so i was reading all about near-death experiences and the experiencers, about what they see and how they feel coming back into life. and i realized that they aren't hoaxes, but real, spiritual (or at least non-physical) experiences. i immersed myself in it for a huge chunk of my sunday last week, ignoring tons of hockey games and my growing to do list. but it was so worth it.
there is this growing subfield in psychology that you could call quantum mechanics psychology, if you really wanted to give it a name. these scientists/psychologists are applying the infinitely complex ideas of quantum physics to the human mind and human existence in general. i'm no physicist, and if i knew any physicists i would make fun of them for choosing such outrageous careers. but the general idea is that human consciousness has both the dimensions of particles, of this physical and living world we know, and of waves, of the higher quantum world. these two dimensions are always present at the same time. the wave world is a space where the past, present, and future exist all at all times. so, every human being is connected to this wave-field dimension while we're alive in this physical world.
in terms of death and near-death experiences, this means that really, we never die. it doesn't matter your religious views, because even if you're some doubting, existentialist snob, here is a solid scientific theory for you. the fear of death is a universal fear, across all cultures and throughout history. it's why people (me included) choose to believe in life beyond death and the impossibility that we. just. die. but with this wave world idea, our consciousness lives on beyond our physical life and truly, we never die. american statesman daniel webster's last words were, "i still live. pretty." in they beyondworld, truly we live on.
but on a less extreme level, this whole wave world idea is also important to our lives right now. we aren't just individuals living separate and unconnected lives. this idea argues that we are in fact connected on a completely spiritual level, in the eternal collective conscious of every human (and animal?) that has ever lived and will ever live. our consciousness lives outside of us and extends beyond our life. as unsettling as this idea might be, it should be a endlessly hopeful comfort, because we are not alone. this united, indestructible, eternal collection of consciousness unites us all and should make us realize that we are all in this together. and this idea is also an endlessly inspiring force to live by, to wake up each day and know that we are part of the world on a deeper, higher level.
if this theory is true, or more importantly, if we choose to believe in it, maybe we wouldn't be afraid of helping others anymore. or maybe we would not be so aimless and unsettled. and maybe, we wouldn't be afraid of letting go or dying. and, even more important, maybe we wouldn't be afraid to truly live and be alive. to believe in the inifinitepossibilityness of the world and of our own super powers.
ideas like this wave world theory help us understand the grand mystery of what it means to live, and launch us endlessly into an exploration of what lies beyond. to be taken out of our ordinary rituals and routines, even if just for the amount of time it takes to read this blog, is essential to expanding our understanding of ourselves and the grander meaning, whatever that may be. we might not be able to time travel or be kid wizards who save the world, but we can make positive changes and work hard to make the world a better place, little by little. and the fact that we are all so connected in this wave world only fuels this conviction in the power of hope and empathy. why not bring the connectedness down to this world? in the words of philosopher pierre teilhard de chardin, "we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience."
and to test out my theory that people really only read things if there are pictures: here's a picture from natgeo, of a place in norway called "the world's end." which is probably the coolest name for a place ever. and it looks like a really cool place too. plus it seemed kind of related to the wave world idea.
