Daniel F. Parmeggiani's Blog, page 2

Do We Really Have Free Will?

Author Daniel Parmeggiani explains how a simple, subtle shift in our concept of free will renders us all equally deserving of forgiveness and love. 

 

As a culture, we are obsessed with freedom. We will march, revolt, and even wage wars to protect our freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom to live our lives and express ourselves exactly as we please. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being free from external oppression, and in the Western World, we have done a pretty good job overall of achieving this. However, there is another, far more important freedom that always eludes us, and that is freedom from our own self-inflicted oppression and condemnation.

While we may appear free on the outside, we remain prisoners of ourselves on the inside. Guilt, shame, low self-esteem, judgment, anxiety, and depression are the bars that form our prison cells. But why do we do this to ourselves? The answer lies in a mistaken concept that most of us take for granted.

In our current, modern world view, we see ourselves as different from each other, disconnected and independent from one another. We think we each possess a “free will” that determines our choices and actions, and, by extension, our quality and worth as human beings. We believe we have the freedom to be good or bad, innocent or guilty, saints or sinners, worthy or unworthy.

If we stop to think about it, this world view is what creates our inner prison. Rather than being comforting, the belief that our wills are completely free, as opposed to being naturally aligned with something greater than ourselves, is actually the cause of our distress, preventing us from finding real inner peace and happiness.

As we constantly rate our performance to determine how much love or hate we deserve, we fail to sense that our incessant judgment of ourselves and others is actually based on a simple, basic misunderstanding: Rather than having erratic and often destructive free will, deep down we all equally possess the same uplifting, unifying, and divine will to aspire to harmony, peace, and love.

It can be pretty disturbing to consider the idea that our actions, decisions, and even our thoughts are predetermined and destined to follow a specific path. But I am not claiming that we are not free to choose as we please. What I discovered through deep and honest introspection during a desperate time in my life was that, yes, we are free to choose what we want; however, it just so happens that, underneath it all, everyone always wants exactly the same thing. And that makes all the difference.

So what is that same thing we all want?

At the simplest level, we all want to just feel better – to avoid pain and gain pleasure. Everything we ever do has this end in mind, as we constantly seek to maximize our well-being. At a deeper level, however, what we are really seeking is a deep, rich and lasting state of happiness, love, and inner peace, which results from sensing harmony in our lives.

When we see the bigger picture, our individual wills are but manifestations of the One Will that permeates all of life. I think of it as the One Will, but you can call it the will of God or whatever you like. In Kabbalah, they talk about the general law of the universe, a term that describes a universal energy that affects each individual equally, and humankind as a whole, to lead us back to “the perfection of the Garden of Eden.” By any name, this One Will, which we all share, is what makes us equally innocent and worthy of forgiveness and unconditional love.

The spiritual ideals of unconditional love, true forgiveness, and real inner peace and happiness are simply incompatible with our current concept of free will. But our true nature is never sinful or unworthy. At the deepest level, we are all equal in our intentions, and our ultimate desire is pure. Know this, and you will find the only freedom that really matters: Freedom from yourself.

Thanks for checking in, and may these truths bring you the perfect happiness, love, and inner peace that you so rightfully deserve.

Understanding the basis of our innocence is the key to finding real forgiveness, inner peace, and unconditional love. I invite you to learn more about this and other crucial subjects on April 29th 2014, when my book The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence becomes available. The book is now available for pre-order at a specially discounted rate of 20% off for a limited time. Please click the link on the right side of this article and your copy will be mailed to you on 29th April 2014.

What do you think about free will? Leave your comments below!

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Daniel Parmeggiani

4th April 2014

The post Do We Really Have Free Will? appeared first on Magnificient Truth.

The Real Meaning of Faith

Author Daniel Parmeggiani compares false and real faith, and shares the three core beliefs that empower and facilitate our search for spiritual Truth.

Many people choose not to think for themselves. They would rather unquestioningly believe what others tell them than venture through life on their own, afraid they will get lost. They believe in whatever their Church tells them, or their politicians, or even their spiritual “gurus.” Then they turn around and tell you that they have “faith,” and that you should be just like them.

But that is not real faith.

