. 4 - Wednesday, December 8, 1993 - North Shore News Reports from the dead zone THIS COLUMN is obviously prompted by the death of a friend, but L.am reminded that a cubject that doesm't get written about much in the media is death itself. it's not our fault entirely. We don’t scem to have any tapes from the Other Side, although there are plenty of mediums around to bring the words of the departed to life. And if you don't believe that, | suspect you haven’! seen a truly greai medium, like David Young, at work. But that’s another issue. Death is our subject today. There’s been a lot of coverage of the issue of assisted suicide lately, which has raised the profile of the cuthanasia debate, but. while various experts argue about the right to-die, nobedy says much about the experience of being dead. What is this thing we have a right to? Now, I don’t personally recall having ever been dead. I don’t personally recall being alive, ci- ther, except since AD 1941. - - Well, except maybe.... I did silbmit to hypnotic dream-tegression therapy, as it’s called, once. . Rts an, interesting tape to listen - to. My voice changed several times. Different pitch, different ‘patterns of speech. I answered questions about where. I-was, and . I recall seeming to. be able to look around.) . Once, somewhere i in Europe, I seemed to. be an old soldier dying ‘the loft of a church; sur- |.” ‘rounded by cther dying old men, all of them strangers, attended to by unknown nuns and priests. __ ‘The loneliness was unbearable. I . still shudder to think about it. .. :: + Maybe that’s why I’m so gre- garious today. Who knows, eh? .4In another “‘life,’’ a young son fell into a canal, and I was unable ‘o save him. ‘Jn another, I was married toa woran whom I recognized as the © person who was my mother i in this Sifetime. us “And, finally, i ina fourth “life: time’?.I was'a woman whose hus- band ‘was a pilot-who got killed in the First World War. - - “ Years later, 1 slipped and fell in . ‘front ofa tram and was rushed. . . There's nothing i like the smell . ‘of fresh brosd! It's simple to “use. You contro! the . ' ingredients. Santa will never " feave the kitchen. ‘» 100% Whole Wheat Function ‘e Mixes, Kneads and Bakes | :--Automaticalty’ - 005 Bread and 2 Dough / Modes * Non-Stick Bread Pan «© Rated #1 by consumers “O-BTtOP | Bread Bakery | "ACT HOW! LIMITED QUANTITIES DON'T BE DISAPPOINTED THIS CHAISTMAS, STRICTLY PERSONAL I seemed to leave my body and fly upward through some kind of shimmering white vortex. 1 was . still looking down, and nadn’t dared look up yet, when I snapped out of it. So what does this prove? Ab- solutely nothing. My fertile imagi- nation is easily capable of coming up with elaborate settings for any number of imaginary lifetimes. - 'And I am quite capable of act-.- ing out.a wide varicty of roles, e . thank you. We allare. .f -The value of hypnotic dream- regression therapy, I believe, lies : in whatever relief it gives you. from subconscious tensions, Sure, it might be all easily ir. terpreted in Freudian or Juuigian or gestaltian _terms, . But the quéstion is, did it help? Do you feel better? If it did and you do, don’t deconstruct it. En- joy. ‘ I would like to think | have genuinely glimpsed past lifetimes. : But suspect I was just trying to please the psychologist, who was " doing this for free, out of curios- . » ity. And also to fulfil my own wishes. None of this disproves the "theory of incarnation one iota more than it proves it. I hope it'shows that I am not about.to be sucked into believing ae The Docosentc Vacuum Bag | Sealer. (mocet 4855) The eazy way fo double Seal frashnuss. SF A value of 3% Now Open Sundays 12-5pm until Xmas @ in anything just because something weird seemed to happen to me, Heck, weird things happen every day. We live on a very strange planet, in case you haven't noticed, If { could definitely be telling people what happens after you die, | would be in another business than mere writing. But I do have my suspicions. The idea that old friends and loved ones are off living another life entirely, in an entirely dif- ferent body, is a much more bearable thought than that they have simply been obliterated. Even in the reincarnational model, of course, the individual sense of personal self is