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That being said, believing that there is nothing after death is not very pleasant..

THe thought of death as the absolute end of my existence is downright petrifying..

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It takes all kinds! Rather than petrifying, I find it a relief. In fact, should life become intolerable from whichever viewpoint (Physical, emotional, psychological, economical) I would not hesitate to choose self determined extinguishment.

Regarding the OP question, from both Santa Claus viewpoint and god, the right time to tell a child is when s/he asks about it (is sc real? is there a god?). I guess the fact that the question occurs warrants an honest answer even if it causes dissapointment. It is not the only dissapointment they will experience in life. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]