Perhaps as we continue to study death—in all its aspects—we may learn far more about life than ever imagined. Returning to the introduction of this book, we exist in a sort of strange paradox. We know that we are mortal. Someday our bodies will fail us. Yet our minds embrace immortality. We like to think that some aspect of self—whether we call it mind, soul, or spirit—survives. Again, as a social scientist, I can only state that these experiences are both universal and yet cannot be scientifically verified. And as a clergy, I confess they do not fully fit into my theology and my understanding of faith.
Yet, as we stare at the edge of forever, it is difficult to believe, or at least not to hope, that it is not a bottomless, lifeless abyss. These experiences perhaps promise or offer hope that when we die something still lives.