Dr. Moddy thus inferred that “there is a high degree of certitude that (our) life is a two-phase process – on one hand, we live life forward as the actor or protagonist, and then at the end there’s this totally 180-degree turn around and we re-live that same identical action from the point of view of the other characters involved.”
Moody’s “Life After Life”, which has sold more than thirteen million copies worldwide, introduced us to concepts associated with near-death experience like exiting from the body and rising up above the scene, the tunnel, the bright light and an enlightened being, the presence of loved ones waiting on the other side, etc.
Dr. Raymond Moody, named by the New York Times as the “father of near-death experience”, is an American philosopher, psychologist, physician, and author.
He earned his PhD in philosophy from the University of Virginia; obtained his PhD in psychology from the University of West Georgia (then known as West Georgia College); and received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia.
Now at 76, he is the bestselling author of eleven books, and his latest work is titled “Glimpses of Eternity: Sharing a Loved One’s Passage from this Life to the Next.”
Dr. Moody’s pioneering work, “Life After Life”, originally published in 1975, is the groundbreaking study of over one hundred people who experienced “clinical death” (or near-death experience) and were revived, and who tell, in their own words, what lies beyond death.
Moody’s “Life After Life”, which has sold more than thirteen million copies worldwide, introduced us to concepts associated with near-death experience like exiting from the body and rising up above the scene, the tunnel, the bright light and an enlightened being, the presence of loved ones waiting on the other side, etc.
In one of his recent lectures which I have zealously watched on You Tube, dubbed “Raymo0nd Moody: Near-Death Experience as a Gateway to the Afterlife”, Dr. Moody discussed in detail his over 40 years’ study of stories or experiences of people who’ve been on the brink of death and were revived.
He pointed out that, since the publication of his Life After Life” in 1975, countless number of physicians all over the world have followed suit in investigating near-death experiences and have found out that such experiences are very similar all over the world.
From Dr. Moody’s lecture on youtube, let me summarize the principal elements of what people go through during their near-death experience prior to their being back to their bodies, thus:
1. They actually exit their physical body, rise up, and they can see from above the scene of the resuscitation; they can see their own bodies lying down.
2. They become aware of what is going on and of what the doctors and nurses are thinking (not saying); they want to communicate with the doctors or nurses (“hey, I’m not dead!”) but they cannot.
3. They go through a tunnel or a passageway of some sort.
4. They come out on the other side into an incredibly brilliant and warm, and comforting light – in which they experience love.
5. They are greeted or assisted by the spirits of their loved ones, who appear to be “timeless” (or not in their particular age).
6. In the presence of an enlightened being (described as a being of complete compassing, love and light), they are afforded a panoramic review of their life.
Now, from these highlights of near-death experiences, I can’t avoid being awe-struck by two focal points as described by Dr. Moody.
One, the experience of profound, it not total, love as embodied in the bright and comforting light. To quote Dr. Moody, thus:
“People say that in this light they experience a love that is so profound...it’s far beyond any love that we can experience while we’re alive...they are feelings of love, comfort, and peace that are beyond description.”
Two, the experience of being accommodated with a panoramic review of one’s life along with the presence of an enlightened being.
What is striking in this review is that you experience it from the others’ point of view – meaning to say, if you have done unkind deeds in your life, you experience the pain, hurt or sadness of the one whom you have done wrong; and if you did good or loving action, you embody the good feelings of those who you have done good.
“In some hyper-real state, you are surrounded by a holographic, full-colour panorama which consists of every single action that you have done in your life. But in this timeless state, suddenly you are no longer in the consciousness that you had when you performed that action, but rather you are empathically embodied in the consciousness of the person with whom you interacted.
Hence, if you see yourself doing something unkind to somebody else, you are empathically feeling the result of that action from the point of view of the person with whom you have interacted.
If you see yourself doing kind-hearted or loving action to one of your fellow human beings, then you are embodied in that person and you feel the good feelings that you brought about,” Dr. Moody explained.
On this account, Dr. Moddy thus inferred that “there is a high degree of certitude that (our) life is a two-phase process – on one hand, we live life forward as the actor or protagonist, and then at the end there’s this totally 180-degree turn around and we re-live that same identical action from the point of view of the other characters involved.”
This, I can no less agree. What we sow is what we reap.
Likewise too, that love indeed subsists even to the afterlife, or to use the local expression “may (there is) forever”, is affirmed universally in both theological and sociological perspectives.
Theologically, love is considered as the be-all and end-all of everything. It’s the greatest of the theological virtues, transcending faith and hope. The foundation of creation is God’s love, and the basis of man’s salvation is likewise God’s love – and thus Psalm 136 proclaims that “God’s love is eternal”. Love is eternal because God is eternal, and “God himself is love” (1John 4:8).
Aptly thus, let me paraphrase what St. Teresa of Calcutta said:
“At the end of life, what matters most is not how much we have acquired or achieved, but how much we have loved – especially the least, last, and lost ones.”
Similarly too, out of the myriad and hyper-real near-death experiences of countless people, Dr. Moody leaves us one lasting lesson:
“Reflecting on all the people with near-death experiences that I had interviewed, what I saw was that whatever they had been chasing before their near-death experience – be it money, power, fame, etc. – when they came back from their (near-death) experience, they all said unanimously that what this life is all about is to learn to love because that’s what everybody saw in the panorama of afterlife.”
Hark ye, let’s choose and live to LOVE, while time permits.