What Dreams May Come

Just finished Richard Matheson’s book What Dreams May Come. It was a thoroughly amazing and informative book, and I think that anyone who plans on dying eventually should read it. Unlike the movie, (which I downloaded because i was reading the book, and is an EPIC piece of crap) the book is not about some wonderful fantasy land we all get to goto when we die. The afterlife IS certainly pleasant, but the book is more about the philosophy of death and the three bodies we have and the two “deaths” one needs to face to get to the afterlife. Infact, the idea of heaven portrayed in the movie isn’t even close to total nirvana, its one of the lower levels of the afterlife.
The idea is that the soul learns and grows and surpasses previous limitations with each life and become a better soul. (You’d become a worse soul if you were a suicide/rapist/murderer) You can only surpass limitations on earth because the physical body had a very limited ability to see and manipulate it’s surroundings. I suppose I could go on, but I really don’t want to sound like some religious kook because I’m not. I loved the book and also loved that it supported my theory that every religion and theology and ethos is really only getting a tiny tiny piece of the picture. No one is wrong but no one is completely right either. The afterlife is completely subjective and although there is a reality to it and the way it works, you will really only see what you want to see. Which can also be dangerous.
I especially liked the idea that death isn’t really DEATH. it isn’t the end of anything, its just a transition to the next phase of life, shedding one body (the shell) for another, and a higher level of consciousness.
This could all be bullshit, how would I know? I just really liked the book and the ideas in it, and I think its important that anyone with half a brain read it…

In other news, I can’t wait to get home to Cape Cod. It’ll be nice to work and have money again, and see the hallway and eat at DJ’s and hopefully have a new found respect for the place.