To a newborn, the experience of leaving the womb may have felt like a near death experience. Perhaps that is also why infants are so blissful; they’ve died before they died and have peace with the natural cycle of life, of which growth and decay are integral parts.

And perhaps that’s part of why many adults become anxious and miserable; they’ve forgotten about the ebb and flow of the universe, about the beautiful connection between all things. Feeling isolated and adrift, they anxiously cling to their present incarnation as to a single burst of fireworks that’s already fading in the dark night.