You should add to this the fundamental difference (pun unintended) between the relationships of this life to the next for the western world and for the world to the east of that. In the east (in general) the next life is given much greater importance than this life. Indeed in many eastern religions this life is but a preparation or a leadup to the next. In western thinking, this life is all important and little thought is given to preparin for life after this one. In the east people long for the next world because they believe it will inevitably be better than this life. In Buddhism and Hinduism, for example, this life is nothing but suffering. Christianity has so distorted and fantasized the heaven of the next life that many doubt it could possibly exist, at least in that form. So westerners want to stay alive for as long as possible, while those in the east look forward to the next life, thus have no fear of death. They don't necessarily want to die, but they don't fear it.