The Light and the Tunnel: A Look at the Belief in Life After Death
The argument over life after death has been around for centuries. Many truly believe that there is positively life after death. Others believe that it is just wishful thinking or imagination. Although there is no scientific proof of an after life, there are several points to be made that there is an existence. Life does exist after death, and there are several explanations as to why this is true.
For several years, people have reported what is called a near death experience. Near death experiences consists of people who are pronounced legally dead, but come back to life. Amazingly, a good number of people who have experienced near death almost always live to tell something that was never known to them before. Some may tell loved ones exactly what was going on in the hospital while they were being pronounced dead, while others may tell of a long lost brother that they never knew about. Later they find out that they indeed did have a brother who died very young, yet were never told about it. People who have experienced a near death experience seem to always talk about the famous tunnel and “white light” that so many of us have heard about. Rita S. Berkowitz, an ordained minister and psychological counselor, has spent many years researching near death experiences. “Many people describe a distinctive tunnel or corridor, usually darkened, that they find themselves in when their spirits leave their bodies. At the end of this tunnel they can see a bright, white, light, and they know that this is the portal to the other side” (Berkowitz 254). With all the first hand accounts and experiences of near death experiences, it is difficult for skeptics to say with absolute certainty that they are all false.
When people hear the word psychic or medium, immediately many will think of scam artists and liars. This may be true in some cases, but in several other cases, mediums have been able to provide information about deceased loved ones of complete strangers they have never met. Time and time again, people with this special gift have amazed and delighted several people when they relay news about life on the other side. From the famous John Edward to unknown local psychics, it has been proven time and time again that there is life after death. James Van Praagh, a New York Times best selling author, describes the ability to communicate with deceased by tuning into higher frequencies. “
A medium is able to become completely receptive to the higher frequencies or energies On which spirit people vibrate” (Van Praagh 48). When mediums do this, the results are phenomenal. Van Praagh has delivered news to millions of people wishing to communicate with the other side, and the results have been outstanding more often than not. ” When a client walks into my office, I have no prior knowledge of their situation or the reason for the visit. Often during this contact a dramatic revelation occurs. A spark of light is relit as they discover their loved ones are very much alive and communing with them on a daily basis” ( Van Praagh, 79).
Another fascinating aspect of life after death is the communications that normal people without special gifts of their own have had with the after life. Authors Bill and Judy Guggenheim have been researching life after death and the spotting of spirits for over twenty years. ” Based upon our research, we conservatively estimate that that at least 50 million Americans, or 20% of the population of the United States, have had one or more after-death communications” (Guggenheim 21). From sensing a presence, hearing a voice, seeing apparitions, and even feeling a touch, there have too many experiences of this kind to simply dismiss them.
Although life after death has been a touchy topic for thousands of years, there are many factors that just can’t be ignored. There have been too many personal accounts from millions of people to simply dismiss them as being scams or hallucinations. How can people tell of things that they would have prior knowledge of? How can one explain away multiple people sighting the same apparition at the same time? There is enough proof, although not scientific, that life continues to exist after our physical body has died.
Works Cited
Berkowitz, S. Rita and Deborah S. Romaine. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Communitcating with Spirits. New York: Penguin Group, 2003.
Van Praagh, James. Talking to Heaven. New York: New American Library, 1997.
Guggenheim, Bill and Judy Guggenheim. Hello From Heaven. New York: Bantam Books: 1997.
