[Heel n Toe]

I agree with what several others have said here... death makes us sad because of the loss we feel.

We have sad feelings because of loss throughout life. There are things in our childhood like our best friend moving away when their dad gets transferred... one of our favorite toys is lost or damaged... a beloved pet dies or runs away and is never seen again.

In one's teen years (and beyond) a painful breakup can produce the same sadness. Later, maybe the loss of a job or getting passed over for a promotion... all of these losses produce grieving.

It is important not to get stuck at any of the stages of grieving. It is also important to realize that there is/can be somewhat of a cumulative effect and losses can be progressively more painful and difficult to process because they bring up a subconscious memory of the pain of past losses.

Get ahold of this small book... it's only about 60-70 pages: Good Grief: A Constructive Approach to the Problem of Loss by Granger Westberg. A friend gave it to me a coupla weeks after my first wife died. It's considered to be one of the best and most concise on grief.

I don't remember if the book speaks to this, but I think it may also be possible to become somewhat numb and distanced from grieving if a person has had an inordinate amount of loss in their life... kind of like a PTSD caused by a very difficult life, not necessarily brought on by the stress of war. I would guess that it could probably be worked out with a lot of therapy, but it may take a long time.