The unquestioning and irrational thought-control demanded by most religions and cults is blind, false faith, and it does not lead to any real learning or understanding. Instead, this fear-based, closed-minded attitude prevents you from growing and destroys your natural curiosity and intuition.

Real faith is very different. It is the confident and optimistic trust in concepts that empower you and that open the doors to growth and possibility. It is saying, “I trust that life and the universe are good!” It is the relinquishment of pessimism and negativity, and the embracing of optimism and positivity. It is an attitude that says, “I give God and life the benefit of the doubt. I choose to believe that being alive is great, that the Truth of my existence and of who I really am is magnificent, and that I am entitled and capable of knowing that Truth!”

While blind, false faith is cowardly, real faith requires courage. To hide behind rigid, set beliefs and refuse to look at anything else closes all doors. But to open one’s mind and dare to actively and honestly look for Truth opens all doors and enables our highest dreams of happiness, love and fulfillment.

When I began my spiritual quest, I was empowered by faith in the following three beliefs:

I had faith that I was entitled to know the truth
I had faith that the universe would assist me in my quest
I believed that the Truth is magnificent and absolutely fulfilling

These three beliefs were essential to the success of my journey. Let’s briefly look at each of them…

You are entitled to know the Truth of Your Existence

One of the major psychological and spiritual obstacles we face today is the widespread subconscious belief that we are not supposed to figure things out on our own. We have become mentally passive and disempowered as individuals, always waiting for the Church, science, society or some other “authority” to tell us how things are and how we should think. Consequently, we feel incapable of personal discovery and the concept of self-realization seems unrealistic. We think that if it isn’t already out there as common knowledge then who are we to know any better? For this reason, we think that our deepest, most fundamental questions, upon which our very sense of inner peace and fulfillment depend, are unanswerable by us. We conclude that these answers are available only to the enlightened “chosen” ones such as Jesus, Krishna, Buddha or Mohammed and all we can ever hope to do is try to follow their faded footsteps.

We need to get away from this pessimistic and dependent mentality and believe in our ability and entitlement to discover our own Truth. Actually, what is really quite amazing is that we do not know these things already; I mean these are basic, essential questions! How could knowing yourself be beyond your reach? How could we believe in the absurdity that it is impossible to know why we’re really here; what our true purpose is? Come on people, you have the right and the ability to know these things! You just have to believe that you can. You just have to feel entitled. Knowing who you really are and your real purpose is your birthright and the key to real fulfillment. Do not be hesitant to strive for what is rightfully yours.

Is the road difficult? Is the task monumental? The good news is that, in my experience, adopting the principles being presented here is half the battle. Overcoming our ingrained negativity and becoming pure in desire and attitude is the hard part. After that, Truth comes easily. The answers are actually very simple and obvious. You will discover that they were inside of you the whole time. All it takes is faith that you can really do it.

The Universe will assist you in Your Quest

If God, the universe, the Creator, the One Life (or whatever you want to call it) is fair and loving, how could It frown upon someone who is earnestly in search of Truth? This is not “blasphemy”. The honest search for the fundamental truths of our existence is a sincere quest to understand ourselves and how we fit in, so that we can finally find meaningful happiness and satisfaction. What could be nobler than this?

As truth-seekers, we must have faith that God and the entire universe are on our side and will continuously lend us a hand in our search for meaning and purpose. Let’s adopt for a minute the traditional view of God as “that old man up there in Heaven.” Now put yourself in God’s shoes for a moment (relax, this is not blasphemy either!). Imagine that you created an intelligent life-form that had feelings that depended heavily on knowing the Truth about its existence. If some of those beings consciously acted on their built-in need to find more meaning to their existence, would you punish them for it? Quite contrarily, if you loved your creation, I’m sure you would feel rather touched by any sincere and earnest attempt by them to figure out who they really are and why you created them in the first place. Would you discourage their quest or encourage it? Would you condemn them or assist them?

As a result of my own seeking, I have come to know that judgment, guilt and punishment are concepts created by us as a result of ignorance of our own true nature. But even if you believe in a God that judges His creation, have faith that He (or She) will assist you in your sincere quest for Truth.

