It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life. -Terry Pratchett-

Photo by Eileen Beniest

Random Question:
Q. Does your Life flash before your eyes just before you die?

I came across this question the other day and have posted a few answers from people in response to this rather intriguing life question.

*My theory is that your brain is desperately searching for previous experiences in similar situations from which it hopefully can get a solution to get you out of the danger you are in.*

*My theory on people's life flashing before them is the dissociate episode. The stress is more than the psyche can handle, so it checks out. It puts the person in a very calm state with no sensory input (no hearing, feeling, etc). Since the brain is not accustomed to being blank, it starts firing off random memories. I'm guessing the speed of thoughts has something to do with the adrenaline rush.*

*Actually just before you die your brain naturally releases high amounts of DMT. For some this may cause the "flash before your eyes" experience, but for most it's a euphoric trip and biological mechanism for coping with the reality of dying.*

I think that as the body shuts down, memories, thoughts and even the seemingly incessant internal chatter begins to accelerate in speed giving the illusion that our life is flashing before our eyes. Perhaps a part of us realizes that we are dying and in that instant, we go into Memory Recall thus this ‘re-living’ of our lives is perhaps a way to postpone the actual act of dying…

Interesting that there is no mention of faith or religion in any of the above theories. Even my thoughts lean more towards the possibility that due to the body’s physical, emotional and intellectual breakdown in death, the spirit (soul) inside of us makes use of our memories and thoughts as a way of saying goodbye to family and friends, past and present, and then lastly.... to say that final goodbye to our Self. Where faith fits into all of this is entirely up to each individual.

To be, or not to be, that is the question - William Shakespeare

Photo by Eileen Beniest

Random Questions:

Q. Is it better to act on intuition rather than on purpose? Are you impulsive or a procrastinator? How can you change things around?

I think we are all born with that extra, and sometimes elusive, sense called Intuition but whether we should rely on it totally in our every day lives is questionable. I also think that we all have the capacity to live a life with purpose, however, it does take a disciplined mind and much determination to remain focused. To be impulsive just means that you act without thinking just as by thinking too much and not taking action makes you a procrastinator.

With Intuition, first Impressions may be deceptive and can therefore give an incorrect reading of a person, situation or circumstance. This way of thinking is not as developed as the purpose driven thinking so mistakes can be made. In an emergency or being in a situation which demands immediate attention, one has to rely on instinct as there is usually no time to think things out. The downside of acting on intuition is that because there is no discipline as with a purpose driven thinker, one has the tendency to act impulsively and possibly lose control of a situation. With purpose driven thinking the reasoning process takes over. Thoughts slow down and one has time to weigh the options, rationalize and approach the subject matter in a more practical manner. The question posed was how can one change things around? It seems natural to assume that Purpose and Procrastination would go together as with the pairing of Intuition and Impulsiveness. Purpose driven people can be excused for procrastinating a little as one would expect the delay of a task or goal due to careful and calculated planning or reasoning. Impulsive people may rely on their intuition to attain something and operate purely by gut feel. This behavior, however, is unpredictable and end results are not guaranteed. One can again ask the question.... How can one change things around? Switch the pairs? Perhaps an ideal situation would be for purpose driven people to be a little more watchful and perceptive about how they live their lives and people who rely solely on intuition could afford to introduce more purpose driven thinking into their lives.

There is no right or wrong with all these behaviors as the challenge is really to achieve a happy medium. For me personally, I think I was more prone to impulsive behavior in my youth and took more risks but then again I had a lot less to lose back then. Today it is a different story as I have so much more invested in my life; be it material, spiritual and/or emotional. My behavior pattern has changed and as I have grown older, I have a tendency to be more purpose driven, setting myself goals and tasks within realistic time frames, both short and long term.

Purpose
Intentional, Purpose driven, Calculated
Procrastination
Delay, Prolong, Hesitate
Intuition
Instinct, Gut feel, Perceptive
Impulsiveness
Immediate, Hasty, Reckless

Mistaken Identity?

Photo by Eileen Beniest

Random Question:

Q. Did you know that the vast majority of the world's population are suffering with a serious case of mistaken identity?

I don’t think that it is so much a case of ‘mistaken identity’ but rather a case of * "wishing on someone else’s Star"….Most of us kind of set ourselves up for failure. There is a small percentage of people who actually ‘get things done’, ‘make their ideas happen’ and remain consistent in their thinking which in turn keeps them mentally and physically active and ‘procrastination free’..
These people believe in themselves and are risk takers. They experience setbacks but instead of falling back in self doubt, they continue to forge new ways and build new dreams... basically following their own Star.
The rest of us just muddle through life as best we can. We know exactly who we are, we just wish we were someone else and that is where the frustration sets in. We basically want a total ‘make-over’ … the problem though, is that every day we find someone or something new to try and emulate… and that is when the Big Fail happens . Do we somehow think that living another life would be easier?

Why can’t I be as lucky
As those other people are
Oh, I guess I must be wishing
On someone else’s star

*SOMEONE ELSE'S STAR Lyrics Artist(Band):Bryan White