The Message from Outside the Cave

In Plato's Allegory of the Cave, he talks of society as persons in a cave, staring at shadows on the wall. The philosopher is like the person who steps outside of the cave, and is able to see the light, bringing a message from beyond. For a Near-Death experiencer, they too are able to see outside the cave that is this world, and they can only hope that those inside the cave are willing to accept what they have seen.


The following is the Foreword in Science and the Near-Death Experience. The book is written by Christ Carter, and the Foreword is written by Neal Grossman. It's a great message to hear, and I hope you can enjoy it:

"Thus far, I have been regarding the materialism paradigm as on a par with other such paradigms that have been overturned in the course of the history of science, but I believe that there is something rather special and different about the present situation. There is a message hidden in all this research, and it is a message that successful academics do not wish to hear. The message is universal love. Every near-death experiencer is convinced that the purpose of life is to grow in our ability to give and receive love. And NDE researches - as well as mediumship researchers - have themselves come to this same conclusion, but academic life is the opposite of loving.

Both science and academia are organized around the same principles that structure the corporate world: success in one's career depends a little on talent, but mostly on competition, self-promotion, and so forth, that is, on personality traits that have little to do with curiosity, intelligence, or intellectual honesty, to say nothing of love. Those who have been most successful at this - the ones who control the journals, decide who gets funding, decide who gets tenure - hold power in science and academia because of personality qualities that are opposed to the message of universal love. They believe, and need to believe, that the purpose of life is to "win," to be successful and influential in their field of study.

Many academics would be horrified to learn what all near-death experiences have learned. A successful life is not measured by fame, prestige, wealth, or number of publications; it is measured by how we treat one another, by our ability to live according to the golden rule, and by growth in our ability to feel compassion for others."