The Truth Is Wonderful and Fulfilling

What stops us from going after Truth? As we just learned, we may feel discouraged because we think we’re not supposed to; we may imagine that there’s something wrong with asking too many questions and digging too deep. We may also feel incapable; we may conclude that it is just out of our reach. We saw how we can overcome these objections, but there’s still one more obstacle that we must conquer. The final hurdle that we must rise above is pessimism as to what the Truth may actually be, and once again, only faith can see us through.

The type of faith that’s called for here is the unflappable belief that life is supposed to be wonderful and that we are meant to exist in a state of permanent happiness and total fulfillment. I know it can sometimes be hard to hold such an attitude in the face of the current landscape and mentality. Our modern worldview has created a skeptical and cynical society which has given up on lofty concepts such as unconditional love, inner peace or “Heaven on Earth”. But what you need to keep in mind is that this sad state humanity finds itself in is illusory. All this negativity and suffering is based on ignorance, and it will go away once all the misunderstandings are replaced with Truth.

So tell yourself right now:

“Yes, I am entitled to know who I really am!”
“Yes, I am capable of arriving at the answers to my most important questions!”
“Yes, my creator loves me and is always on my side!”
“Yes, I believe that the Truth of life, of God, of the universe, of who we really are and where we’re going is magnificent and more fulfilling than I ever dreamed it could be!”

Start your day with these positive, empowering words and repeat them every time you feel discouraged on your spiritual path. This is Real Faith, and yes, it can actually move mountains. Thanks for checking in, and may these truths bring you the perfect happiness, love, and inner peace that you so rightfully deserve.

Faith was the catalyst that ignited my journey of self-discovery. I invite you to join me on this ultimate journey on April 29th 2014, when my book The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence becomes available. The book is now available for pre-order at a specially discounted rate of 20% off for a limited time. Please click the link on the right side of this article and your copy will be mailed to you on 4/29/2014.

What is your definition of real faith? What have been your experiences? Leave your comments below!

Like this blog?

Then please subscribe using the form at the upper right side of this page, so you can receive each new article straight to your inbox.

Daniel Parmeggiani
28th March 2014

The post The Real Meaning of Faith appeared first on Magnificient Truth.

Finding the real perfection – How my neurosis led me to discover my true innocent nature

Author Daniel Parmeggiani explains how letting go of the demands of his ‘inner judge’ helped him to recover from OCD and how this led to his spiritual awakening.

They say that it is darkest before dawn. I don’t know if that’s a factual statement or just an illusion created by tired, sleepy morning eyes, but this cliché well describes my personal spiritual path. Just when my life seemed completely doomed, a miracle happened: I awakened to my absolute innocence, and in that innocence, I found the key to self-forgiveness, non-judgment, and self-love.

A series of traumatic events during my childhood created deep guilt and self-doubt, crippling social phobia, and a growing sense that there was something terribly wrong with me. For years, I endured constant taunting and bullying in school, and all the while I kept it all to myself, ashamed of what I had become.

Then the OCD kicked in.

In an attempt to cope, my mind subconsciously came up with two twisted beliefs that would lead me down a hopeless path of self-destruction. The first belief was, “I have to be perfect.” The second, “It is always my fault when I’m not perfect.” My young mind had unquestioningly concluded that perfection was always required and that there was never a valid excuse to be anything but flawless. It was an ideal recipe for a life of constant failure, paralyzing fear, and inescapable guilt.

Before I knew it, my OCD had seized complete control over my mind. Whether it was playing sports, organizing my closet, or brushing my teeth, the frightful demand for perfection was always present, turning every moment of my life into a tense and anxious inner battle. Even everyday tasks like writing became painstakingly tortuous. The strokes of my pen demanded perfection, and so I inhibited the natural flow of my hand and consciously controlled the process of tracing each letter on the sheet. The result was anxious, ugly and almost illegible chicken scratch that only an M.D. could be proud of.

I was stuck in a perpetual struggle to reach the unreachable, and FAILURE WAS NOT AN OPTION! Yet fail I did every time, and every time, the whip of my own guilt and condemnation would strike with all its might and force me to stand up and try again. I was supposed to be perfect and it was always my fault when I wasn’t. Maybe I was completely nuts after all.

