THE ILLUSION OF DEATH

 

#1:  Behold Death with Wonder

Many of us were fortunate to have experienced the splendor of childhood… playfully living in the moment… not knowing what each new day would bring… and being amazed by discovering wonders in our world for the first time. As we get older, it can be difficult to hold onto that sense of wonder. But when we contemplate death, it’s useful to resurrect our childhood spirit of wonder, because it will lead us to a more optimistic perspective. It can turn the dim prospect of nonexistence into an intriguing, open question. And we don’t have to have religion or even believe in a traditional concept of God to hold that question open. We just need enough humility to admit that we don’t know what we don’t know. While wrestling with this immense question, it helps to remember that discovering something new is sometimes more about feeling than it is about thinking. After all, most of our deepest life impressions are related to how something or someone made us feel, not how they made us think. Those feelings are personal and unique. And just like an evolving, personal awareness about an afterlife, you can’t quantify, prove, or transfer those deep feelings to anyone else.

But let’s do a little more thinking on this subject. Consider the endlessly cycling seasons of our planet. These are periods of constant beginnings and endings. One always leads to another, and for any season to be experienced, its relative opposite must also exist (summer would have no relatable meaning without winter). Death is no different; it’s just one part of another cycle. It scares us because, for most, our conscious mind hasn’t yet developed the capacity to understand death, much less see beyond it. But despite the mind’s skepticism, the truth is that our core essence is something that can never die. Immortality is our unconditional birthright and is inherent to what we are. In fact, it’s so inherent that it doesn’t even require our belief.

#2:  Behold Life with Surprise

For many, it would be surprising to discover that their current life isn’t their first rodeo and that they’ve repeatedly transformed over many lives. But if we look around, we’ll see that - along with countless cycles - transformation is everywhere… from Earth’s crust reforming through volcanoes, to plant and animal life recycling within ecosystems, and to the explosive death and rebirth of stars and solar systems. Our consciousness is part of this universal system and is also in a never-ending state of transformation. As to why you may not remember your past “transformations,” consider how distracting that recollection would be to your current life. If you’re on a trip through the Costa Rican rainforests, I doubt you’d choose to spend much time thinking about a past trip you took to New York City. You wouldn’t want to because it would detract from your current experience.

Some argue that the pain and hardship of life invalidate the concept of reincarnation. Why would anyone choose to come back into such circumstances? Yet every day, people voluntarily go to dentists for very uncomfortable procedures - including root canals or having teeth pulled - to stop endlessly throbbing toothaches. And every day, people torture themselves while painfully disinfecting their own wounds to prevent infection and accelerate healing. It’s clear that what’s good for our long-term benefit can be painful in the short-term. And, surprise! … The big picture of your soul’s eternal life is no different.

#3:  Behold Yourself as Limitless

It’s easy - and from a limited perspective, even logical - to believe that we are nothing more than the sum of our genetics and a collection of stored data and memories in our brains. But we aren’t defined by those physical attributes any more than we’re defined by what clothes we happen to be wearing. Looking into a mirror, we see someone who’s male, female, or transgender, tall or short, young or old, etc. However, that’s just our current experience. There’s a hidden part of each one of us that makes those outer “garments” come to life. We’re talking here, of course, about the soul, and it’s who we really are.

As you limitlessly tour through time and space, your soul is enriched by each new chapter of a book that never had a beginning and will never have an end. On this journey, there’s no waiting for what comes next; you’re living what comes next - in this very moment - and you will never stop. And no matter how great you think you have it or how much greater you can picture things becoming, your wildest imaginings barely scratch the surface of what lies beyond your sight. It’s observable that some of us temporarily get lost or deluded along the way. But we’ve all chosen to come into this world for the same basic reason: to grow together into a heavenly state of unconditional love that leads to an indescribable ecstasy of joy. And we’re all here trying desperately to learn - or rather, remember - that all endings in life and in death unfailingly lead to new beginnings.

 

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