From: howardw@netzero.com   
      
   Epoch II wrote:   
   >   
   > As I described in a post preceding this one, I feel like we need to take a   
   step   
   > backward and remain modest about our beliefs, this is because the Near Death   
   > Experience is obviously not the full picture. Just a taste of something which   
   > is far more complex and full of depth. And there are times when people may   
   > misinterpret this phenomena, sometimes even misinterpret their own   
   experience,   
   > which creates a confusing and inaccurate picture, to sum things up clearly;   
   > during an NDE you're still connected to your body, like a scuba diver   
   repelling   
   > from a cord into the ocean depths... Just because you see a batch of coral   
   > doesn't mean it's all the water has to offer.   
   >   
   >  What worries me is how people over analyze the Near Death Experience until   
   it   
   > borders on existentialism, and we forget that all we are doing is speculating   
   > on what cannot be currently known to us. For there are obviously elements in   
   > the great beyond which do not exist in this dimension, colors and concepts   
   > which are not fathomable to us, and when a human 'mortal' tries to explain   
   > these things with a limited brain capacity... It's like trying to translate a   
   > Japanese book to Chinese, then to Ancient Hebrew, then to English, then back   
   to   
   > Japanese. And you don't even know any of the requested languages to complete   
   > the task!   
   >   
   >  What results is a misinterpretation of the spiritual which may confuse or   
   > worry people, or even result in fear. Some people believe that returning to   
   > this 'oneness' means destruction of who and what we are. Just to be reborn   
   > again from the light in some physical embodiment in an endless cycle of   
   > creating new and wonderful persona's and then discarding them to 'experiment'   
   > with a new form. Essentially implying that 'everything' is one big lonely   
   > singular entity, existing for all eternity by itself and trying desperately   
   to   
   > find meaning in its life by amassing itself in an endless cycle of persona's   
   to   
   > interact with, thus implying our lives are forfeit -- nothing means anything.   
   >   
   >  I find it laughable when I speak to people who believe this, I don't think   
   > anything could be more far from the truth, it's like a blend of empirical   
   > spiritualism and human pessimism coated by a general misunderstanding of the   
   > subject at hand.   
   >   
   >  To help clear this up, the first thing we must do is swallow our egos and   
   > realize our limited vocabulary simply cannot describe some things in the   
   > universe, when somebody experiences a full-blown NDE they try to reduce it   
   into   
   > words we can understand. This reductionism can be lethal.   
   >   
   >  The second thing we must do is relieve the silly paranoia's, in your mind   
   you   
   > should put together everything you feel that matters in your life. The people   
   > you love, the animals you love, the scenes you love, the smells you love.   
   Your   
   > own individuality, and everything else. And then remind yourself that if   
   > there's anything the NDE tries to convey it's that these are the things we   
   > preserve after dying. So, there isn't going to be some hyperdimensional   
   > reawakening if you don't want one, death will probably be exactly like life.   
   > You'll find yourself outside of your body in a new etheric state, you might   
   > wander around a bit until someone you knew on Earth finds you and takes you   
   > away to some other world which is less hostile then this one. Where you can   
   > probably live in peace for as long as you want until you decide to go out and   
   > 'adventure' some more... So, by not being ridiculously analytical... Life and   
   > Death can be that simple.   
   >   
   >  Furthermore, we must understand where the communication breakdown is   
   > occurring, when somebody experiences what they describe as returning to the   
   > 'Oneness' and becoming 'One with Everything' it doesn't mean that person has   
   > discarded who they were and returned to the lonely old singular God who   
   doesn't   
   > have anything to do but reincarnate himself over and over again as human   
   > beings, it means something far different:   
   >   
   >   We must understand that trying to describe this feeling as 'Oneness' is   
   > forfeit because there's obviously no mathematical system like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5   
   or   
   > singularity / duality in such a dimension, these ideas are HUMAN concepts   
   which   
   > mean nothing, I previously stated in a post that I believe the nature of God   
   is   
   > duality and not singularity, in retrospect I'm wrong. We shouldn't even be   
   > using such words to try and describe what I believe is the act of being given   
   > the awareness of 'everything.' And since everything = infinity, the very   
   nature   
   > of this experience cannot be defined unless you are a hyperdimensional   
   entity.   
   > So therefore, jumping to conclusions like "Our individuality means nothing "   
   > based upon peoples descriptions of 'oneness' is highly illogical. The   
   universe   
   > isn't set up like this, ironically the best way to figure out how the   
   universe   
   > works is to look around in your everyday life, the connections we make, the   
   > things we love, the things we experience, and basic companionship. This is   
   what   
   > matters in life. This is the universe.   
   >   
   >  Fourthly, another human word which I feel is inadequately describing   
   something   
   > is 'Love.' The one message that we repeatedly receive from the Other Side is   
   > that 'Love' means everything, but what is 'Love'? I feel on Earth we are only   
   > experiencing a small fragment of what 'Love' really is, it's actually not   
   > something that can be accurately described by any Earthly means, but we each   
   > have a taste of it after feeling it in our hearts. Essentially it is   
   > meaningfulness, companionship, positivity, adventure, desire, passion,   
   wonder,   
   > mystery, intrigue, peacefulness, imagination, bonding, heroism, valor, and a   
   > million other words which still do not give it justice, it is what brings   
   forth   
   > meaning to us, it is the difference between Order and Chaos, it is perpetual   
   > harmony.   
   >  Do you know the feeling when you have fallen deeply or romantically in love   
   > with another person and it feels like it has 'blinded' you from everything   
   > else? Words and analysis no longer matter, it's being with that person which   
   > matters, it doesn't mean anything if the world should end tomorrow and time   
   > itself collapses because Fear (Chaos) immediately becomes such a superficial   
   > and hollow feeling in comparison to this wonderful and fleeting sense. This   
   > feeling is but a small aspect of the many dimensions which exist in the word   
   > 'Love.'   
   >   
   > Needless to say, it's difficult trying to accurately bundle everything that's   
   > wonderful about being human into one little package called 'Love.' But, this   
   is   
   > the package that we take with us after we die.   
   >   
   >  So, what is there to worry about?   
   >   
   > This is just what I believe anyway ;)   
   >   
   > ~Epoch   
   >   
   >   
      
      
      
   Interesting post. Any relation on your part to the second Epoch movie?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)