Is death sad?

When you talk about death or just consider your own in general, is it sad?

I get that seeing someone die can be tragic. It’s like saying goodbye. Goodbyes are usually hard.

But is death itself hard? Is death itself bad?

As a Christian, death should be exciting, no? Again, it means saying goodbye or at least see you later, but it also means I’m going to heaven. What’s sad about that? As a Christian, doesn’t it seem a little hypocritical to assume death is a sad event?

Even for someone who does not believe an afterlife exists, should death be sad? If it’s just a process of life, why’s it sad? If it just means passing into nonexistence, why’s it sad?

From where I’m sitting right now, I can see like three main situations where death should be sad:

  1. Death should be sad if you believe in an afterlife but don’t think you’re going to the right place. Like hell could be pretty sad. I get that.
  2. Death should be sad if you experience a ton of pain as you die. Like getting run over by a steam roller is sad. I get that.

Otherwise, why? Try to actually answer that question. Why should death be sad?