When I was 15, a psychologist tried to explain my disorder to me. This was the first time I had ever heard about perfectionism or obsessive-compulsive disorder, but the things he said rang true and I felt like somebody finally understood me. This breathed new life into me and renewed my sense of hope. However, there was a problem: He understood me, but I did NOT understand him.

My vision of the world was so ingrained in my identity that I was not willing to let it go—not unless I was perfectly convinced that it was perfectly safe to do so. Therefore, for the next two years, I obsessed day and night over everything that was discussed in therapy. I analyzed myself continuously, trying to untangle the spaghetti code inside my mind. I felt that I had to understand it all perfectly, or else I would be stuck forever. I required perfect arguments, perfect certainty, perfect proof! Otherwise, I was not capable of accepting any sort of change.

My perfectionism was like a living entity that I could not defeat. This self-created monster had a fool-proof defense system because I would never be able to come up with a perfect case to overthrow it. I began to truly believe there was no way out for me. Little did I know that something truly amazing was just about to happen.

My chase for the perfect answers would definitely have led me to a mental institution had it not been for a miraculous turn of events. When I was 17, on one especially dark day, I broke down. I sensed there was no hope in what I was doing and I felt completely lost. The familiar gut-wrenching guilt tried to spur me back into the battle. But this time, I did not respond. My will was broken. I had finally given up.

For several hours, I sat quietly in a daze. Then suddenly, out of sheer desperation, I began to pray. “God, tell me what I must do to find my way out of this hell.” At first a sobbing whisper, my pleading gradually gained strength. “I would do anything, anything! Just please tell me what I need to do!” Next came anger: Deep red, boiling anger. My words became furious demands for answers. I screamed at the top of my lungs, rebelling against my rotten life, my stupid parents, my unfair world, my uncaring God. “It’s not my fault! It’s not my fault! IT IS NOT MY F’ING FAULT!!!”

I rebelled against my guilt.

To this day, I do not know how or why it happened. Maybe a higher energy or consciousness intervened, or maybe it was just me finally reaching absolute rock bottom. All I know is that the relief I felt was so great that I could not stop laughing and crying.

The outpouring of bottled up emotion went on for at least an hour, after which a state of serenity and lightness unlike anything I’d ever felt took over my whole being. Suddenly disconnected from the terrible demands of my inner judge, I felt great joy from just lying there in my room staring at the ceiling. I stayed there, feeling no need to get up to accomplish or fix anything, not getting my usual asthma attacks when I thought I was wasting time, and not concerned about what was imperfect in my life.

With surprising ease, I realized I had been right to forgive myself—and I knew exactly why.

From my new perspective, I could see that it wasn’t my fault I was stuck in my misery. I could perceive that all I ever wanted was to get better—to feel better. I could see that happiness was my only goal, and that only ignorance was keeping me from reaching that goal. Had I known with complete certainty what I needed to do to find lasting relief, I would already be doing it, regardless of the sacrifice involved. If ending my suffering required eating broken glass, I would have smashed a window and asked for seconds.

For the next few days, I obsessed about what had happened, until a strange but satisfying thought surfaced in my mind:

I am always doing the best I can to get closer to happiness

As it turned out, that simple phrase launched an incredible journey of spiritual self-discovery. In time, I realized that we all share the same ultimate goal, the same single underlying motivation for everything we do, and this guarantees that we are incapable of being anything but innocent. Awareness of our true innocent nature released me from my own self-torture and allowed me to see others through the eyes of non-judgment, compassion, and unconditional love. As my perception shifted from the darkest black of night to the bright light of dawn, the door to true, lasting inner peace opened up before me. Life forced me to know myself at the deepest level, and I found that we do not need to strive for perfection, for we are already perfect just the way we are.

This article was extracted from my upcoming book The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence – Unlock the deeper reality that guarantees permanent happiness. In the book, due out April 29th 2014, the story of my spiritual path is detailed along with the life-changing lessons I encountered. Respected best-selling authors such as Cari Murphy and Rev. Michael K. Jones have already called it “A must read,” and “One of the most clearly-written, spiritually insightful books available today.” The book has also received five star reviews from top book reviewers such as Foreword Magazine and Pacific Reviews.

