Reflections on Near-Death Experiences: A Lifetime of Good and Evil Deeds
Dannion Brinkley, M.D., has experienced two near-death events. He explains, “During the life review, I was compelled to witness the death and destruction in the world resulting from my actions.” He continues, “We are all interconnected links in the great chain of humanity. Everything you do impacts the other links.”
In 1975, after being struck by lightning, Mr. Brinkley experienced his first near-death event, where he reviewed all the positive and negative actions of his life from the perspective of others.
For example, he was well-known in school as a bully, having engaged in nearly 6,000 fights between fifth and twelfth grades. Beyond initiating fights, he often viciously attacked innocent classmates; during the life review, he found himself in the shoes of his victims, experiencing their pain, fear, panic, and helplessness. The suffering he endured for assaulting others without cause was extraordinarily intense.
He also recalled an incident where he whipped his dog with a belt in anger for damaging the carpet. During the Vietnam War, he felt the confusion of a North Vietnamese officer he killed at the moment of the gunfire, along with the grief and helplessness of the officer who would never see his family again. Even more astounding was the empathy he felt for the officer's family, who suffered for years after learning of his death.
At one point, he was merely transporting firearms to a country in Central America before returning to the U.S.; however, these firearms later resulted in the deaths of soldiers and innocent civilians, and he felt the weight of their deaths, as well as the grief, loss, confusion, and helplessness experienced by thousands of their family members.
Brinkley also observed the benefits of his good deeds. For instance, he witnessed a farmer brutally beating a goat that got its head stuck in a fence while trying to escape. As the farmer continued striking the goat mercilessly, Brinkley, unable to tolerate it, jumped out of his car, pulled the farmer away, and punched him several times. During this life review stage, he felt the farmer's shame and received a profound “thank you” from the goat in its own way.
Brinkley joyfully told the “Light Being,” “My life will be more meaningful now that I know this secret.” But then he suddenly remembered that he was dead.
After returning to life, he completely transformed his ways and dedicated himself to helping others. He experienced a second death 14 years later due to heart failure. During this life review, he felt the sincere gratitude of an elderly woman he had kindly assisted in a hospice.
He realized, “At the end of your life, the love and goodness you possess will match what you have given throughout your entire life.”