Thanks for your compliment and for sharing your interesting thoughts on this topic.

I'm with you on being present for death. In fact, I want to be as present as possible to everything, at all times, as I'm learning in my mostly "two steps forward, and one step back" progress towards seeing myself for what/who I really am that, whether seen as "good" or "bad" in my labeling mind, being wholly present to ________ (my own senses, another person, something, etc.) is always an enriching experience; the more I "stay present" the more growth I notice within myself, especially when it comes to reaching a more neutral (less judgmental) perspective and becoming more self-aware.

As far as the "space" goes, I'm convinced that it's the key to making spiritual progress. If we're too attached to our own minds (thoughts, memories, emotions, etc.) and/or identities (social roles, self-image, outward appearance, etc), then we really don't stand much of a chance to see through/past them, into the depths of our own souls; into the core of our being.

At the core, below the level of conscious thoughts, we find "mental silence", which is the source of the space that we can observe between thoughts and also the underlying sense of extreme peace and joy, which is the result of the compassion/ non-judgment that emanates from that level of consciousness. Resting within this silence is the goal of spiritually-based (enlightenment-seeking) meditation, as it's here, in this "empty space", that insights into one's own nature flow without resistance(s).

The problem that many face, myself included, is that the silence represents a vast, possibly infinite, unknown for the conscious mind (the unconscious), which evokes some level of fear, including the fear of dying (entirely losing one's sense of self - ego), so we have a tendency to hold back and create some resistance from fully surrendering all control. In doings so, we don't have full access to consciousness and, therefore, lack some insight into our true-nature.

I've heard it put by people whom have been widely accepted by the masses as authentic spiritually enlightened individuals, such as Jiddu Krishnamurti, that one whom "dies before [physical/ organic] death" is a liberated soul. This, to me, says that one must enter the "void" (vast, empty, unknown, space within one's own consciousness), without any resistances, essentially "killing" one's own sense of personality and individuality (ego) in order to achieve full enlightenment (self-knowledge). My own experiences of "getting close", but failing to go all the way, out of fear of losing myself, supports that conclusion.