The sun here is bright while the air is cold—a conflicting combination that sets the mood for what-if questions. Recently, I published a novel titled RETURN TICKET based on reports of Near-Death Experiences (which, I have learned, are scientifically called REDS or Recalled Experiences of Death). The patient in the gray zone between life and death emerges from the encounter with hyper acute, rapid, clear thinking, sometimes including insights that should be physically impossible. Biologically, where does such precise mental control originate when oxygen isn’t being pumped to the brain?* What if our explanations have been restricted within a traditional box?
Doctors and researchers who grapple with such seemingly impossible contradictions begin to realize they’re wrestling with the elusive concept of consciousness. Some suggest panpsychism which posits that consciousness is a fundamental aspect of reality—a concept that echoes back to ancient Greece. (“Is Consciousness Part of the Fabric of the Universe?” Scientific American, September 25, 2023.) To extrapolate, we may live in a universe or many universes in which consciousness is a presence perhaps more powerful than the physical. Some suggest the entire universe may be conscious, even directive. Actually, no one can say with certainty where consciousness is or is not.
We’re more than familiar with admonitions that our thoughts, actions, and speech have huge impacts on our physical and mental health. Ideas such as setting intentions, thinking positive thoughts, or engaging in gratitude and forgiveness all rest on a foundation that recognizes what we think being central to what we perceive and experience. Few would dispute the evidence already uncovered. We know our subconscious is a window into both our present and our past. That we share invisible connections with loved ones and sometimes others explains interpersonal interactions that don’t otherwise seem possible. Some suggest the presence of a universal or super-consciousness that is accessible to all. Extrasensory perception, communication with the deceased, powerful prayer, healing from a distance, forms of religion and spirituality—can we dismiss all these instances of shared consciousness as bogus or mere artifacts of belief? In concluding the discussion in “Rethinking Death,” Dr. Sam Parnia says, not lightly, “Human thoughts and intentions matter.”
Reality could be far different from the measurement-dependent solidity we were taught to perceive. One result of the weirdness of quantum physics theories is that we’re more open to realizing how little we understand with certainty—if anything. We may exist in a web of consciousness beyond our awareness. If it’s true, what does that mean? It’s a what-if for a sunny, cold day—a what-if outside the box.
* “Rethinking Death: Exploring What Happens When We Die” from the Parnia Laboratory at NYU Langone Health. (https://youtu.be/_18UdG4STHA?si=n3a5ujak520WETEP)
