(The Hedgehog Review) – The way we observe a death is expressive of our sense of a life’s meaning, of its shape and the terms of its success or failure. The “last ride” for a biker; the gun salute for a soldier; the Jack Daniel’s poured over the grave of a drinking buddy: We may have to make do without religion, but we can’t do without our symbols. Even so, the way we do death in the United States now more and more expresses our lack of ontological confidence. We no longer seem certain that life means anything at all. (Read More)