Sunday, January 17, 2010

DEATHBED WITNESS

Not wanting to come across as being morbid or anything, but I've really been curious as to the frequency that others have experienced the transition of someone passing from the physical to what I like to refer to as, the sublime. I posted this same topic on a thread in a forum that I'm a member of as I became curious about this when thinking of my Dad recently and reflecting on what I experienced when he passed away back in Feb. of '04. Although the circumstances were tragic, our whole family (as well as some friends) were fortunate enough to be with him, surrounding his bed where he lay at the hospital. On our decision, the attending physician removed his life support and we stood and waited for him to take his last breath.

It was quite surreal as I'd never experienced a moment like this in my life and I realized everyone who stood witness were dealing with this situation in their own private way. Just moments before he slipped away, he suddenly opened his eyes (he'd been virtually unresponsive over the last couple of days aside from the occasional reflexive motions). My daughter, 18 at the time, was standing next to his head and suddenly moved closer shouting 'Grandpa', but he just stared straight ahead without appearing to notice her facing directly in front of him. He remained like that for only a moment before closing his eyes again. It seemed as though he was fixated on something that was invisible to the rest of us. It was shortly after that when the doctor placed his stethoscope against his chest and shook his head telling us he was gone.

At that point, I remember everything in the room taking on a particularly bright hue and as I looked around, I wondered if he was in fact, watching us and also wondered if he was now at peace. I know that when it was my turn to give him a kiss goodbye, I was very aware that the shell laying before me was definitely not my father and if you can believe, felt almost a moment of envy. As though, he now had the answers to the universe and us poor saps in the physical had been completely left in the dark.

So, that's my story. It was quite the experience and rather than being what I would have previously believed to be a tragedy, it was in fact, an extremely profound moment - one that I'll never forget. Having said that, I invite you to share any similar experiences you may also have had in regards to an event as just described. I look forward to hearing your own stories.

http://www.theguidedsoul.com

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Instant Gratification - The Negative Implications

With the birth of the New Year upon us, I've taken some time to contemplate just what it is that drives our insatiable need to be in possession of the latest and greatest "stuff" available in an overindulgent market (step right up, we've got anything you could possibly want...and more where that came from!).

Society, as a whole, is provided with a never-ending plethora of products, services, etc. to choose from...and by god - we better choose something and it better be as good, if not better, than what the next guy's got (we certainly don't want to be left in the dust!). What a position we've gotten ourselves into!

What has become an ingrained way of thinking (god forbid we'd be accused of, 'you're still using that? that's just so last month/year/etc.), has become practically, a way of life. And of course, when the 'high' we get when finally managing to acquire whatever it is that we supposedly can't live without, dissipates, we crash, like the proverbial Iccarus. However, unlike the legendary Phoenix who rises out of the ashes in a blaze of transformation, our own reemergence is but temporary, only basking in the delight of our newest acquisition until this new 'fix' fizzles out and usually, in record time.

Like a junkie, we're perpetually on the look-out for whatever will satisfy our ever-growing thirst in achieving and maintaining this false sense of fulfillment. This trend is somewhat frightening, to say the least and for our sake as a society, it might possibly be in our best interest to have a good hard look at where we're heading in regards to this issue.

It's become increasingly evident that in order for us to evolve as a global community, we should perhaps expand our search for potentially viable alternative (re)sources in creating a sense of wonder, contentment, and fulfillment within ourselves. Awakening to the truth that this sense of wholeness truly does come from within and which is precisely the reason that 'things' tend to lose their appeal so quickly, should perhaps compel us to rethink our motives as to why the possession of the material, seems so necessary.

As naive as it may sound, we must somehow transcend what we've deemed to be the cultural norm and instead, strive to find feasable solutions in effectively changing our way of doing things. Maybe it's time to abandon what we've been led to believe (thanks to societal conditioning) since what we're doing, leaves much to be desired.

http://www.theguidedsoul.com