Grief on the Ganges

Tradition holds that when a Hindu dies while within Varanasi, he achieves "moksha", a release from the cycle of life, death and rebirth according to one's karma. Grief-stricken and frustrated by the boundaries imposed by traditional religion, the author travels to Hinduism's holiest city in an attempt to process the most abrasive of all human emotions. What ensues is an observation on two very different cultures' perspectives on death and how the wisdom of an ancient philosophy can be applied to make our Western experience of grief more survivable. This piece is an essay currently undergoing the process of being expanded to a full length book.