They’ll be OK… Someone will look after them

It was a lovely day on Saturday. Bright blue skies, a few wispy clouds and a gentle Autumnal breeze.  Perfect, I thought.  So I gathered my children, collected up some papers, my jewellery and the vase my grandmother left me and off we set.

Near my house is a park.  It’s nice and often has parents in there trying to wear out Duracell-powered offspring.  We found the ideal spot; a patch of grass slightly away from the play area and not too close to the road and I sat the kids down. I spread out around them the paperwork for my life insurance (I’m worth much more dead than alive!), mortgage and pension, my bank card, the jewellery, the house keys and the vase.  And then I left.

They’ll be ok.  Someone will look after them.

A recent piece of research from Bar Ilan University in Israel has identified that our brains are programmed to think death only happens to other people.  Yair Dor-Ziderman, a graduate student, explained that “We have the primal mechanism that means when the brain gets information that links self to death something tells us it’ not reliable, so we shouldn’t believe it.” Essentially it seems the brain protects us from worrying about the inevitability of death by telling us it won’t happen.

What does this have to do with leaving my children and all my finances unattended in a park?  I’m glad you asked.  If you’re not going to die, you won’t need a Will, right?  So save the money and don’t make one.  Of course…if by chance you don’t make a Will and then you do die (contrary to the messages your brain is sending) you could well find your kids and your assets in the hands of who knows who, going who knows where.

That’s mad.  I mean, that’s as daft as leaving all your important people and things in a park and hoping… isn’t it?