These are the words of Kahlil Gibran, who has beautifully described something as intriguing as death. Now I really wonder what exactly is being dead and what happens after this inevitable point of no-return...or maybe more clearly: Is there Life after Death?
To answer this complicated question, I must first explain what is meant by death. Death to us seems like a cruel absurdity that happens after enjoying the time of our lives. But to a medical examiner, it would be, in simple medical terms, the end of all biological functions of a livivng organism. all said and done, however you interpret it, one thing is for sure, death definitely comes at the end...or does it? 
These interesting perspecties on death lead us to the next obvious question-what after death? If you ask this question to a person who has had a Near Death Experience(NDE), they would tell you that they no longer believe in afterlife. They know that there is afterlife. And such near death accounts has nothing to do with faith or religion, because faith simply implies the possibility of doubt and knowledge implies certainty. The near death experiences are based on the solid knowledge and facts- not faith.
If a million astronauts go to Mars and return to Earth saying, "Hey, there is Martians livivng up there." It is then I would know for sure that, yes, there is Martians livivng on Mars. In the same way, millions of people have returned from death saying that there is life after death. Can all these millions of people, who have experienced the same thing be wrong? Don't you think its easier to believe that they are right. For this reason, the only rational conclusion is that there is life after death. Faith and scepticism then becomes irrational.
Pam Reynolds, perhaps could be the best case of person survivng death. Her extraordinary NDE occured when undergoing a rare srgical operation. For this, she was put unconscious using an anaesthetic. But halfway through the operation something went terribly wrong and her heart ceased to beat, her breathing became sparse until it stopped altogether. And soon blood got drained from her head and her body temperature lowered to 60 degrees. While in this condition, she remembes floating out of her body and watching the doctors operate on her lifeless body. Later when she regained consciousness, she was able to describe the surgical instuments, the conversation held b the doctors themselves and the procedures performed during the surgery.
Does that sound like a cock and bull story to you? Well then near death experiences like Howard Storm, David Oakford, George Ritchie and my own grandfather would have similar stories to tell you. But to digest them you might want to have an experimental analysis of this information, and this is where a smart young parapsychologist walks in and puts forth his plan:
"Imagine that your are hospitalised and that a major surgery is being performed on you. You ae sound asleep. During the operation, something strange happens to you- you find yourself floating near the ceiling and staring at your body on which doctors are still working on. Then you notice a strange sign hanging from the ceiling that says: 'You are dead.'
"You have a bissfull state of mind that you have never experienced before. Suddenly you feel a pull and before you know what is happening you are back in the omfort of your body, sound asleep again.
"On waking up, you tell your doctor about your óut-of-body'experience and about the sign you saw, to which your doctor would simply smile and tel you tat the sign can only be read by someone who is hanging near the ceiling. And by doing this you have proven scientifically that mind can function outside the body-that consciousness can transcend our bodies."
Think about it, we were taught to believe that we can think because of our brain. So ideally, a person who has been declared 'brain dead'by the medical professionals shouldn't experience any sort of feeling. But such people, not only can they see everything, but also feel more alive!
As a matter of fact, all of us unknowingly do experience a similar state of mind-when we see dreams. It has been claimed, by the quantum physicists in the Thoery of Strings, that here are eleven dimensions in this universe. And one such dimension is the Astral Plane or the Spirit World-as we know it. Its into this dimension that we fall into subconsciously, when we are asleep...
Unfortunately, all these paranormal phenomenon and the proposed test environment will be butchered mercilessly in the hands of science, as such evidence do not qualify to to be called 'scientific evidence.' The reason is that scientific evidence involves replication of the experiment. And replication of a near-death-experience is irrational. And even if such experiences were to be believed, do we have proof that life exists beyond death?
Well that's when reincarnation comes in. There is a general misconception that many people ave about reincarnation Some assume that after death, people are immediately reincarnated. But NDE accounts affirm that this is not true because in this state-in the so called astral state time doesn't exist.
In the beginning of my speech I had stated that if our experience as a human is analogous to a river, then our experience as a spirit is analogous to the entire water cucle. Each of us is like a rain drop which fell from a cloud and ultimately entered into a river where we would meander through obstacles, splash on rocks, pick up dirt from the river banks and finally disappear into the vast sea only to return back...only to be reincarnated.
The reason why we are born or reborn is not because someone is forcing us to but because our souls crave for knowledge-the same reason why you and I are here in this university. After all whcih is the best school if not life? But then again all these concepts and explanations that weave life, death and afterlife together seem to be a very thing fabric that would be severed even with the blunt edge of a rational question.
Again we would find ourselves intrigued by the same topic. Again we would find asking each other the same question. Again we would end where it had all begun- "Is there Life After Death?" But, then, let me ask you a qustion, "Do we really die?"
Let's say today, after finishing my speech I collapse here on this podium, dead. But do I really die?
I don't think so. I'll find myself a space in one of the corners of your heart. Even though I as a person-a nam- is dead, you'll remember me at some point of your life, and that's what it all takes me to make me immortal.
So, lets forget about afterlife and even about death. Rather let's lead a good life like humans-not a pre programmed robot devoid of any emoion, because finally: "Life is a great surprise. And I don't see why death shouldn't be an even greater one."
No comments:
Post a Comment