Most of the times, our life gets complicated by our own attitudes. To meet life’s challenges without being agitated is not an easy thing to do. In this connection, we learn something about the nonchalant disposition in life from the Near Death Experiences.

When we listen to the scores of narration by those who have had a Near Death Experience (NDE), we see certain messages standing out. One of them is this matter of the laid-back attitude towards life. It makes them avoid arguments and quarreling by looking for alternate methods to handle the situations. The NDE instills in them mirthfulness, cheerfulness and nonchalance, though there are some exceptions to this general rule. The following lines are from the narration by Sammy published by the Near Death Experience Research Foundation (nderf.org):

“I now lead a more laid-back life style and spend more time with my family.

“I have made my peace with the powers that run this life. There is a master plan and each and every one of us has a part in it. I am certain that each part of that plan is just as important as the next. Belief that position and status make your role more important than the lady who takes your money at the convenience store is nothing but egotistical nonsense.”

That is the deeply imprinted feeling in most experiencers. By going through many such narrations, we too imbibe that lighthearted feeling and wish to let it permeate our life. The ‘Take it easy’ attitude is, perhaps, the most wanted outlook in facing the difficulties of life on this planet. The more we understand its value, the more it will manifest in our lives. The variegated expressions of the many NDEers in this regard can help us move in that direction. This, coupled with the lessening of the sorrow at bereavement due to the perceptions from NDEs about the unqualified love, can indeed provide us with a healthy psychology to lead a life of harmony and peace.

In line with this lighthearted approach to life, the International Association for Near Death Studies (iands.org) has published a file containing afterlife jokes. The following two are from it, given here after some minor modifications:

Joke 1.
Three buddies are finished in a car accident and go to heaven for an orientation. They are all asked, "When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning over you, what would you like to hear them say about you?"
The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor of my time, and a great family man."
The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher which made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow."
The last guy replies, "I would like to hear them say, ‘LOOK, HE'S MOVING!!!!!'"

Joke 2.
A guy passes on and goes to the gates of heaven where he meets God. God says to him, "I have looked at your book of life and you are welcome in heaven under one condition."
The man said, "Yes, God. And what is that condition?"
God says, "You must spell the word: love."
The man spells the word and God lets him into heaven.
As the man walks in, God tells the man to watch the gate until he returns, and reminds him that he must ask whoever comes to spell the word.
After a short period of time, the man's wife shows up at the gate.
"What are you doing here?" he asks her.
"Well," she snorts, "on the way home from the funeral, I met with a fatal accident."
"Alright, but before you enter heaven you have to spell one word," he told her.
"What word is that?" she asks.
"Czechoslovakia," he says.

Well, we all know that humor has a wonderful place in life and that it is a sister of the laid-back attitude. People interested in NDE may visit the website http://spirituality.yolasite.com

Author's Bio: 

Gopalakrishnan TC was born in Madras (now Chennai), India, in 1941. He received his doctoral degree in Coastal Engineering from the North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA in 1978; served on the research and teaching faculty of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India, the North Carolina State University and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait. Aside from his professional involvements, he was interested in the philosophic issues of life for the last forty years or so. This led him to the messages of Ramana Maharishi, Lao Tzu, J Krishnamurthy, UG Krishnamurthy, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Eckhart Tolle, Marcus Aurelius and similar Masters. His book entitled “In Quest of the Deeper Self” is the outcome of his reflections on those and his wish to share the outcome with others.
Gopalakrishnan is a member of the International Association for Near Death Studies, Durham, NC, USA. He presented a paper at the 2011 conference of the Association on the theme "The Spiritual Content of Near Death Experiences". Functions as a freelance counselor for mental relaxation. Lives in Kodaikanal, a hill town in south India, with his family. Now he and his wife are both retired and currently involved in developing a fruit farm at a village 20 km from their residence.
Blog: http://nde-thedeeperself.blogspot.com