Hope or nothing?

On Wednesday evening, when Sir Terry Pratchett was yet again "Facing extinction" on the BBC, I chose to read a remarkable book we'd been lent by a medical student (via her mother), called Proof of Heaven. It's written by Dr Eben Alexander, an eminent American neurosurgeon. He inexplicably contracted the vanishingly rare e coli meningitis, which rendered his neocortex effectively "dead" and sent him into deep coma from which his colleagues expected him never to emerge. Clearly he did emerge and live to tell the tale, and his story is remarkable. As a neurosurgeon he knows what he is talking about when it comes to brain function and he has seen patients in all states of consciousness. He describes himself as having been a convinced scientific sceptic about all things spiritual. However what he experienced in his coma and what he describes with as much scientific objectivity as possible completely changed his mind.

I have certainly read accounts before of near death events (NDEs), which frankly I found anecdotal and somewhat fanciful. I have heard one person talking about experiencing heaven, to whom I was inclined to give some credence in the light of the impact it made on her life, though I suppose some people might describe her as "flakey". However, I basically held the sort of view that this man of science had before his coma: "I doubted their veracity, mainly because I had not experienced them at a deep level, and because they could not be readily explained by my simplistic scientific view of the world.
"Like many other scientific skeptics, I refused to even review the data relevant to the questions concerning these phenomena. I prejudged the data, and those providing it, because my limited perspective failed to provide the foggiest notion of how such things might actually happen. Those who assert that there is no evidence for phenomena of extended consciousness in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, are wilfully ignorant. They believe they know the truth without needing to look at the facts" (p.153).

Well, in his fairly unique sort of coma (with the entire neocortex not functioning) he experienced what he could only afterwards conclude was an experience of consciousness completely independent of the brain. What's more, this experience was extremely vivid and detailed, but has none of the naïveté and self-referential aspects of other NDE survivors' accounts whose comas have been less complete. He gives an astonishingly objective account of the experience, in terms which make sense to the modern mindset, for example about the huge number of dimensions and the ability to comprehend without words. It does of course present him with a problem when he tries to describe the indescribable in language! However having made it his first priority after his medically improbable recovery to note down his memories as fully as possible, he gave himself the data to provide a coherent account. He experiences three regions or states, the muddy darkness of "the Realm of the Earthworm's View", the green brilliance of "the Gateway" and the black but holy darkness of "the Core".

At one point, he concludes, "love is, without doubt, the basis of everything. Not some abstract, hard-to-fathom kind of love but the day-to-day kind that everyone knows - the kind of love we feel when we look at our spouse and our children, or even our animals. In its purest and most powerful form, this love is not jealous or selfish, but unconditional. This is the reality of realities, the incomprehensibly glorious truth of truths that lives and breathes at the core of everything that exists or that ever will exist, and no remotely accurate understanding of who and what we are can be achieved by anyone who does not know it, and embody it in all of their actions.

"Not much of a scientific insight? Well, I beg to differ. I'm back from that place, and nothing could convince me (otherwise than) that this is not only the single most important emotional truth in the universe, but also the single most important scientific truth as well....

"It is my belief that we are now facing a crucial time in our existence. We need to recover more of that larger knowledge while living here on earth, while our brains (including the left-side analytical parts) are fully functioning. Science - the science to which I've devoted so much of my life - doesn't contradict what I learned up there. But far, far too many people believe it does, because certain members of the scientific community, who are pledged to the materialist worldview, have insisted again and again that science and spirituality cannot coexist.

"They are mistaken...." (pp. 71-73).

I can't help being struck by the contrast of the different views of reality and, therefore, meaning presented by Eben Alexander and Terry Pratchett. Strangely Alexander's seems to me to invest the present with the greater significance - it is part of a greater reality. What you see is not all you get. And the certainty that "love, unconditional love, is the basis of everything" invests existence with an unparalleled luminosity.

At this point this week it is good to have a scientist's testimony that we do not all face extinction when our brains finally pack up, but that our souls, our essential selves, will survive. As St Paul said, "If in Christ we have hope for this life only, we are of all people to be pitied. But in fact...."

PS Dear BBC, How about giving some air time to Dr Alexander's hope, instead of the diet of gloom you seem so fond of? And before you dismiss the idea, do you dare read the book with an open mind, right to the end, where the final evidential proof comes? It's available on Amazon and Kindle.

