A young man contracts a fatal disease and dies leaving a grieving wife, two bewildered young children and parents who never expected to outlive their child. We ask why? We visualize the grief surrounding his death and the difficult years ahead for his family without husband and father to share and celebrate birthdays, Holidays, graduations, and grandchildren, and we grieve too.
We wonder how this fits into the picture we hold of life’s perfection and its natural progression. His death doesn’t fit our picture and we wonder if we’ve misled ourselves. Seeing the beauty and ease of life is very difficult at these times. Unless…
Three Souls gather in excited discussion. They are clearly communicating, though not with spoken language. The location is serene and heavenly.
[1st Soul]: “I’ve decided that my next life experience will be one of extreme and total dependence. I want to know what it’s like to be totally dependent on others for every aspect of my daily life. I want the experience of needing someone to care for every detail of my survival. And I want to learn to accept that care without guilt and regret, accepting every act of care with only love for what others choose to do for me.”
[2nd Soul]: “That’s a challenging experience. I did that once and learned much from it, though it was very difficult. I’ll be happy to help you with that. You see, I have planned to gather the experience of care-giving, of giving everything to another for no other reason than the love I have to offer. I want to experience the flow from selfish resentment to anger to joy that I have so much to give and it is accepted. I will happily be your care-giver.”
[3rd Soul]: “That’s perfect. The experience that I was planning was villainous. I want to experience the results of doing harm to another through my own selfish, unthinking, and irresponsible behavior. I want to know what that’s like. My last experience was wonderful. I was so utterly responsible and dependable that every one counted on me.
But I wondered about those who were opposite. What does it feel like to cause harm to others because of my own irresponsible behavior. How does one go on with life knowing the pain and anguish they have caused another? I will be the cause of your dependence. I only ask that at some level you do not hate me. That you recognize this is just an adventure that we have jointly planned and that we are willing participants. I ask that deep within your subconscious you recognize that my role is as difficult as yours, but that I play it willingly out of love for you.”
[1st Soul]: “Yes. Upon your doing harm to me I will be fearful for my life and my future, and then my fear will move to anger for the fate I am dealt and I will hate you with a fury. I hope that I will be able to move through those intense and terrible feelings and forgive—forgive both you and myself. And then I will feel your love and my love for you. Oh, I’m very excited to get started.”
[All three Souls]: “It is agreed then. Let us begin.”
The three souls fade into a blur of heavenly beauty, leaving an air of serenity and anticipation.
Is this the way it happens? Is the event that seems tragic to us simply a delicate, though complex interweaving of planned experiences of the soul? I feel comforted believing this scenario about the young man. The impact on family is intense, but if they too are fulfilling their predetermined roles, then all is as it should be—even my grief.
Jerry
