We-each of us-are intricately, irremovably connected to the larger universe. It is our true home, and thinking that this physical world is all that matters is like shutting oneself up in a small closet and imagining that there is nothing else out beyond it.

As a neurosurgeon, I did not believe in the phenomenon of near-death experiences.

We can only see what our brain’s filter allows through.

We - each of us - are intricately, irremovably connected to the larger universe.

There is no scientific explanation for the fact that while my body lay in coma, my mind - my conscious, inner self - was alive and well.

I finally chalked it up to the fact that the brain is truly an extraordinary device: more extraordinary than we can even guess.

Our spirit is not dependent on the brain or body. It is eternal, and no one has one sentence worth of hard evidence that it isn’t.