The more I read about the Life Review, the more questions I have about its . . .
Wait, let me be more precise in what I’m saying here: the more I read about the interpretations of others with respect to the Life Review, the more questions I have about their legitimacy.
I have no reason not to entertain the authenticity of this fascinating phenomenon, as it points to many insights into the nature and meaning of personal fulfillment and its ultimate realization.
I do, however, have reason to question the biases that seem to have crept into any interpretation of it.
For example, is love, unconditionally given and received, the most important feature of the human experience? And why this strange emphasis on testing and lessons that I keep hearing about?
Are we all mere students of life on this planet, and nothing more?
And then there’s the thorny issue of the reliability of the testimony presenting as evidence.
I have no doubt that experiencers of this phenomenon are not making this stuff up for their own reasons, but I have to wonder: what constitutes reliable testimony in view of this phenomenon?
Doubt is a precious act, perhaps almost as precious as life itself. Without legitimate doubt explored and expressed, would knowing, certainty, and knowing certainty even be possible or desirable?
So what does constitute reliable testimony, or more precisely, reliable eyewitness testimony?
Google “reliable eyewitness testimony” and you find doubts and questions raised about its efficacy.
In no way do I wish to negate the Life Review, like some do for their own personal reasons, but in my view, doubts and questions about it and its interpretation do deserve some playful attention, if for no other reason than to get a better and fuller picture of what’s going on.
In my study of the Life Review, I am rather impressed, if not a little perplexed, by how much love figures into it, and by love, I mean true love, although false love also plays a hand by way of contrast.
By true love, I obviously do not mean true romantic love exclusively, which can easily be confused with infatuation or desire; I mean “love that is true”, which begs this question: what is true love?
Consider this oft-quoted passage by Richard Bach:
When we come to the last moment of this lifetime
and we look back across it, the only thing that’s going to matter is
“What is the quality of our love?” ~ Richard Bach
The only thing that’s going to matter? The only thing that’s going to matter?
Am I the only one who feels puzzled by this blanket assertion?
But then, maybe my understanding and appreciation of love – both true and false – require an upgrade, an expansion, a fuller realization.
Though, I shudder to ask, in a spirit of discovery: could it be that the realization of the ultimate in personal fulfillment is merely the fullest realization of true love of which I am capable and willing?
And so I must ask, pretending that I have only 24 hours in which to answer these questions for this particular lifetime: what is the quality of my love? Is it true? Is it false? Does it really matter?
Here’s my shortlist of questions for my “impending” Life Review:
- what is true love? (what is false love?)
- what is the quality of my love?
- is true love the only thing that matters?
This is the order in which I now feel guided to ask these questions, but I reserve the right to answer them in whatever order I feel guided to answer them, in a spirit of playful discovery.
Let me start here: what is love?
According to Google, this question was the most searched word string in the year 2012, compelling me to ask: do you think it fair that love should bear the weight of so much attention?
But then, could it be that love, being as nebulous as it is, cannot bear any weight?
Maybe this is why we as spiritual beings embodied as human: to give love weight, to experience the risks and challenges of expressing love in human form, expressing the same divine energy in different forms, with different persons, in different ways, for different reasons.
I’ve set up this page to explore these questions further as part of an effort to give substance to a structure that would outline a basis for the realization of the ultimate in personal fulfillment.
More content has been added to the sections below.
TUiPF *
Context
(Setting the context)
Basis
(A cosmic perspective)
Current study: the cosmic life review (learn more)
View this page to explore some basic issues
Essence
The ethical imperative: guard guide your eyes, guard guide your thoughts, guard guide your steps
What the cosmic life review indicates we do in the earthly realm: (1) sanctify; (2) purify; (3) justify
Ideals
Proposal: our prime directive as a species is finding the balance
- finding the balance between soul (being) and spirit (becoming)
- finding the balance between being perfectly full and becoming perfectly filled
- finding the balance between living soulfully (truly, deeply) and living spiritually (wisely, freely)
Integration
(A context for living life to the fullest)
proposal to universalize human need:
need 1: “a safe place to eat and sleep”
need 2: “a way to satisfy all my needs”
need 3: “someone to love and cherish”
need 4: “a healthy, vital outlook on life”
a vital distinction to observe in daily life:
satisfaction of need v. fulfillment of desire
Application
(A practice for living life to the fullest)
Questions
1. “I just can’t stand it anymore … why go on?”
2. “Wrong body, wrong family, wrong planet … why?”
3. “Why am I making such a mess of my life?”
4. “What does it really take to be (become) fulfilled in this life?”
5. Soul: “a sound approach to being perfect: possible?”
6. Spirit: “a sane approach to becoming perfect: desirable?”
Study Notes
- incorporate the use of symbols with these elements: sphere (soul), spiral (spirit), pyramid
- presence and pretense: best to view them as complementary, rather than as mutually exclusive?
- follow these elements of perspective: form, structure, substance, orientation, appearance
- the
devilchallenge (problem, difficulty, obstacle, inadequacy, struggle, conflict) is in the details - the privileged among us: a little too preoccupied with celebrity, technology, personality, positivity?
- extroverts and introverts: “living on the surface” and “living from the depths with presence”
- the cosmic life review: a representation of the ultimate in personal fulfillment for a life lived?
* TUiPF = The Ultimate in Personal Fulfillment
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Next: Ultimate Fulfillment 4
Note: this ever growing perspective began here: Ultimate Perspective