Hi, this is the part of the blog where i am supposed to introduce myself, so lets get to it!

First of all I would like to say thanks for taking the time to go over the thoughts and material that I will be posting here in the future. So.. seeing as you are going to be following this blog throughout the term lets get a bit personal, lets start with who I am, and what I am about.

I go by the exciting and VERY unique name of Michael Mitchell... okay so it might not be that original but its mine! Currently I attend a University located on the west coast of Canada, and am working towards obtaining a first class education with the goal of completing university with a major in Anthropology as well as a minor in Biology. 

I know you are wondering what exactly this blog will contain, and what its significance is, well it is my intention to continuously develop and expand my base of knowledge regarding the significance of death, as an act, a ritual, and a right of passage within the context of human culture and development through the ages, and it is here that I will explain my newly developing and ever changing perspective on this topic.

Death poem by: Ōta Dōkan (1432 - August 25, 1486)

Had I not known
that I was dead
already
I would have mourned
the loss of my life.

[Translation, Yoel Hoffmann]