Lightening Up About Death
by Scott Kalechstein "Death is like taking off a tight shoe." This habit we have on this planet of treating death as an unfortunate, tragic, and rather permanent end to the show is fast losing popularity. People are exploring attitudinal alternatives, new ways of looking at death without perceptions of fear and finality. Both John Edwards and James Van Praugh have had daytime television shows where they apparently receive messages for members of the studio audience from their dearly departed. The times are a'changing. What happens when we depart our bodies is a question of great interest and importance to anyone who plans to die. I was raised by atheist parents who encouraged me to accept that there's no such thing as an afterlife. But that didn't seem to compute with what I learned in high school physics, that energy could not be destroyed, and that all matter, including you and me, was made up of energy. These matters of life and death seemed quite serious, and, like everyone around me, I was treating them as life and death matters. By way of contrast, there are plenty of folks who are non-serious, non-attached, and even nonchalant about death, and many of them live in India. Have you ever flown on a commuter airline from Bombay to Calcutta? As you are getting ready to take off, the flight attendant says something like this: "Namaste. Welcome to Air India. In the event of a crash landing, please exit your body through the crown chakra, and start heading down the tunnel to the white light. You may see some deceased relatives, but don't worry, they won't push your buttons. They will just be there to escort you to your next plane. And, if this happens, we want to thank you in advance for dying Air India, where we have transitioned more passengers than any other carrier. We have even recently surpassed the former #1 Re-United Airlines for that honor. And please, if you are not already a member with us, don't forget to sign up for our Frequent Dier Program!" Yes, I have an active imagination, and I am not afraid to use it! One day I decided to lighten up about death by fantasizing an after death experience and living to tell about it. My imaginary brush with death left me with an unwavering sense of life's eternalness, along with a cosmic sense of humor that has never left me. It helped me shed layers upon layers of premature rigor mortis, and I can now say with gratitude and glee that there is consciousness on both sides of the fence. But is the grass greener? Perhaps my story will help answer that. It all started when a doctor friend of mine asked me if I would mind being clinically dead for a study he was conducting. I instantly consented, much preferring a temporary bout with death to the traffic school I was signed up for on that day. I went to the research center where he worked, "The Clinic For The Clinically Dead". After signing some release forms making it clear that he was not liable if I didn't make it back, I was shown to the room. A graph was set up to monitor my heartbeat, and I nervously waited for the straight line that would mark the beginning of my journey. My friend tried to relax me with an attempt at humor. "Try to sneak some stock market tips back through customs," he said as he stuck a needle in my arm. He then pulled a white sheet over my head and turned on some music to ease my transition. The last thing I heard as I left my body was the Beatles singing "Magical Mystery Tour". Suddenly I was skateboarding down a long tunnel towards a breathtakingly beautiful white light. As I got closer, I passed various billboards, apparently advertisements for various resorts where I could stay while I was there. One sign particularly caught my eye: Check-In Center For The Newly Dead - Two Kilometers. "Wow," I thought to myself, "the metric system!" When I arrived there I met my guardian angel, who already knew I was only in town for a temporary death experience. She gave me a visitor's pass, which read Good For One After Death Experience. Expires When You Do. I put it in my pocket and left with my angel. She took me on a journey that can best be described as a tourist's dream come true. We explored many worlds, other dimensions, and higher levels of reality. I met my grandparents, who assured me that they were doing fine, had been overseeing my life with great pride and affection, and loved me dearly. My grandmother added that I could use a haircut. The highlight of the trip was the nightlife. We visited a swinging place called The Other Side. The sign by the door said No One Newly Dead Admitted Without Deceased Parent, Grandparent Or Guardian. I was beginning to realize that the spiritual world is full of signs, just like the masters have been telling us all along. I danced the night away with a wildly attractive space entity with a glowing light body and a wall-to-wall aura. After a while she purred in my ear, "Your dimension or mine?" Before I could answer my angel whisked me away, returning me to the glorious white light where my journey had begun. It was time to go back to my body. A sign read Thank You For Your Stay. Please Come Again. I made my way through the tunnel once more, this time on a surfboard with the Beach Boys serenading me in the background. My doctor friend welcomed me back and listened intently to my tale. I thanked him profusely for the experience, which showed me firsthand that oh yeah, life goes on, that death is simply a portal, and that there's a close encounter waiting for me on The Other Side. Ahhhhhh…
"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly."
"Teacher of God, your one assignment could be stated thus: Accept no compromise in which death plays a part. Do not believe in cruelty, nor let attack conceal the truth from you. What seems to die has been but misperceived and carried to illusion. Now it becomes your task to let the illusion be carried to the truth." About the Author Scott Kalechstein lives in California and serves as a a singer, songwriter, speaker, humorist, recording artist, minister, and workshop leader. He thought about not mentioning any of those things and trying to come across more humble, but decided against it. You can visit him in cyberspace at www.scottsongs.com or e-mail him at: scott@scottsongs.com |
