Curtis, Thanks for the thoughtful reply.
I am still playing catch-up -- only watching the video last night and reading all the relevant posts that I could find yesterday -- including yours and the detailed summary by another. So I am looking for reasons to not just dismiss the whole thing as the odd trip of a high functioning delusional. My post this morning was an attempt to work with some of the ideas Hammond presented. (Consistent with your views I think) I find little to nothing in the presentation that required the mystical storyline. That is, even if 1) George had the actual experience, 2) he is not delusional, 3) and the universe is actually structured like that (past mystics living as light beams in a heavenly space, teaming up over past 10,000 years as a band of superheros to enable us to live long and prosper), (three rather large ifs), George could have simple taken the insights and presented them in a consistent and logical fashion -- perhaps buffered by better historical context, logic, flow and consistency. That is, the (potentially) useful and actionable message points (such as the ones that I listed in my prior post) are not more credible to me simple because MMY, SBS, Shankara / (Vyasa), Brighu, Jehovah, allegedly currently support them. 30 years ago, I probably would have jumped out of my seat. But for many years I have questioned MMY's theories, insights, policies. logic, scientific basis, etc. (Not dismissed or entirely rejected but certainly screened, re-examined, viewed in terms of their fruit (lives and behaviors of his students) and placed in a much larger context. And, when honest with myself, I have little to go on regarding SBS, Shankara other than MMY's views, and some translated writings written for a quite difference audience. And, the Movement (light beam superhero team) has lost credibility points in my evaluation scheme (admittedly a flawed and imperfect system and perspective) in that is took them so long to figure out what would appear to be fairly straightforward insights to adjust their initiatives based on experiential feedback and refine them over time. And that it never occurred to them to do such prior to MMY jumping in is a strange twist???!!! As to George's mystical bio, he lost large credibility points with me on that. Parallel to the above, the actionable message gains no more usefulness or credibility simply because George was allegedly (self-proclaimed) Jacob, an apostle that I am not particularly familiar with (and I am not exactly hanging on the words of the four I sort of know). Johnathan Swift and Mark Twain (both of whom I like but do not look towards for deep metaphysical advice and insights) and John the Baptist (an intriguing figure whose full depth of story I sense is not really known in depth -- and as such presents little to me as a expert witness). And Plato??!! As many point out, the oddness that so many who reveal their (perceived, alleged) past lives are often the great and powerful -- not joe the plumber types -- though statistically and rationally, most people were of the latter status (assuming reincarnation, for the moment). Hereclitus maybe, but Plato??!!. And Pathagoras??? And Brighu, father of MMY andShankara !!!??? (not just a young priest boy at Brighus ashram or something). The spiritual bio raises not only the question of delusion, but massive delusions of grandeur. And for what? The bio (to me) diminishes the (potentially) actionable points of the message. So why add it even if it were true? Why the mystical trappings? First, the pre- and actual "storyline" did get my (and it appears others) attention more than would have some obscure announcement that "this old guv turned corporate attorney just published a dry treatise on his views progressions of vedic and abrahamic religions". (yawn. While perhaps interesting, not highest on my list of books and topics to read and study). And maybe this is a performance art piece, (egged on by actual seances with Andy Kaufman perhaps, ha) where George purposely went over the top to signal his attention getting clowning -- yet still provide a platform for his intellectually derived message. Still processing all of this.
