It took me two days to write that so once posted i read the other responses. I love how the members of this site seem to always have so many different views and all of them are enriching. I must say I have been diagnosed with major depression, and have had bouts of mania, not sure if it is full blown bipolar, but I am medicated and that helps somewhat alleviate that emptiness and aloneness in the universe. Religion seems to be a coping mechanism for coming to terms with that it will all end at some point. Through meditation I have learned to be okay with the fact that I will someday end. It might be painful, I hope it isn’t, but hopefully someday I learn the meditation techniques to even be okay with pain. And in death that pain will end and so will everything, and that is a good reason to live life when you have the health to do it instead of getting bogged down with all of the other stuff.