What makes life feel more real than real?
Some years ago a friend of mine told me of a woman he knew who was in a serious car accident. By the time the ambulance arrived she had already been dead ten minutes. Paramedics then battled for a further 10 minutes trying to restart her heart. This time they won the battle and the woman was brought back to life.
In the 20 minutes she had left this world she experienced, what is known as an "NDE" (Near Death Experience). Her story had a profound affect upon me because, not only did it sound true, but there seemed to be a clue to the mystery of life, held within it.
This is what she told: "At first there was total darkness. Then my surroundings began to appear as though a dense fog had lifted. Gradually I found myself standing on a beautiful beach. of pure white sand. The ocean was crystal clear and gentle waves were caressing the shore. I looked around and saw that there were strange figures standing all along the shoreline spread out at an equal distance for miles and miles. It was at this point that I saw one of these figures standing right beside me and I saw that it was an angel. The angel had huge white wings and was extremely tall. It appeared to have a male face that was so beautiful I could never find the right words to describe it. The angel was starring up at the sky and I realised then that all the angels on the beach were doing the same. This made me curious as to what it was they were all looking at. I did not feel frightened and had no fear of asking the angel a question. "Excuse me, what is it that you are all looking at?" The angel did not respond at first as though he had not heard me. But then he slowly turned his head to look downwards at me. Now that the angel was looking directly at me, his beauty it took my breath away for a second. "Look and see for yourself." He replied. I looked up and saw that the sky was filled with a brilliant white light. It was so bright that it should have hurt your eyes but instead you could look at it without even squinting. "What is it?" I asked. "It is the breath of the creator" He answered. "God´s breath is made of light?" I asked, somewhat confused. "It is pure love.To bathe in its radiance is intoxicating." Explained the angel. He looked right at me but at the same time he seemed to have a far way look in his eyes. After some moments he then said: "Please excuse me, I simply have look back again." And then he turned away and looked back at the light. It was as though looking away even for just a few moments was like a lifetime of abstinence. I looked up at the light once again. Gradually I began to feel a warmness cover my body. My heart began to fill up with…well it was as though my very DNA was being cleansed. Finally there was this overwhelming sensation of feeling connected to the entire universe. I began breathing erratically and with each passing second it became harder to breathe. The angel turned to look at me again: "It is not your time." He said, and smiled. His smile was so gentle that I will remember it for eternity. Moments later I was back in my earthly body lying on street looking up at the face of a paramedic."
Whatever you believe, or do not believe, in life after after death, t is a personal thing and one that no one has the right to convince nor indeed, un-convince, anyone of what they believe is reality for them. To reiterate this, I will tell you something what my grandfather once told me after I was skeptical of a neighbor who had told he had seen a UFO: "Son, just because an experience did not happen to us, it does not mean it did not happen. For who shall decide what is reality for each of us? Who can say for 100% certainty that their reality is more true than anyone elses?"
My grandfather was teaching me that I should try to keep an open mind as well as to respect anothers´ reality and beliefs. It was a lesson I never forgot.
What particularly struck a nerve with me in this story was the reaction of the angel in that he could not bare to be away from the feeling of being; "connected to the creator". As though it was some kind of super addictive drug that he, and all the other angels on that beach, could not bare to be away from, even for a second. I began to wonder what such a sensation might feel like?
I have never taken drugs myself but I have read some accounts of those who have taken LSD and indeed the description of the woman´s NDE does sound rather similar. Indeed, for many years doctors believed that the Near Death Experience was simply caused by an hallucinogenic chemical flooding into the dying brain. However, this theory has now been proven to be incorrect. In order for the brain to have full cognitive consciousness - meaning the ability to create even the smallest of thoughts, then it needs ALL of its billions of neurons to be firing/functioning correctly. If we hit our head hard and we get a concussion, or if we become completely drunk on alcohol, then our brain will not function properly simply because some of these billions of neurons are not working correctly. Of course we still are aware, we are still conscious, but we are not quite right. And yet we were expected to believe that a dying brain that has, "...just handful of dying neurons barely functioning" could produce the most intense experience of an alternate reality? Sorry, that is just too far of a reach. We forget our dreams but we never forget a meaningful experiences. Experiences change us, sometimes for the rest of our lives. Near Death Experiences change people profoundly and for the rest of their lives. Dreams do not change us because they are incidental. This proves that the Near Death Experience is something far more than merely a hallucination.
I began to wonder if perhaps this lady had experienced a glimpse into another dimension? A place where we move on-to after we leave this three dimensional existence? In such a higher dimension our senses would surely be far more advanced and be capable of experiencing self awareness more intensely. For example, one of the things that all NDE people have in common is that they all use the same phrase when describing their experience. They say; "It felt more real" - They DO NOT say: "it seemed real" or "it felt like a realistic dream" NO, they say "it felt MORE real". So how can something be more real than real?
Perhaps then, in this after-life place, things are indeed MORE real than we are used to in this reality? Why? Well, because it is a higher dimension. A person from a two-dimensional world would have absolutely no idea what it would be like to live in our three dimensional world. Just as we could have no idea of what it would be like in a four dimensional world. Our minds could never ever be able to gasp it because our minds are created in a lower dimension. However, what if we could get glimpses of this higher dimension? And if so, what would it look like? Or perhaps should I ask; what would if feel like? Perhaps, just like the angels, it would feel something like being; "connected with the universe- the creator?
Pondering on this, it was then that I realised that there were indeed times in my life when I have felt this sensation of being; one with the universe.
Like when I play golf or when I am working on a painting.
