When Death Comes

National Geographic’s featured photos from 29 contributors. “Enlightenment for a wave is the moment the wave realizes that it is water. At that moment, all fear of death disappears.” —Thich Nhat Hanh. From the editors : “We offered you the challenge of translating one of our deepest human fears into a meaningful image to share. For many of you, going beyond the familiar clichés meant conquering a visceral dread, to try to understand what death truly means to you, before you could even begin photographing.”