But something within me believes that there is more to it than simple nonexistence. I sense a connection to the other lives around me. I feel that I am more than just my physical self. Perhaps it's just my religion talking. ... Perhaps it's Yoda: "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."
The idea of the soul rings true to me, more so than my being a happy accident of universal forces. It does not just feel like wishful thinking. There is a drive, a motivation, beyond the simple desires to survive, procreate, and be remembered.
My rational mind does fear that this existence is it, but even it recognizes that there is more to this world than what we can see. A part of me knows what my brain only hopes. This life is not the only life in store for us. This life will give our future life meaning, but it is not everything.