Please leave your comments below. Do you have your own story of finding peace in the middle of chaos? I would love to hear about it!

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Then please subscribe using the form at the upper right side of this page, so you can receive each new article straight to your inbox.

Daniel Parmeggiani
21st March 2014

The post Finding the real perfection – How my neurosis led me to discover my true innocent nature appeared first on Magnificient Truth.

The Need for Meaning

Author Daniel Parmeggiani explains how our scientific worldview robs us of our sense of wonder and how that removes meaning, and happiness, from our lives.

My personal spiritual journey began with the realization that all I ever wanted was to feel better – to be happy. I then dedicated my time and energy to figuring out what it really takes to find true, lasting happiness. One of the things I found is that we can’t be truly happy without a deep sense of meaning in our lives. Our lives – our very existence – need to have a profound and lasting meaning and purpose. Simply put, our lives and the reasons why we’re here need to make sense to us. 

As small children, we have no problem with any of this. Our every waking moment overflows with richness, depth, and meaning. Everything we encounter is a wonderful mystery to be discovered. We delight in seeing, hearing, smelling, or touching new things. As long as we are free to play and explore, we feel totally fulfilled.

Later on, however, something goes very wrong. As we grow up, we lose that natural sense of wonder. We cease to think for ourselves or discover things on our own.  That’s because we learn that just about everything on Earth has already been discovered, labeled and rationalized by scientists. Our exuberant drive to experience and explore yields to memorizing cold, hard concepts. Our modern scientific materialistic worldview thus takes over our young minds, effectively zapping much of the mystery and wonder from our experience.

At school we are taught a spiritless, mechanical view of man and the universe. We learn that the universe and everything in it, including ourselves, originated from a purely physical phenomenon called the Big Bang. We are taught that our planet, very possibly, has the only life-sustaining environment amongst the trillions of planets out there. We are told that the “miracle” of life began when single-celled organisms suddenly sprouted in the “primordial soup” billions of years ago and evolved through natural selection and survival of the fittest to what it is today. Furthermore, we find out that we belong to the ape family and that we also evolved through purely natural processes without any need for supernatural intervention from a Creator. We hear about DNA mapping, test-tube babies, and stem cell research. It begins to sink in that maybe life is nothing but a complex interaction of chemicals that can be created and manipulated in a laboratory.

As life loses its mystery, wonder and depth, it inevitably loses its meaning. What could be meaningful about a godless temporary existence? What is so special about life if it is just some accidental phenomenon? Why care too much about anything if it is all going to end anyway? What is the point of it all without a lasting higher purpose? Is this all there is?

In one form or another, most people ask themselves these questions. And the dry, empty, dead-ended picture that science and materialism presents as fact affects everyone at different levels. For the religious, it subtly undermines their faith. For the not so religious, it encourages avoidance and denial through the constant pursuit of entertainment and consumerism. This meaningless worldview also promotes selfish, inconsiderate and uncaring behavior, as reflected by our disregard towards animals and the environment. The incidence of neuroses in industrialized countries is now twenty-four times greater than it was sixty-five years ago, according to the World Health Organization. With this shallow and uninspiring perception of ourselves, and of our world, that pervades our culture, is it any wonder that we’re rapidly losing our minds?

If you doubt whether real meaning is important, consider how you would feel about your life if the things you value and admire the most were shown to have no real value whatsoever—to be essentially meaningless. Deep down, we long for our lives to be significant, for our existence to have depth and lasting meaning, for our time here to be more than a doomed fight for survival. Things were totally exciting and fulfilling when we were small children. Now we want it all to make sense again because, without real meaning, everything eventually falls apart.

But enough of the dark, depressing stuff. Where do we find the sense of deep meaning that is so crucial for real happiness and fulfillment?

We find it in faith.

I’m not talking about the “blind” faith many people have in whatever their Church or their priest tells them, regardless of what common sense has to say about it. I’m talking about real faith, where even if you lack the kind of hard proof that a scientist would consider valid, you still believe in ideas and concepts that uplift and empower you. So reject the dead-ended scientific world view and instead give the sacredness of life the benefit of the doubt. Thinking this is all there is closes all doors and makes us depressed and destructive. Choosing instead to believe that we are eternal, spiritual beings, with an incredible adventure of discovery ahead of us, opens up all possibilities and allows us to dream again as we did when we were kids. Until you can verify this for yourself in your own experience, have faith that it is so.

