Near Death Experiences. Are They the Biological Process of Dying or Spiritual?
Death never takes a holiday, but it sometimes offers a reprieve to fix some mistakes in order to live the life you're born to live. I'm 36 years old and feel like I'm still on chapter 2 in my life book. I've got a case of writer's block and can't get past the last page in the chapter. For months, I've been searching for my next big adventure and have come up empty thus far. There are a few cases where I'm really close to something great, but the results are too small to mention.
What will appear on my tombstone when my number is called? Will it read something like "Beloved daughter, friend, gone too soon"? Not if I have anything to say about it. I'm never going to sacrifice my need for adventure out of necessity or choice. The only way I'm going to understand my future is understand my past and examine how close death has come into my life.
My first real examination of death was the death of my grandfather. The concept of heaven and hell has been part of my life ever since I was ten years old. Before then, the idea of death never mixed with playing with my dolls or fake tea parties. As a ten year old, my grandfather's cancer diagnosis was the death sentence that allowed me to see life in a darker light. His body withered away from a burly lively man to a super skinny shadow of a man. Everyone's face always illustrated shock and endless sadness whether he entered the room. Going to his funeral was an experience I'll never forget because my family looked terribly devastated and like the sun set for good. It's an experience I'll never get over.
I know that the experience wasn't directly mine, but I felt like I nearly died myself. My faith in humanity and God briefly died after my grandfather's funeral. My self confidence left me for two years until I finally picked myself up and moved on. A similar scenario happened after my other grandfather died due to the fact I lived with him until I was 18. It's been a number of years since he died but the shock still remains. I since learned how to manage my grief and not sideline my life.
The closest I've come to a near death experience was when I was in a car accident two years ago. I was driving to work and pulled out into traffic by mistake. I tried to move out of the way but I was like a deer in headlights as a car was coming towards my driver's side door. Luckily, I didn't move out far enough and I would've been directly hit. The only damage that was really sustained was to the car and not me. I got a cut on my foot from a piece of glass after my driver's side window shattered all over me. I was never more scared after that moment. I couldn't stop shaking or crying. It took months to get over my fear of driving alone. Now, I'm still a little shaky when I drive to certain places but I've gotten much back to normal, except a little more careful.
In the end, the death of a loved one, or a near death experience, teaches you to realize that you're living life on someone else's time table. You need to take advantage of all the opportunities that've been presented to you before they're gone. Once you're at the end, there's no more do overs. It's only darkness from here on out. Remember to bring a flashlight just in case.
