I seem to be having trouble with the time-thingy, especially year. :-)
Happy New YEAR to you, Ham, and ALL! On Jan 1, 2013, at 5:43 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Happy New to you, Ham, and ALL! > > > > On Dec 31, 2012, at 1:54 PM, Hamilton Priday wrote: > >> Happy New Year to All! >> >> Yes, 'the Ham' is still alive and monitoring the wisdom of moqtalk. >> >> As an octogenarian, I am naturally interested in learning what may be the >> next phase of my "awareness" -- if any. This has led me to read two books >> during the past year: Dinesh D'Souza's 'Life After Death" (c 2009) and Eben >> Alexander's 'Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife' >> (c 2012). >> >> While both opuses are fascinating treatments of near-death experiences from >> an objective (SOM) perspective, and D'Souza does an admirable job of >> demonstrating the moral benefits of belief in an "afterlife" as opposed to >> atheism, Dr. Alexander provides us with first-hand experience (his own) >> which from any perspective is more credible evidence in support of >> transcendent consciousness. Considering that the author is a practicing >> neurosurgeon with no prior religious indoctrination, what he has to say >> would appear to add even more to his credibility. >> >> Thousands of people have reported near-death experiences (NDE) which >> scientists typically explain as "empty fantasies produced by brains under >> extreme stress." What makes Dr. Alexander's experience exceptional is that >> his brain was shot down completely ("flatlined") for seven days as he lay in >> a coma. He was diagnosed with a rare form of spinal meningitis from which >> the recovery rate is less than 30%. Yet, he defied the odds and managed to >> make a complete recovery within a few weeks' time. >> >> I'll get to the subject heading in a moment, but those of you who share my >> interest may find the author's conclusions enlightening. Here are some >> notable excerpts: >> >> "There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; >> the other is to refuse to believe what is true." >> -- Soren Kierkegaard >> >> "To understand how the brain might actually block out access to knowledge >> of the higher worlds, >> we need to accept--at least hypothetically and for the moment--that the >> brain itself doesn't produce >> consciousness. That it is, instead, a kind of reducing valve or filter, >> shifting the larger, nonphysical >> consciousness that we possess in the nonphysical world down into a more >> limited capacity for the >> duration of our mortal lives. >> >> "In all this writing, one word seemed to come up again and again. REAL. >> What I'd experienced was more real than the house I was writing in, more >> real than the logs >> burning in the fireplace. Yet there was no room for that reality in the >> medically trained >> scientific worldview that I'd spent years acquiring. >> >> "The unconditional love and acceptance that I experienced on my journey is >> the single most >> important discovery I have ever made, or will ever make, and as hard as I >> know it's going to be >> to unpack the other lessons I learned while there, I also know in my heart >> that sharing this >> very basic message--one so simple that most children readily accept it--is >> the most important >> task I have. >> >> "Love is, without doubt, the basis of everything. Not some abstract, >> hard-to-fathom kind of love, >> but the day-to-day kind that everyone knows--the kind of love we feel when >> we look at our spouse >> and our children, or even our animals. In its purest and most powerful >> form, this love is not >> jealous or selfish, but UNCONDITIONAL. This is the reality of realities, >> the incomprehensibly >> glorious truth of truths that exists or ever will exist, and no remotely >> accurate understanding of >> who and what we are can be achieved by anybody who does not know it, and >> embody it in all >> their actions." >> --Eben >> Alexander, MD: Proof of Heaven >> >> Could this Love be the Quality (DQ) of which Mr. Pirsig speaks? >> It most certainly gives meaning to the Value of my Essentialism. >> >> Just another thought offered for contemplation in the new year. >> >> Wishing you a safe and fulfilling 2013, >> --Ham > > > > ___ > > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org/md/archives.html Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