Finding real meaning makes all the difference in our outlook and well-being, and an unlimited supply of it awaits once we embark on the conscious spiritual path. I invite you to join me on this ultimate journey of self-discovery on April 29th2014, when my book The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence becomes available. Thanks for checking in, and may these truths bring you the perfect happiness, love, and inner peace that you so rightfully deserve.

Do you agree that a sense of deep meaning is essential to real happiness? What currently brings you that sense of meaning and purpose? Please leave your comments below!

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Then please subscribe using the form at the upper right side of this page, so you can receive each new article straight to your inbox.

Daniel Parmeggiani
14th March 2014

The post The Need for Meaning appeared first on Magnificient Truth.

Life after Death Part 3: What happens after we die?

In the last of this 3-part series, author Daniel Parmeggiani explores reincarnation and explains why for him, it’s the only logical answer to life after death.

What happens after we die is the biggest mystery of all. But as we have seen in my previous 2 posts, there are really only three possibilities. We either stop existing altogether, we are judged and sentenced to eternity in heaven or hell, or we come back. So far, we have found no sense of fairness, meaning, rationality, or fulfillment in the first two alternatives. Now, in the final part of this series, we will look inside door number three and examine the concept of reincarnation to see if we finally find something that actually makes some sense.

The idea of reincarnation means that after our body dies, our soul or consciousness is born again into a new body. But why would we come back? The idea is that there are still lessons to be learned, connections to be made, and issues to be resolved. If we think of this planet as a school where we are to learn something important, such as discovering who we really are, or figuring out how to treat each other and the planet with unconditional love and respect, then reincarnation makes a lot of sense. If we look around at the progress our fellow humans make, it’s pretty obvious that it takes much more than just one lifetime to thoroughly learn such lessons.

If we are here to learn and grow, then there needs to be some sort of structure as we proceed from one life to the next. That’s where the concept of Karma comes in. Karma (the universal law of cause and effect) and reincarnation go hand in hand. Karma ensures that in our next life, we attract the appropriate “curriculum” (in the form of DNA, sex, genes, zodiac sign, parents, nationality, social status, etc.) that will allow us to continue where we left off. The true meaning of Karma is “consequence” or “lesson” rather than reward or punishment, as some people mistakenly believe.

Reincarnation combined with Karma passes the test of fairness since, rather than being judged unfairly after just one lifetime, as Western religions believe, we are not judged but simply “reap what we sow” and continue on our path for as long as it takes for us to learn what we need to. This theory also passes the test of meaning and purpose, as it implies that many lifetimes, adventures and awakenings await each one of us as we continue on our individual journeys. However, there is one detail I would like to address before I give this theory my complete stamp of approval.

In 1900, the human population in the world was 1.6 billion. Now, it’s over 7 billion and is estimated to grow to over 10 billion by 2083. So, if every new baby is a reincarnation, why are there more people around every year? Where are these “new souls” coming from? As I thought about this one day, I noticed that while the human population keeps growing, a huge number of advanced animal species, such as dolphins and all 22 species of apes, are dying off quickly and becoming endangered or extinct (thanks to humans’ destructive practices). I suspect that many of these animal souls, especially our millions of household pets, are evolving into “entry-level” humans as the world population explodes. As a side note, the next time someone really upsets or confuses you with their behavior, you might consider that this may be their first go around as a human being and they’ve not quite got the hang of it yet.

For my theory to have real meaning, of course, you must believe, as I do, that our personal path of spiritual development goes through many different stages, including the animal phase. But even if we disagree on this point, of all the possibilities of what might happen after we die, the idea of Karma and Reincarnation simply makes the most sense, by a long way. To think that we only live once strikes me as completely absurd and closes all doors to the sense of real meaning and happiness we so deeply long for.  Alternatively, to believe that we were born sinners and that after just one life we are judged and sent either to Heaven or to Hell for eternity is just loony and completely unfair. Karma and Reincarnation, on the other hand is, in my mind, the only theory that passes all the tests, provides the necessary playing field, and actually makes sense.