I am no professional but I would say I am rather good at the game because I have worked hard at it. Anyone who knows about golf will understand when I say that I have a handicap of 8. I generally play well, however, on very rare days, I seem to "connect" with the ball in a way that is quite magical. It is as though I am in perfect balance with all things. And when this happens, it as though I am one with the ball as it feels through the air and then when it lands, it is exactly in the place as I had envisioned it to be. The sensation is one of overwhelming positivity that engulfs my entire mind and body. If I had to liken it to something, I would say it was similar to that of an orgasm. The mind seems to disappear but at the same time there is a feeling of being in perfect sync with the universe. It is a feeling one could easily become addicted to. If there are any golfers reading this, they will know exactly what I am talking about? I mean how can this be explained? Get a machine to hit a golf ball at exactly the right speed and angle and even after 1000 strikes it will not score a hole in one. And yet a hole in one it is a common occurrence to the professional golfer.
I am an artist by profession.
Most of the time it is hard work needing much concentration in being able to control the brush. Make no mistake, the creation of painting from scratch is by no means easy. Non artists often believe that the life of an artist is an easy one. It is not. To help explain this I will tell something my old university art teacher once said to me after I had just completed a painting after 3 weeks of hard work. Just to make it clear, each term, students where thrown out of the college if the quality of their work was deemed as being; not high enough. Thus the painting I had just finished would determine if I was to stay in the university or be thrown out. This time my art teacher praised my work saying it was: "the best work I had ever done". As you can imagine I was rather relieved especially because I was now quite mentally drained. However, my art teacher then said: "Ok, now you must do another one of even higher quality. And then you must do it again, and then again". This is the life of an artist. It is not just to do a painting whenever you feel you are in the mood on a warm sunday afternoon. The professional artist has to produce quality work over and over again. It is not easy and takes hard work and one must to be mentally tough with tremendous self discipline. Other artists will understand what I mean. However, on some rare days, it is as though it is all too easy. My brush seems to be in a perfect flow all of its own. The colors and tones come so easily almost without any effort. It is literally as though I am connected to the universe and the universe is doing the work for me ,or through me, and I am simply holding the brush. Again the sensation is quite magical, quite wonderful and one that I simply wish would never end.
For me, such experiences are a kind of proof that there is something more going on. A kind of evidence that, "existence" is more than merely a certain amount of heartbeats and then when it stops you disappear forever. I believe, when we experience this sensation of, being "connected to the universe/creator" that we are being given a taste of things to come. A glimpse of something wonderful to look forward to rather than something to fear. For without these rare "connected" experiences, life would not be worth living. Life would merely be one of existing, rather than of living. What is the point of that?
When the atheist says something like: "I will live on through my children" - I believe they are missing a bigger picture. For their children, and their children´s children, are all going to die too. Of course these children will experience wonderful moments, as well as suffering, during their short lives, but once they are gone, it will be as though they, as well as their life experiences, never existed at all. And so it just goes on and on like that. One life after another simply existing and vanishing. Again, what is the point of that?
Recently, a certain famous scientist, who is also an atheist stated that; "There is no point to life. We should simply do away with asking why we are here and just accept that we are here and make the best of it?
Hmm, and so the answer to life, the universe and everything, is to simply stop asking why? It is OK to ask why a flower is yellow or red? Why does cancer destroy cells? But when we cant answer the why we should simply pretend the question does not exist. Like the fact that it is mathematically and scientifically proven that the moon is simply too big to stay in earths orbit. The earth is not big enough to hold it there. And yet it does. So just top asking why it does and accept it. Denial is just as much as a belief system as the person who believes in asking why? The same scientist/atheist also said; "When I listen to a string quartet playing a Mozart concerto I am just as moved as the next person but I am equally aware that the sensation is simply chemicals causing certain neurons to fire off in my brain".
I guess that is his personal choice to "believe" that and is his way of dealing with existence and consciousness. And as I stated, we all have the right to believe in our own version of reality.
As for myself, whenever I feel the sensation of being connected to the universe, I believe that it is not simply neurons in my brain firing off on all cylinders, but because, albeit for a brief moment, I really am connecting with the the universe - or perhaps even with the creator. And this "feeling" helps me to put meaning in my life and encourages me to have faith that there is something more than a fleeting existence made purely by chance.
I spoke to my family and friends on this subject and all of them said that they also have had this sensation of; "feeling connected to the universe" at some time or another and some of them feel it ion a regular bases.
A friend told that she feels this sensation when she sings in her local choir. "When I am singing together with my fellow choir members, sometimes a warmness comes over me. My mind seems connected to everyone else and I forget all my worries.I feel at one with the universe." She told. Sound familiar? I am sure that great singers too must feel this at times for it is clear that occasionally they are moved to tears and cannot always explain why. I believe that when we too are moved by a singer´s performance, we are sharing in their "connected" experience.
The formula one racing driver Michael Schumacher, once said in an interview after he had won a race;
"It was not me driving the car today, I was a passenger and it felt fantastic"
I believe that 98% of all human-beings have experienced being connected to the universe at least once in their lives. One could argue that, whatever we make of it, whatever we believe this sensation is, it is something remarkable and part of what makes us human. And in this way, we are indeed, all connected.
So I ask you, what is it in your life that gives you the sensation of being connected to the universe?
Note: By the way, if you are curious as to why I am certain that there is 2% of the population who have never experienced this sensation it is because only psychopaths are not capable of having true feelings and it is estimated that 2% of the population have psychopathy. But without the question why, I would not be able to tell you that would I? But that´s another story.
Thank you for visiting my blog and a warm welcome to you back in advance.