Wasn't it Samuel Rutherford who advised people to 'forefancy their latter end'?
I think that's where Great-aunt Alison got the idea; she certainly made us 'forefancy' ours! But apart from what death may mean to each of us--life itself gets all its meaning from death.

If we didn't know that we had all to die we could hardly go on living, could we ?" "Well," said Pamela, "it would certainly be difficult to bear with people if their presence and our own were not utterly uncertain.

And if we knew with surety when we rose in the morning that for another forty years we would go on getting up, and having a bath and dressing, we would be apt to expire with ennui.

We rise with alacrity because we don't know if we shall ever put our clothes on again." Jean gave a little jump of expectation.

"It's frightfully interesting.
You never do know when you get up in the morning what will happen before night." "Most people find that a little wearing.