ABSTRACT
People tend to associate endings with fear and dread. But there are exceptions. For instance, the ending of a miserable, restricting marriage may bring relief; a person who is in constant agonising pain, progressively disabled, may long for her life to end; leaving a country where one is persecuted is a life-saving event. Beginnings tend to be associated with hope and excitement. Most beginnings require us not only to let go of what we are familiar with but also to relinquish something that we value or some advantage associated with the previous state. What makes it possible for some individuals to be so appreciative of what life has to offer and capable of bearing suffering? Is it their inborn nature or the way they have been nurtured or a mixture of both? Some achieve it through someone's great understanding and loving care, others through experiencing some wonderful event, a spiritual experience that touches the very core of their being.
