Welcome back to the Liminal Waystation. This week we examine the liminal space that some find the most intriguing. Or horrifying. Or some combination of the two.
I hope you’re ready. Because it’s time to dive into the space
Between life and death
In 1990, the world learned who Terri Schiavo was in the worst way possible – she entered a vegetative state following cardiac arrest. The battle that ensued would reopen the debate about life, death, and who ultimately has the right to “pull the plug.”
Do we die with a prolonged cessation of brain activity? Should we be deemed alive until the heart stops pumping? To what extent should machines be used to prolong life? And more fascinating yet – what is the person whose life hangs in the balance really experiencing?
A recent EEG taken in the throes of death offers a first glimpse into what it might be like to cross the bridge into non-being. Prior to his death, certain sections of the dying man’s brain became active, namely those associated with memory, meditation, and dreaming. The full story can be read here.
What are your thoughts on being stuck between life and death? Can we resist the transition? Does awareness of our purgatory interrupt the process somehow?
Book Recommendation
by Amanda Worthington
Do we need a body to be alive? Disentangled explores what it is to think but to be unable to act, to feel but be unable to move. And it starts in the most improbable way possible. With a diet.
Steph is determined to do better. She’s even eating salads for godsake-her food’s food. And then it happens. An ancient universal directive goes into effect and she finds herself stuck in non-being. It’s hard to scream for help or claw your way out of entrapment without a body. Can Steph figure out her next move before it’s too late or is she forever fated to be disentangled?
Writing Exercise
You’re lying unconscious in the morgue, and it’s almost time for an autopsy to be performed on your body. The problem is your brain is still very much alive. How will you alert the examiner before the knife cuts you open?
