What has after Life to offer me?

What has after life to offer? What is there beyond this temporary existence? These are some of the questions that not so often haunts us. It arouses arguments for Christians and non-Christians alike on their standpoint on after life. It displays the possibilities and the attempts of science to explain life after death. We often call it after life for most people who experiences this situation shows that they are on the verge of death or perhaps might have faced death itself but have managed to come back, live again and tell us the story of near death that gives us the impression whether it is true or not.

The impressive plot for each story we hear have captured our attention for they may have different ways of interpreting how near death experiences transpired but it all seems realistic and true basing on the effect of how they came to be after that experience. Most often they would share their crucial moment as being in a long dark tunnel that leads to a well lighted endpoint where they would see their loved ones or Jesus perhaps with elation and peace at heart. Others would say they saw blinding lights that flashes back their life and shows all the significant moment which made them assess on how well they came to live their lives. 

For some it is an experience of much joy in the presence of all their loved ones and a happy reunion with all those relatives and friends who already died. It has seemed to be a second chance, an opportunity that not all are given the privilege of. After the so called experience, they get to reflect on how much they have wasted their time on earth and would like to gain back life to change and correct all they have done wrong. Some would become very regretful of not having done the mission God has created them for and would like to fulfill it. 
It’s a realization point and perhaps an opportunity for change. The society can never deny the existence of this life after death as it has gained popularity through the many accounts reported all over the world with almost the same story. It has been the reason why many scientists and researchers are interested to find basis on this recounts of after life. As great ideas are to be challenged, many non believers raise questions to refute the validity of this phenomenon. Many doubters said this feeling of elation and unexplainable peace and happiness is the effect of having less oxygen in the brain while being unconscious. Now studies on this miracle rebutted by proving that most survivors of death had more oxygen in the brain as they go through that experience even if they are clinically dead that proves that the mind has a deeper state than just being a part of the brain’s actions.

It goes to show that studies on after life still has a long way to go to fully prove its validity of existence. In my personal view I believe there is after life and that near death experiences are just proofs laid to us for a better understanding of what’s in store for us after this time. We all know that we have a God and that he promised us a better place that we will be after our stay here on earth. It provides foundation to my hope of a happier world which is a reward for all the good deeds we do in these probationary grounds. If I base my assumption on science, it somehow gives a glimpse of its reality. 

I am not a scientist but still I’ll try to explain my theory. As my elementary science teacher has told me, our world is full of energy; Energy cannot be created nor can it be destroyed. It is everywhere so it’s as good as saying it is within us. Whether we are in a healthy state or be clinically dead, we have a mind full of energy that is a separate entity as the brain itself. Therefore, there is a greater possibility that because of the strong energy, the mind has created the scenario of these near death experiences. These experiences would not be formed if there is no previous or an envisioned happening. By science, I believe there are near death experiences and by faith I believe there is after-life. Whether it really is true or not, we cannot tell for we haven’t experienced it ourselves. All we rely on is the truth in the statements of each individual who have gone through that experience. It strengthens our belief in a greater place after we die; it solidifies our faith on the existence of a supreme being and it gives us hope for a second chance. 
Whether in time, science might prove the reality of after life to be a deception and that it did not exist; it wouldn’t matter anymore so long as we focus more on how we make most out of the life we have right now. When we all die, our bodies’ just decay, what we did may all be forgotten and we will then be left behind but God has seen what we have been doing all along; that’s what matters most. May it be in this present life, after life or on the threshold of death, we just need to stay grounded to our faith in God and do our best to become a better person in this lifetime. 
Come to consider this simple premise I have in mind; when we die, our date of birth and the day we die will be engraved in our tombstone, like January 1980 - October 2009, it wouldn’t matter what transpired during the day we were born, on the day we die or even on our after life, what is important is the dash (-) in between those dates. 
That signifies the most important dates; it may be a small mark on the gravestone but it is what gave meaning to our existence. Rather than we often keep thinking on what is beyond death or even death itself, whether there is an endpoint or there is still a continuation, we need to think more of how we live our lives now and what can we do more to make our sojourn in this earth worthwhile.

-= Mark Anthony Doblas =-

Confessions of a Shopaholic

I had 32 hours straight time reading the book. I hadn't slept not until i finished reading confessions of a shopaholic by sophie kinsella. it was such a light book to read that you dont even want to put it down. I've been dying to read this book for ages but its only now that i was able to grab one (and it really isnt mine i just borrowed it from a friend). i've missed a lot of this shopaholic fever at the time it exploded. i plotted on my schedule the play date of Confessions of a Shopaholic to be showcasted on stage by local actors but sad thing, tickets were sold out and i wasnt able to grab one for myself before it ran out. not minding that, i just waited for the actual screening date of the movie itself and before it even closed on all cinemas, i never got the chance to watch. so this is the time to get myself on some shopaholic mania.

I adore the writing prowess of Sophie Kinsella for she writes as if she is just talking to you and she reallys gets into the persona of the main character. You can really notice how easy it is for her to write the book and how light her words are just as exactly how we all would love to read. Just by reading the book, you can assess what kind of person Rebecca Bloomwood is and how she gets to be a shopaholic. although the plot is so simple, the book was so engaging and is never dull. the issue on the story hits us all but we often neglect it. It's a story set for teens to love and for old ones to appreciate. managing your money is a worldy struggle but we all still cannot come up with a solution on how to fix our finances.

The production of the movie is a bit timely for the world is in such financial crises. Incomes are low but debts are way too high for us to manage. We have been a community of producers which morphed in a world of consumers instead. We simply love the feel in our hands when these glossy cards like AmEx, Visa or Mastercard runs through our fingers along with the packages we are struggling to carry in our shoulders.

We also spend more than what our income can reach that we end up piling all the bills from the credit card company, most often we get too nervous to even take a peek on what the total due would be. We have been living above our means for so long that we owe hundred thousands but we earn only nearly reaching 20 thousand. We just condition our minds its good to be in debted for we still will be paying for that in a monthly basis.

But would we then stop our crave to swipe those cards? Or we just continue swiping til the censor wont read the card anymore and our wallets are left with papers with no cash?

Confessions of a Shopaholic has proposed to us a lot of questions yet is a guide to finding the solutions to the current situation. I guess it is just a matter of self control and discipline, knowing your limits and to top it all, contentment.. It is a matter of introspection; to know deeper where we have all gone wrong, to know why the world is stuck now in this financial hurricane disrupting the scale of our economy.

The evolving disaster has not stopped and continues to this day enveloping the entire world of the eye-opener to a simpler lifestyle; We would then be happier to drive older cars or enjoy the company of a friend while walking for short-distance trip in the interest of fuel saving, we'll seldom have trips to the shopping mall and fewer credit card purchases, more meals at home rather than in fancy restaurants, fewer and more modest vacations, more saving, less debt and lower monthly payment obligations. It's undeniably true, it blows even bigger each day that most people today are increasingly worried about their personal financial wellbeing.

Like Ms. Rebecca Bloomwood, a self-confessed shopaholic, we all should make a stand on what to do with our lives and our finances. Planning to save for the rainy days and managing the resistance to the compulsion to shop.

We cannot save the Lehman Brothers out of bankruptcy but we still can save ourselves from debt suffocation. If we can't help the world then we better just help our own self. We can then appreciate the value of contentment coupled with thrift.

If w all start to save and not overspend, then it would never be impossible to reach the time when we all will be living debt-free and even find being thrifty to be cool…. ;-)