The Heaven we seek is not a magical resort in the clouds surrounded by pearly gates. Rather, Heaven is a blissful state of consciousness born of a healed and wise mind. To achieve this takes many lifetimes, together with an incalculable number of experiences and endless trial and error. Karma and Reincarnation is the only known system that fits the bill to make this work, and even though we can’t verify it yet with our own eyes, the wisest course of action is to embrace this idea. Doing so opens up all possibilities and empowers us to learn and grow, knowing that our efforts will have permanence and that we will not be terribly judged for our mistakes.

Thanks for checking in, and may these truths bring you the perfect happiness, love, and inner peace that you so rightfully deserve.

Do you agree with my conclusions on life after death? Are there any other possibilities you can think of? What about the explosion in human population, what do you think accounts for that? Please leave your comments below. I welcome all points of view. Let’s start a discussion on this vital subject!

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Then please subscribe using the form at the upper right side of this page, so you can receive each new article straight to your inbox.

Daniel Parmeggiani
7th March 2014

The post Life after Death Part 3: What happens after we die? appeared first on Magnificient Truth.

Life after Death Part 2: What happens after we die?

In the 2nd of this 3-part series, Daniel Parmeggiani explores the western belief in heaven & hell as we continue our search for the truth about life after death.

In the first part of this series, we explored the “rational,” scientific position that this life is all there is and found that our intrinsic human spirit demands a lot more from our existence. If it’s true that ‘you only live once’, then Macbeth was right when he said that “Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” However, if we do go on, the plot thickens and the human story has a chance to provide all the meaning, fairness, connection, safety, and fulfillment we all naturally long for.

So, if death is not the end, what happens after we die?

There are two main belief systems on this subject, the Western belief in Judgment, or the Eastern belief in reincarnation. In Part 2 of this 3 part series, we will take a look at the belief in Heaven and Hell that we, in the Western world, tend to embrace the most.

We respect, watch and participate in sporting events partly because we are assured that there is a level of fairness for all participants. Now imagine a horse race where each horse has a different starting point. In this race, some horses are placed just before the finish line and must walk just a few feet to cross it while others are placed farther back and must gallop much further. Certain horses start out pointing in the wrong direction and for others, the gate never opens and they can’t run at all. When the race is over, only those that finish under a certain time are “saved” while the rest are condemned. What would you think of such an event?

Being judged after our death is akin to such an unfair, ridiculous horse race. In a world where every person is exposed to a unique set of experiences, influences, and circumstances, some of us start out pointed in the wrong direction, while others might be born with a terminal illness without a chance to even get out of the starting gate. Still others are born into the perfect situation and learn all the right things, essentially placing them just short of the finish line.

More than 2.2 billion people in the world consider themselves Christian and believe that after we die, we experience divine judgment and are rewarded with eternal life in Heaven or eternal damnation in Hell. But given that each one of us has a unique set of experiences, fears, struggles and lessons, why should we be judged at all, especially after just one short life?

I’m just going to come out and say that this whole concept of eternal damnation in Hell doesn’t make any sense. Even at 13, when I was attending 7th grade at a Catholic school, I had to object. I thought it completely unfair that a God would judge us in such a way and dish out such a horrible punishment. Then I was taught that this same God loved me and that I was supposed to love him in return. Sorry, but I just can’t love something so mean and terrifying.

When you think about it, eternal Hell is the cruelest idea imaginable. Being endless, it is infinitely worse than life in prison, which is only temporary, plus in prison they don’t typically set you on fire. I would say that sending “sinful” groups of people to endure the fires of Hell for eternity is even worse than what Hitler did. Hitler also judged and found others deserving of condemnation, but Hitler could only arrange temporary suffering for his victims. The idea of a God who is capable of sentencing any being to eternal suffering, without any chance of redemption or escape, has got to be the darkest, vilest concept ever invented, not by Jesus, but by a power-hungry Church hell-bent on scaring and controlling the masses.