supposed to be blown away until some far-in-the-future day when one might “ awaken’ and recall all your previous lives, sceing how the one affected another, and all that karmic stuff. . Great! J like that! And that’s the problem. I am slowly learning to be highly suspicious of ideas I like. My ““preferences”’ strongly suggcst a screening system at work and an entrenched set of functioning delusions. For ail I know, we probably ‘dissolve back into some kind of undifferentiated energy flow, and since what we are talking | about (a soul) probably IS energy in some pure sub-sub-sub-atomic form, being ‘‘dead”’ is probably as nat- ural, normal! and necessary (maybe even more so) than the fleeting experience of sentiency. Hopefully, the loss is all on this - side. And if indeed that is the case, then we should never mourn for anyone. We should mourn in- stead for ourselves for what we have lost, and give a cheer for the departed for what they have found. Yo! Does this sound like some . ancient Celtic world-view or what? A sea burial, on a flaming raft. Thit’s what we should. all New police building, Lower Lonsdale pian top NVC priorities A NEW RCMP building for North Vancouver and establishing a plan for the revitalization. of Lower Lonsdale will be the top priorities for North Vancouver City Council next year, Mayor Jack Loucks said in his inau- gural address Monday night. “For everyone at city hall, the upcoming term will be an extremely busy ‘one,”? Loucks told a council chamber packed with guests invited for the swearing-in of the new council, which was elected on Nov. 20. The mayor: welcomed the only new council member, Darrell Mussatto, and thanked fongtime councillor Rod Clark, who was defeated in his attempt to become mayor, ‘for his years of service to the city, “A major focus in 1994 will be the future development of the city-owned lands in Lower Lonsdale, a project which will! involve the community. Coun- cil will work towards the redevelopment of the Versatile Pacific . Shipyards. site, and planning for the: development - of the Fullerton lands,’’ said Loucks. “Barly next year every. effort will be made to successfully conclude negotiations to enable.. construction of.a new: RCMP > administration building which isa, top priority of this coun- ci The mayor also pledged to fight crime through the Safe City initiative and cited the - community . policing:- centre » opened in’ Lower Lonsdale last : ~ month. Lo, . COME EXPLORE OUR. CHRISTMAS | SHOP NORTH VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL by Stephen Wisenthal ““As we look to the future, the partnership between police and the community will be furthered in an’ effort to take back ownership of the com- munity, to reduce crime and, most importantly, the fear of crime, and to engender a sense | of well- being amongst all our residents,’’ said Loucks. Initiatives for yourh will in-~ clude providing computer equipment at the city library for use by students who do not have access to computers at home, he said. Other initiatives will include negotiations with the Squamish Nation, and work on preserv- ing residential neighborhoods and providing recreation facili-' ties, said Loucks. . 4 He said the city’s engincering staff is working on a public in- volvement. plan. to address concerns about the impact. on local neighborhoods ‘of parks and engincering projects. — Other : staff. have - benefi ited from workshops ', on’ ‘dealing with angry or difficult .“clients,”*, said Loucks. The mayor thanked ‘city staff" and the members of the many _ council committees, : boards and ’ panels, . Ce, “Thanks also go to members of the’ media, : in. particular :to- , the North Shore’ News, for-its - regular : coverage “of - council’: meetings during ‘the ‘past -year - and, 1 coverage of the’: recent: elec- . tion,” said Loucks. Cut & living Christmas trees. Wreaths, € swags & garlands. Unique gifts for the gardener & attractive wild bird feeders. RED POINSETTIAS sinchoc? @ 2 DECORATIVE DooR swacs °9°8 LIVING CHRISTMAS TREE $ “Plant in your garden after” NORTHVAN LOCATION ONLY CHRISTMAS HOURS: Monday to Wednesday 9:30-6pm Thursday & Friday 9:30-8pm Saturday 9:30-6pm Sunday 9:30-5pm North Vancouver 1343 Lynn Valley Rd. 985-1784 ~GARDEN CENTRE think, « very © excellent.”