? Maybe it's just a story that just isn't meant to do anything. It exists but that is all it is.
Religion of course is what is meant to answer the questions of uncertainty in life. Wherever there have been humans there have been beliefs to help cope with all the bad and the death that occurs. Even in our modern society where science can explain so much it still hasn't been able to explain if anything happens after death. The atheist is not exempt from death, and sooner or later like all of us must confront it.
I think that humans are naturally curious creatures. We like to take things apart; unravel the pattern to see how it fits together and see what it's made of. But where there are gaps in the pattern that don't explain things we've filled that in with Religion. And religion is just a by product of our evolution. While some may claim that we don't need religion, I would expect that there is some substitute for it and there always is whether it is BYU football, science, or philosophy. Anyway, I'm more concerned with why suicide is viewed negatively here. I'm concerned with what would be better to die for rather than live. Why do people end their lives? Is there ever a good enough reason? Is it more selfish to live or to die? I guess it just depends on the particular culture. And with that opens up a whole other can of worms, and is something that I'm interested in as well. You could eventually compare the cultures to see if there are similarities. As humanity goes as a species I would find it vary interesting to see exactly what similarities there are if any that are inherent among us all. I believe it was Levi Strauss who would try to arrive at this very subject. But to look at what governs us, we need to see what is even under our morals and our norms. Religion holds many of these secrets in the myths upon which they are founded. I never really understood that until I was in the shower the other day. Why would it be so expedient to look at a hero's journey. I started thinking about Christ and his hero's journey as far as Anthropology is concerned. Why would certain things in Christ be so revered? Obviously he was "perfect" but define it. I'm sure perfect for a Christian means something different for others. But can we get at an underlying theme whereby all religions and cultural norms are coherent? Is such a juxtaposition a possibility? Is Levi still alive? I should go ask him. Oh my how this person's choice has made me think...and I'm sure wherever that person is they could care less about what I'm doing. I'm a complete stranger to them. And we're not even in the same realm anymore. I just thought that besides feeling the sadness in my chest and keeping it there while maybe seeming indifferent I would make the death...I don't know...worth something? So it's not just such a waste? I hope for their sake...and everyone else's that it's not just oblivion and that they're in a better place. Hell...when it's put that way it even makes me feel better...and when it's put that way it's easy to see how religion could be just a product of evolution. While humans may be hindered in some respects by religion the fact that there is less uncertainty makes people happier...and therefore they will probably have more babies because everyone knows that sad people don't reproduce...right?