Hi josh, loving your book Turning inside out, only part way through but enjoying it immensely. I found my self drawn back to some of my own ideas I am pursuing that seem fairly similar to themes you have mentioned about life and death and afterlife. Its not that I am interested (or even believe in) ghosts. Its just that having discovered a decade ago that my parents were both (NPD - Narcissistic Personality Disorder) "sufferers." Who both affected my life, my perception of reality and my personality greatly, I have spent the last decade searching for answers. So after I found your book I thought I would share some comparisons I have made over the years. I believe some answers might be found for us both. This isn't my idea but, I wonder if you ever considered the after life like the womb. We all hear stories of people dying and coming back. Only to describe death the same way an infant might describe childbirth. Dark tunnels, loved ones bathed in light, and more importantly a complete shift in reality. The rest of our lives are filled with the desire to return to the one time in our lives we are truly responsibility free, surrounded by an omnipresent God/Mother. I am also drawn back, no matter which line of "research" I am pursuing, to evolution and the development of the human brain. I think the fact the our brain is built the way it is, affects our perception of reality. That is to say, bottom up processing. We feel emotions first and process them consciously last. For someone like me who had to distance themselves from their emotions because of my parents intermittent cruelty, the process gets confused and changes my sense of who I am. Am "I" the ball of childish rage that sits in the pit of my stomach, the internal critic that wants me to be perfect and accepts nothing less. Or am I the reasonable, moderate voice that Frued might call my ego. Seems important and I keep coming back to it. Finally the development of humanity as a whole. The human race itself appears to be taking on many Narc traits. Is it possible our deep sadness and acceptance of this as our "lot" as suffering humans is simply a result of mass Cognitive Dissonance? Anyways, love your work. Hope my ideas twig something in your mind at the very least. If not keep up the writing man its terrific. Craig
Hi josh, loving your book Turning inside out, only part way through but enjoying it immensely. I found my self drawn back to some of my own ideas I am pursuing that seem fairly similar to themes you have mentioned about life and death and afterlife. Its not that I am interested (or even believe in) ghosts. Its just that having discovered a decade ago that my parents were both (NPD - Narcissistic Personality Disorder) "sufferers." Who both affected my life, my perception of reality and my personality greatly, I have spent the last decade searching for answers.
ReplyDeleteSo after I found your book I thought I would share some comparisons I have made over the years. I believe some answers might be found for us both.
This isn't my idea but, I wonder if you ever considered the after life like the womb. We all hear stories of people dying and coming back. Only to describe death the same way an infant might describe childbirth. Dark tunnels, loved ones bathed in light, and more importantly a complete shift in reality. The rest of our lives are filled with the desire to return to the one time in our lives we are truly responsibility free, surrounded by an omnipresent God/Mother.
I am also drawn back, no matter which line of "research" I am pursuing, to evolution and the development of the human brain. I think the fact the our brain is built the way it is, affects our perception of reality. That is to say, bottom up processing. We feel emotions first and process them consciously last. For someone like me who had to distance themselves from their emotions because of my parents intermittent cruelty, the process gets confused and changes my sense of who I am. Am "I" the ball of childish rage that sits in the pit of my stomach, the internal critic that wants me to be perfect and accepts nothing less. Or am I the reasonable, moderate voice that Frued might call my ego. Seems important and I keep coming back to it.
Finally the development of humanity as a whole. The human race itself appears to be taking on many Narc traits. Is it possible our deep sadness and acceptance of this as our "lot" as suffering humans is simply a result of mass Cognitive Dissonance?
Anyways, love your work. Hope my ideas twig something in your mind at the very least. If not keep up the writing man its terrific.
Craig