Alive - by Dave Smith

eyond our physical and psychological selves there is a deeper part
of us, sometimes described as ‘spiritual’. The rising number of books
and films with a supernatural theme, and the increase of mindfulness
practices with a spiritual dimension, highlights a growing awareness
of this ‘other’ part of us. And because we’re integrated beings, being
spiritually ‘well’ is key to helping us experience wellbeing in every
other area of our lives. That’s why a central focus of this book is to
explore how we can come ‘alive’ and be ‘fully alive’ spiritually.
But we mustn’t stop there. Even if we do somehow manage to enjoy
greater dimensions of love, hope, peace, freedom and purpose, we
live in an imperfect world, with imperfect people (including ourselves),
which means that not all our desires will be satisfied all of the time.
As CS Lewis, the author of the Chronicles of Narnia has highlighted,
this lack of ultimate satisfaction in this life and in this current world
points to the fact that we were made for another life and another
world. 4 So, it’s insufficient for us to simply look at what it means for
us to be fully alive now. Rather, we need to explore a second key
question that ultimately has even longer-lasting consequences: Is
there such a thing as life after death and, if so, what will that be
like?
ALIVE AFTER DEATH
As a child, I don’t remember giving too much thought to death and
what happens, if anything, beyond that. Then when I was 16, my
beloved grandfather unexpectedly died. Aside from having to deal
with new, unpredictable feelings of bereavement at his loss, I also
had to cope with my first funeral. I still remember driving up to the
crematorium in north London and noticing as we arrived ‘smoke’ going
up (from a previous funeral). It all felt very dark and disturbing.