Why I Am Not Afraid to Die

Most people are afraid of death. It is the ultimate unknown, and that is what makes it scary. When we are children we never think about death or we think it is only something that only happens to really old people and therefore, doesn't concern us. The first time someone close to us dies -a relative, neighbor, or a friend - it really shakes us up as we realize that it could just as easily have been us.

As we grow older we try to make some sense of the whole life and death situation, either by science or religion. The scientific stance - that everything which is born eventually dies, and that everything which has a beginning must have an end, isn't very satisfying from a spiritual perspective. While we can console ourselves that every living thing, from people to animals to plants, are all part of the "great cycle of life", it does beg the question, what is the point of it all?

The religious stance, however, is even less satisfying because it is so very confusing. Every religion has a different story about what happens after death, and nearly every one states that their version of the afterlife is right while the others are wrong. How can one possibly tell where the truth lies?

When my children were old enough to understand the concept of death and began asking questions, I wanted to be able to give them more than just the response that "no one really knows". So, I plunged myself into research. I read books written by those who had died and been resuscitated, as well as those written by doctors and scientists studying the phenomenon of Near Death Experiences (NDE's).

What I learned is that we really have nothing to fear. There is a lot of consistency in stories among those who had wide ranging beliefs about what would happen to them when the died. The most common experience involves traveling down a dark tunnel with a light at the end. Some victims reported being met by long lost loved ones, who had died earlier - usually relatives and sometimes even pets! Most reported encountering a being of light (described as God, Jesus, or Radiant Love) who showered them with warmth and acceptance. A smaller percentage experienced "life reviews" where they were able to simultaneous perceive a panorama of everything they had experienced as well as their treatment of others. This "life review" was not a judgment in the Biblical sense, however, but an opportunity for the soul to learn how their presence on Earth made either a positive or negative impact.

Many of the authors described coming to the realization that their thoughts controlled their realities. For example, if they thought about a place they were instantly transported to that place. The constructs of space and time as know them here on Earth did not exist in the afterlife. The authors stated that they had to learn to control their thoughts, so as to not be zipping all over the place! They also stated that there was no pain, in the physical sense, and that they were relieved to be released from the burdens of being in a physical form.

All of the authors reported changes in their perspectives upon resuscitation. After their Near Death Experiences, they tended to be more spiritual but less religious. That is, they all had a stronger faith, but weren't so caught up in the hair-splitting dogma of one faith versus another. They also all reported taking better care of their bodies - exercising more, eating better, and practicing other forms of preventative health care. Finally, they all returned to life with a renewed sense of how everything on the planet is interconnected, and how little things that one does can make an lasting impact on others that they may never even meet.

Reading and learning about the experiences these people had has helped to solidify my ideas about the soul. I don't believe that life "begins" at conception any more than I believe that life "ends" at death. I have come to believe that the soul is eternal, and this incarnation is not the only one. Therefore, while I still feel sad to hear news of a murder or tragic death, it doesn't bother me the way that it once did. I believe that person is still here with us, just in another form.

Last year my father passed away. It happened suddenly, and he seemed to be in excellent health at the time. I had a nice visit with him just weeks before he was hospitalized and then suddenly died from a pulmonary embolism. Although there is a absence in my life at certain times, I don't feel that I have lost my Dad. I just can't see him in the flesh the way that I used to. I still talk to him and I believe that he can hear me. And I believe that I will be with him again, eventually, when my time comes to leave and move on to the next adventure.