Transcending Suffering
Stories of Serenity in the Face of Tragedy. An afterlife investigator's thoughts following the Maine shooting tragedy.
Bob Olson is the host of Afterlife TV, author of two books, Answers About The Afterlife and The Magic Mala, and creator of the reputable directory of psychics and mediums, BestPsychicDirectory.com.
Many of you might have noted that Melissa and I live in Maine. The Pine Tree state rarely becomes national news, but we certainly did this past week. If you missed the news, we had a mass shooting that killed eighteen people and injured thirteen others. It is the worst mass shooting in Maine’s history.
The heartbreaking news took place about an hour away from where we live, which felt closer when we were told that the shooter had escaped and was now on the loose. I doubt anyone within a hundred miles of Lewiston felt safe. It all began at about seven o’clock in the evening on Wednesday, and the shooter was at large until Friday evening when he was discovered to have taken his own life.
Melissa and I were safe since we happened to be in the Berkshires of Massachusetts during all this, although our hearts and minds were concerned for our fellow Mainers, including family and friends. We hadn’t traveled since before the pandemic, so we went there to visit our friend, Paul Selig, who was teaching all week at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. It was an absolute joy to see Paul again, and the foliage in the Berkshires was stunning, but the incident in Maine remained on our minds.
Four essential stories came to mind in light of this senseless tragedy. If you ever wonder what people might have experienced during their death, these four stories may give you an alternate perspective to consider.
Overall, my interpretation of afterlife data leads me to believe that we have a level of free will about how we experience our death. I say “a level of” free will because our soul also has input on what experience will most benefit us long-term (meaning, aid us in our infinite existence as spiritual beings). That said, these four stories suggest our ability to die in tragic settings without experiencing dreadful pain and suffering.