Fukurokuju

I recently remembered a quote I heard a long long time ago... I guess it was the futile feeling of emptiness and heartache that dug up that sentence buried deep in my brain. Long before I could comprehend the meaning of it, I already had it deeply inputted in the hard-disc of my head, and now it's all coming back.
It goes, "It was a time when only the dead smiled, happy in their peace."
I hope I remember it correctly. Back then, I could not even imagine that one day this life will come to an irreversible full-stop so understanding why someone would prefer death over life and youth was far beyond my grasp. I guess at that age, I never thought that people will eventually grow old. My planet revolved around me and my sheltered life which I realize now is completely on a different orbit with reality. I doubt if they even existed in the same milky-way.
Anyway, after 18 short years of life, I can't say I've gain enough wisdom and experience to completely comprehend the meaning of life. However, I've come to know that it isn't always a bed of roses, and there is rarely ever a silver-lining to the clouds. The miseries I've been put through is nothing compared to the parentless orphan in Africa or the starving kid in Afghanistan, but it has at least given me a chance to understand that there are circumstances in life where death would seem such a beautiful option in comparison to reality.
There are even times when I think we should alter the quote a little to suit reality more. So I'm proposing a swift orderly change to "Death is the only time when the soul smiled, blissful in their inexistence."
In fact, I believe that all our religions even teach us that death is not only the best way out, it is the ONLY way out. Be it Christianity, Islam or even Buddhism, all our life-long sufferings and efforts seems to be designed to meet one goal and one goal alone -- death. Maybe I'm seeing this in the wrong light, maybe I'm to pessimist to do anybody any good, but don't we all learn that heaven and nirvana is where we should aim for? Isn't the netherworld the place to be for eternal happiness? Isn't the afterlife the one and only place where we can stumble upon the visible personification of perfection itself, be it an angel or God him/herself? Maybe you guys might think I'm a misanthrope, maybe you might think I'm just crapping nonsensical gibberish. Who knows, maybe all of these would prove obsolete one day... But just think about it, isn't this life just another inextricably complicated and intriguing puzzle which we play to pass our time?
But my dear dilettantes of despair, don't go jumping off buildings just yet. Remember, we still have the responsibility of growing old to suffer more pain and misery, maybe even undergo a few hip-surgeries. And if circumstances warrant, we should even "reproduce" to ensure a healthy line of offsprings who will relpace us in this miserable planet to go through all the hardship we have. So, I guess all I have left to say is relax and enjoy. Go now and wallow in your misery.