The Purpose of Life by David Sunfellow

 The following is an excerpt from The Purpose of Life by David Sunfellow. 

Introduction

by David Sunfellow 

Every day, all over the world, an increasing number of people are reporting near-death experiences (and related phenomena). While near-death experiences have been reported since ancient times, it is only in the last few decades that we have been able to gather large numbers of these stories and systematically study them. The information that emerges from these stories, both ancient and modern, is profound. It is also remarkably consistent, instructive, and inspiring.

This book is a collection of the best stories and quotes I have come across in 40-plus years of studying NDEs. It shines a bright light on the universal truths that are championed by NDES and reveals, in life-changing technicolor, how to apply these truths to our everyday lives. Every day, all over the world, an increasing number of people are reporting near-death experiences (and related phenomena). While near-death experiences have been reported since ancient times, it is only in the last few decades that we have been able to gather large numbers of these stories and systematically study them. The information that emerges from these stories, both ancient and modern, is profound. It is also remarkably consistent, instructive, and inspiring. This book is a collection of the best stories and quotes I have come across in 40-plus years of studying NDEs. It shines a bright light on the universal truths that are championed by NDES and reveals, in life-changing technicolor, how to apply these truths to our everyday lives.

Chapter 3 Operation Chop-Chop

By Near-Death Experiencer Tom Sawyer.

When I was around eight years old, my father told me to mow the lawn and cut the weeds in the yard. We had a cottage in the back and a double house in the front. Aunt Gay, my mother's sister, lived in the cottage out back. Aunt Gay was a very delightful person; she was a friend of mine as well as my aunt... She was always fun to be with. All the kids thought she was a cool person to know. She had described to me her plans for some wild flowers that grew on little vines in the backyard. “Leave them alone now, Tom," she said, "and as soon as they blossom we'll make tiaras for all the girls, and flower necklaces for some of the guys." Then everybody could pitch in, and she'd teach them how to weave such things. That was typical of her.

We were looking forward to that. However, my father told me to mow the lawn and cut the weeds.

Now, I had several choices. I could explain to my father that Aunt Gay wanted the weeds left to grow in this particular area. If he said to cut them all, I could have explained to Aunt Gay that father had just told me to mow the lawn and to cut that patch of weeds. I could ask if she wanted to make her request to my father. Or, I could methodically and deliberately go ahead and mow the yard and cut the weeds. I did that. Well, worse than that, I even came up with a name for the job. I called it "Operation Chop-Chop." I deliberately decided to be bad, to be malicious. And I went ahead, feeling the authority that my father gave me when he told me to cut the grass and the weeds.

I thought, "Wow, I got away with it; I did it. And if Aunt Gay ever says anything, I'll just tell her father told me to do it. Or if father asks me, I'll say well that's what you told me to do." And I would be vindicated. It would be okay; it would be a perfect Operation Chop-Chop. End of story. My Aunt Gay never said a word to me; nothing was ever mentioned; I got away with it totally.

Guess what? I not only relived it in my life review, but I relived every exact thought and attitude; even the air temperature and things that I couldn't have possibly measured when I was eight years old. For example, I wasn't aware of how many mosquitoes were in the area. In the life review, I could have counted the mosquitoes. Everything was more accurate than could possibly be perceived in the original event.

I not only re-experienced my eight-year-old attitude and the kind of excitement and joy of getting away with something, but I was also observing this entire event as a thirty-three-year-old adult; with the wisdom and philosophy I was able to attain by that time. But it was more than that. 

I also experienced it exactly as though I was Aunt Gay, several days after the weeds had been cut, when she walked out the back door. I knew the series of thoughts that bounced back and forth in her mind.

"Oh my goodness, what has happened? Oh well, he must have forgotten. But he couldn't have forgotten, everyone was looking forward to -- Oh no, knock it off. Tommy is... He's never done anything like that. I love him so. Oh, come on, cut it out. Gee, it was so important. He had to know... he couldn't have known."

Back and forth, back and forth, between thinking of the possibility, and saying to herself:

"Well, it is possible. No, Tommy isn't like that. It doesn't matter anyway, I love him. I'll never mention it. God forbid, if he did forget and I remind him, that will hurt his feelings. But I think that he did, though. Should I confront him with it and just ask him?"

Thought-pattern after thought-pattern. What I'm telling you is, I was in my Aunt Gay's body, I was in her eyes, I was in her emotions, I was in her unanswered questions. I experienced the disappointment, the humiliation. It was very devastating to me. It changed my attitude as I experienced it.

I experienced things that cannot be perceived. I watched me mowing the law from straight above, anywhere from several hundred to a couple of thousand feet, as though I were a camera. I watched all of that. I was able to perceive and feel and know everything about my Aunt Gay regarding our relationship in that general time frame and regarding Operation Chop-Chop.

In addition, and what is probably more important, spiritually speaking, I was able to observe the scene, absolutely, positively, unconditionally. In other words, not with the horrendous emotional ill-feelings that my Aunt Gay experienced not knowing for sure, and yet being afraid to question for fear that she would inflict some kind of dis-ease, or ill feelings on my part. God forbid, if I did it by accident and her reminder would hurt my feelings. And yet she experienced hurt in losing the flowering weeds, not being able to do the things for all the children she had promised, and constantly questioning whether I could have done it on purpose. I did experience that in this unconditional way, with this unconditional love that is only God's eyes, or the eyes of Jesus Christ, or the light of Jesus, or the light of Buddha enlightened, the spiritual entity.

 Below is a video excerpt from David's YouTube channel where experiencers discuss their NDEs and the aftereffects in their lives.

David Sunfellow

David Sunfellow is the founder of NewHeavenNewEarth (NHNE), a small non-profit located in Sedona, Arizona. He has a life-long interest in all things pertaining to life's big questions: Who are we? Where are we from? Why are we are? What is the origin and purpose of life? In recent years, the lion's share of David's energy has been focused on near-death experiences. David's primary interest has been helping people understand how to apply the life-changing wisdom of near-death experiences to everyday life.

You can visit his website The Formula for Creating Heaven on Earth.

^{Featured image: Photo by Ryan Hutton}