PPS Eben Alexander's version of what he experienced will not please a lot of Christians or people of other faiths, as he is not propagating a party line. He is simply trying to describe his experience and understand it in his terms. I think it's worth reading because of who he is and the profound impact his experience made on him - and because it brings the possibility of hope nearer. For me, nonetheless, the final and best proof of life after death remains what we celebrate tonight and tomorrow. "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep."

A plaudit and postscripts

If for nothing else, one has to give Mr Cameron and his government credit for tackling some of the hottest potatoes that have been cooking for decades, like the pensions problem, the benefit system and the social care time-bomb, and of course end of life care. You may not agree with their exact approach to dealing with the financial crisis (I don't think I do), but without doubt they haven't ducked the task of deficit reduction. Of course commissioning reports isn't the same as tackling the problems. I suppose the acid test will be the extent to which they act on the various reports they've received. Will they follow them up as rigorously as they've laid in to cutting public expenditure? There is naturally a lot of political debate ahead, but I honestly hope that, while he listens, Mr Cameron isn't persuaded to let the grass grow up around these issues yet again.

I'm sad to learn that the Witney Town Council has not allowed the charity LIFE to hold a rally to celebrate its 40th anniversary in the Leys. There's been a bit of a hoo-ha about it, as you can discover in the delightfully reactionary Archbishop Cranmer's blog.

In what I hope will be my last word on Terry Pratchett's BBC programme about "Dingitas", I was a bit shocked to be alerted on Facebook to a news item in the Daily Mail. I did describe the programme as "creative" in the Guardian, but I hadn't realised just how creative it had been. The death of the young man with MS, Andrew Colgan, wasn't shown. What we did see was Sir Terry and his assistant back at their hotel playing Elgar's Nimrod variation and toasting him at the moment of his dying. In What the BBC didn't reveal his brother tells how his dying took 90 rather than the usual 20 minutes to take place.
"My mother cuddled him for the first 40 minutes but she was advised to let him go because knowing she was there may have caused him to cling to life. She did so with tears in her eyes."  The implication would seem to be that either Sir Terry was toasting his brave demise prematurely, or that the filming was - well - creative. Whichever, the BBC were, let's say, selective with the truth, as the impression was given of a normal Dignitas "dignified" death.

Commission and omission

I wrote a red-hot post about the Terry Pratchett programme yesterday, and then thought I'd see if the Guardian might like it. And so I did, and they did. This was the result: Comment is free: Choosing to Die.

Did you know that today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day? Funnily enough, it's not been mentioned on the BBC or in the media. I only discovered this from Peter Saunders' blog, which is excellent on medical ethics and policy. In his post today he writes: "It is often argued that legalising euthanasia or assisted suicide would be a recipe for elder abuse. Given the vulnerability of many older people, who already feel themselves to be a financial, emotional or care burden on others, this is a powerful reason for not changing the law. 
"There are too many people already who have an interest, financial or otherwise, in an older person’s death. Let’s not give them any encouragement. And let’s work to honour, protect and uphold the older members of our community." 

Dr Peter Saunders

Peter Saunders is one of our nation's doughtiest defenders of human life. What the media world prefers to forget he constantly reminds us of. He is often in the front line of contumely and personal animosity. For example, I listened to a rather shrill Margo MacDonald accusing him of scuppering her euthanasia bill in the Scottish Parliament on the Nolan programme on Sunday night, as part of the BBC's three-day Pratchett Fest.

The MNDA had asked if I'd like to participate in the discussion, but as I don't trust my voice under stress at that time of night, I instead sent this email, which Stephen Nolan read out. It said it better than I'd have been able to, and expressed the widespread feeling that the BBC is really not presenting a balanced viewpoint on matters of life and death:
"I have PLS (Primary Lateral Sclerosis), a rare form of MND. My prognosis is slow but inevitable. I'm not exactly looking forward to it, but neither am I frightened by it.  I understand you're discussing Terry Pratchett's TV programme broadcast tomorrow.

"As my voice is even more rubbish at this time of night than usual, I'm just emailing.

