Walk into the light.

The culture of lifers (COLers) mean well, I'm sure, so forgive them, they know not what they do.

COLers, both aboard and lurking, surely you've heard of the near-death experience? There have been many NDE's recorded, and though no two have been exactly alike, certain patterns have become evident...
1. Difficulty in explaining the NDE. Ordinary language often seems inadequate to describe these extraordinary experiences.

2. Associated life threatening event. The threat may be real or perceived, physical and/or psychological.

3. Separation of consciousness from the body. Sensation of viewing surroundings from a place other than the physical body. Some may see their bodies from a distance. Feeling the "self " is hovering overhead.

4. The ability to see and hear details of events (which may be close or distant from the body) while unconscious. These details (which may include a pronouncement of death) are often later confirmed by others who are generally astonished and mystified that the experiencer was aware of these events while unconscious.

5. Experiencing intensely powerful emotions. These emotions may include ecstasy, fear, peace and calm.

6. Hearing distinctive sounds. Experiencers may report hearing a variety of unusual sounds or noise. They may be described as pleasant, musical, buzzing or ringing.

7. Passing into and through a dark tunnel. There may be feelings of floating into a cave, enclosure or void. Movement may accelerate in the tunnel. Occasionally another being(s) accompany this tunnel passage, though usually it is traveled alone. A bright light is usually seen at the end of the tunnel, and is the destination of the travel through the tunnel.

8. Encounter with a bright light. The light is often perceived as a being, either a spiritual being or a departed loved one. The being is often described as intensely loving...

Now, you COLers, please consider for a moment the look on Terri Schiavo's face.

Her expression is often quite rapturous (original definition) and I for one haven't seen her focus her gaze on anyone in the room with her.

Consider also the possibility that Terri does see clearly, but what she sees isn't in the room with her, consider that fifteen long years ago Terri Schiavo entered that "tunnel" between the earthly plane and whatever lies at the other end of it...the tunnel which others have reported being in for only a short time.

Consider that the beatific expression on Terri's face is there not because her parents are nearby, but because for fifteen horrible years medical science has kept her tethered in that tunnel, tantalizingly close yet agonizingly distant from her ultimate destiny.

Consider that it's entirely possible that for fifteen years Terri Schiavo has been gazing at the outstretched hand of her Lord and has been unintentionally but cruelly held back by a short stretch of hospital-grade surgical tubing.

Would you consider that and let her go? She's been kept waiting long enough.

for all of us.

My father gazed off before he died. You always wonder what they see.

experienced out-of-body experiences on more than one occasion, and while I have seen no evidence for an afterlife, I have seen none against it, either. And I have seen for myself that consciousness can exist separate from the body.

And nothing in my experience argues against this particular scenario.

to see light coming from an impossible direction (no other way to describe it) and a feeling of incredible peace as everything in life became utterly unimportant.

Whether there's an afterlife or we just cruise out of this one on a tide of happy hormones is irrelevant. She's been held here too long.

:)
Did you ever post on the experience? I'm interested!
Many of the NDE's describe returning because they felt they hadn't accomplished whatever they felt their purpose was, that often being caring for their children.
Perhaps the only thing Terri had left to accomplish was to land a crushing blow to the * brothers, in which case I'd offer her a sincere "mission accomplished" and wish her godspeed on the remainder of her journey.

Sometimes when I strain really hard the blood will rush out of my head suddenly and I will get a feeling of utter joy and euphoria where all of a sudden it feels like my life is on the edge of flickering out of existence and I just couldn't give a shit.

Its just as you said, suddenly all the things in life, and life itself just seems so distant and utterly unimportant. Just a feeling of extreme peace. Then, just as fast as it comes, the sensation fades away as the blood flows back into my head, and that feeling of "dying" becomes kind of like a dream. Even though it is only for 2 or 3 seconds or so, there is a time-stretch and it feels like 30 minutes has passed. It seems so unrealistic. Wierd! But it does allow me to not be afraid of death so much.

who began experiencing them spontaneously in the 50's. Kept detailed records of his experiences and began studies with test subjects.