Even if we are judged favorably and sent to Heaven, that may not be any better. Anyone who has suffered intensely knows that neither Heaven nor Hell is a place but a state of mind. When I was a tormented soul growing up, it didn’t matter where they put me because I always took my hell with me. My parents could have arranged a permanent stay in Disney World for me and I still would have been grumpy. If you look up in the sky with a powerful telescope and fail to find that place called Heaven, that’s because it is not out there but inside our minds, in the way we perceive things. Perceive yourself and others as flawed and incomplete, and the most gorgeous setting turns into a slum. Learn to see the perfection in all things, and you can find Heaven on earth even in the most dire of circumstances.

The Heaven we seek is not a magical resort up in the clouds surrounded by pearly gates. Rather, Heaven is a blissful state of consciousness born of a healed and wise mind. But to achieve that state of mind, the lessons are many and the curriculum far too long to fit into just one visit to this school called Earth. Next Friday, in the third and final article of this exploration of life after death, we will look into the concept of karma and reincarnation to find out if the deep sense of meaning, fairness, connection, safety, and fulfillment that we all naturally long for can be found there.

Until then, thanks for checking in, and may these truths bring you the perfect happiness, love, and inner peace that you so rightfully deserve.

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Daniel Parmeggiani
28th February 2014

The post Life after Death Part 2: What happens after we die? appeared first on Magnificient Truth.

Life after Death Part 1: Is This Life All We Have?

In part 1 of this 3-part series, author Daniel Parmeggiani explores life after death and considers the validity of the scientific stance that this life is all we have.

We are born without an instruction manual, without caring or feeding directions, and without a roadmap telling us where we should go or what we should do. Naturally, we believe we are perishable bodies and when we die, it’s over. End of story. But is it?

While I don’t claim to know what happens after we die, nor am I a seer who can remember past lives or peek into the afterlife, what I can do is shed some light into this scary but vital subject just by applying some simple, common sense.

Let’s start by considering the scientific, “rational” stance that “this is all there is.” Common sense alone tells us that this world view makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The main reason is that we are all born with an intrinsic need for meaning, justice, safety, and connection. Yet none of these basic requirements for happiness can be fulfilled if we are created with an expiration date. Where is the deep sense of meaning we all crave if we, and all that we ever learn and accomplish, are destined to disappear as if they never even existed in the first place? Why do we crave safety in our lives if we are ever-vulnerable and destined to lose that battle? Where is the justice we long for in a world where you may be randomly born into prosperity or, far more likely, into misery? Why are we so desperate to find a sense of connection if we face total disconnection in the end?

Scientists insist it is irrational to believe in an afterlife. I say that what’s irrational is to think that we are all born with intrinsic longings that can never be truly satisfied. In nature, nothing happens that is unnecessary or absurd. Why would we be the exception, wanting what is impossible to have? More than wanting them, we need these conditions of meaning, fairness, safety, and connection in order to find the state of happiness, the state of inner heaven, we all seek. If life is nothing but a physical phenomenon that originated by chance in an ancient primordial soup, then why are we endowed with unattainable spiritual longings?

If we really only live once, nothing really matters. End of discussion. If, after we die, we cease to exist, Shakespeare’s Macbeth was spot on when he lamented that “Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” If we are just this body, all doors to the state of fulfillment and satisfaction we crave would be closed for good and the existentialist’s view of life as a pointless existence would suddenly make a lot of sense. Let us assume instead that our existence is more than an accidental, microscopic flash in the universal pan. Let us say that our natural, absolute drive towards harmony, personal improvement, and real happiness can actually be fulfilled. What makes sense then for an afterlife?

If we accept that we do go on beyond this life, we currently have two main belief systems to choose from:

We are judged and sent off permanently to Heaven or Hell

OR

We keep coming back until we “get it right”

Next week, in Part 2 of this investigation into life after death, we will figure out which of these two belief systems, if any, is suitable for the true fulfillment of our deepest needs. Thanks for checking in, and may these truths bring you the perfect happiness, love, and inner peace that you so rightfully deserve.

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Then please subscribe using the form at the upper right side of this page, so you can receive each new article straight to your inbox.

Daniel Parmeggiani
21st February 2014

The post Life after Death Part 1: Is This Life All We Have? appeared first on Magnificient Truth.