"Obviously I've not seen the programme, and so I can't comment on specifics.  But I'm concerned about it because it sounds as if it will be one-sided with a gesture towards another view. For one thing it's presented by Terry Pratchett whose views are well known after his Dimbleby lecture. He's known to be campaigning for the legalisation of assisted dying, or suicide.  And it's been widely trailed that it will show a death of someone with MND in the Dignitas facility in Zurich in favourable terms. This could be regarded as encouraging others to do the same.

"I understand that the BBC admits this is not an unbiased programme. I'm all for a debate on the subject, but I'd like to know if the BBC has plans for a programme presented by an opponent of legalising assisted suicide. Otherwise it seems it's not being impartial, which it surely should be.

"The large majority of disabled people in a recent Comres poll indicated they were opposed to legalising assisted dying. The reason is because we fear pressure being put on us as we are costly and less valuable ("a burden").  Were assisted suicide to be legalised, no doubt its proponents would argue under great safeguards, experience has shown in places like Holland that involuntary termination of life follows - and the reason seems to me that life is no longer considered inviolable. 

"Terry Pratchett's mantra is "My life, my death, my choice". The trouble is that my choice has consequences for others - health professionals, carers, the vulnerable and the rest of society. It's taken our society a long time to stop even the state taking life. I don't want to return to the days when life is ours for the taking."

Sorry - I'm busy...

... writing, but here are a few thoughts from last week.  Had a great day on Sunday (not yesterday), as we had lunch with great friends, Ian and Shelley, and their two youngest sons who are a pleasure to be with, and then came home to find a message on the answerphone from two other top friends, Anthony and Ruth, who were just 'passing' on the M4, wondering whether they could pop in.  We managed to reach them before they'd got too far, and so we had a lovely hour with them.  There's no other word for friends like those four than a blessing.

Anthony and Ruth have been working all hours receiving and despatching medical supplies to Haiti, through their amazing charity, International Health Partners UK.   I've probably written about it before.  They work at getting pharmaceutical companies to donate in-date stock and then with aid agencies distributing them at no cost.  It's such a good concept, but such hard work.  I saw them mentioned today winning one of BA's opportunity grants - which is well deserved and will be well used
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/business/opportunitygrant/6469188/British-Airways-UK-Opportunity-Grant-competition-winners-business-awards.html).

The other good thing that Sunday which in fairness I have to mention is 'Songs of Praise' (since I've slagged them off in the past) which came from Peterborough.  Contemporary and some trad worship, real people enjoying worshipping, and talking about their lives.  And actually this Sunday wasn't bad either, from Southwark Cathedral of all places, a few choristers' ruffs in evidence, but mainly a whole variety of people again really worshipping with a variety of hymns and songs.  So I give Tony Nagri and the Beeb their due - and hope we don't revert to the travelogue/concert formula.

Then on Monday there were the two BBC programmes about assisted suicide, Panorama about Kay Gilderdale, who was acquitted of murdering  her daughter Lynn with ME - which wasn't exactly a documentary, with its background music and wheeling seagulls and of course lots of inevitable emotion.  I was struck by Chris Woodhead (who has MND and wants the option of choosing when to end his life) whose view is that changing the present law would actually make things worse - which I think is right.  Then in the evening was Terry Pratchett's Dimbleby lecture, Shaking hands with death.  That was another emotive essay.  He'd obviously learned my father's maxim about preaching, 'Placere, docere, movere.'  Please, teach, move - in that order, i.e. win over your listeners, inform them and then persuade them to action.  It seemed a persuasive case for assisted 'death' as he chose to call it, when you listened to it, but afterwards you realised what he hadn't said, for example, about the effect on others (I think Sue has already made a comment on this blog to the effect that 'No man is an island') and the culture of fear rather than of hope.  I noticed he said, 'If I knew that I could die at any time I chose, then suddenly every day would be as precious as a million pounds.'  Hang on, I thought, every day is already infinitely precious as far as I'm concerned.  And his resounding aphorism was, 'My life, my death, my choice.'  Since when, I wondered, did any of us choose to enter life?  And why are we so frightened of the unknown, of losing control, of chance?  I'd rather, 'My life, my death, my adventure!'  

And then, after a quick read of my bro's rather good short manuscript on whether Paul changed the message of Jesus as Philip Pullman is preparing to claim (again... yawn!) - to which the answer is a considered and well informed and argued 'No',  the rest of the week is was nose the laptop working on the next book with Jozanne, I Choose Everything.  We're aiming to finish the draft this month.