If Terri Schiavo's cerebral cortex has liquified, her spirit is probably flying around all over the place already, with some sense of being tethered to the body.

Her body has been hijacked as much as our country has.

Terri should be released from her limbo to touch the hand of God!

Perfect appeal through the spirit to people who might better understand through spiritual means than rational ones. Very, very well done - you've found the door and driven through it. Excellent! Hats off to you.

to the death experience and much has been written about it. Every death I have experienced in my family has been either sudden or there was a coma first except for my mother and I went through the entire thing with her. She saw my father for days before she died. After the inital fright of the experience she settled into it and it seems she almost looked forward to going. She had a horrible disease and had fought for so long but her death was peaceful and she seemed to ease her way to the next exerience. As an ICU nurse I also experienced many deaths. It is amazing to study and go through with people. Rarely is it bad, many times I have seen them go with smiles on their faces and whispering the name of a long lost loved one.

I like what you have written.

My own father died very suddenly...his last words were "I think I'm going to take a break", he sat down in his favorite chair, took a couple of deep breaths, and was gone. Just like that.
My Mom we had to let go in accordance with her wishes when she couldn't be weaned from the respirator in the last stages of congestive heart failure. All five children were there, and I'm so glad she was able to make her wishes clear to us.
She watched us watch her take her leave...sounds kind of morbid like that, but I will never, ever forget the love in that room.

And poor Terri has a bunch of squabbling do-gooders making a federal case out of what should have been a peaceful passing. Let us hope she doesn't feel the hate and hypocrisy of those clinging onto her like some kind of life raft.

"Have your religious beliefs/practices changed specifically as a result of your experience? Yes I no longer attend church. It is a waste of time and energy. God isn't interested in being worshiped, he's only interested in our experiences and our growth."

That's exactly how I feel! Fundies should read it!

They were leading in to the statistics about conversions and other religious adjustments following NDE's and I thought, "Uh-oh...here we go...", but that really wasn't as big a deal as the more universal feeling of peace.
I'm kind of looking forward to the trip once I get my "earthly business" done. :)

It just reinforced the feeling that she's looking at something not of this earth.
What started out as an attempt at a rationalization that both sides might agree with is becoming something more for me.
She's got a destination in sight. Watch her next time they show her.
This rift between some of us isn't as big as it first seemed to me. :)

: )

of a daily experience for myself, personally. :)

see things (places, perhaps?) that we cannot see. I believe they see and converse with people that we cannot see. I have observed this a good few times at the bedsides of the dying. What you say, Career Prole, is in line with my own experiences.

Well put!

And my personal comeback to the fundies is this... God called Terry home 15 years ago. Don't you think it's time to let her answer that call?

They say the Bible is God's word and then commence to spin God's word when they aren't cherry-picking it to a fare-thee-well.

It's pretty tough getting through to someone who knows God's word better than God. :eyes:

Real Christians aren't that presumptuous, I've noticed.

Welcome to DU, Darleen! :hi:

That's kind of you. :)

CP, this is by far my favorite post regarding TS. :hi:

This is Terri's big break...she's up for parole and it's going to be granted this time. I'm happy she finally gets to finish her trek.
:hi:
And thanks for the nice compliments! :blushingfuriously:

information. Thanks. However, I really believe Terry has been where ever we go after this life for the past 15 years. It's too bad her parents don't believe that because maybe Terri has been trying to contact them or give them messages since then. Soon she will be free to communicate. However, it would serve them right if she didn't contact them because they made her death such a public circus and gave her no privacy. I feel so sorry for her parents and their grief from losing their daughter...(I know first hand what they are going through) but they infuriate me. They need psychiatric counseling. I wonder how many have donated/volunteered there time to help them...or are they all too busy politicking?

held onto longer. We don't need any extra rifts.
I feel sorry for her folks as well.
You learn in Psych 101 how high up the list of stressors the death of a child is...I need only look at my girl to imagine their pain.

I am sore f'ing tested by the louses who have used her parents though. I wouldn't shy from slapping some knots on those heads.
:grr: