Allen L Roland at 81
Since I’m approaching 82 and
partially disabled with a military service related condition, it’s time to
update my Living Will along with a promise ~ inspired of course by the
irrepressible Paul Rudnick of the New Yorker: Allen L Roland, Ph.D
"Me and Merle were talking, ain't many of us left ~ We
were chuckling about that. Where'd everybody go? The fact he and I are still
here is probably a miracle in itself"~ Willie Nelson (age 82) speaking of his friend Merle Haggard
Those
of you who have not read the New Yorker’s Paul Rudnick’s My Living Will written
on April 25th, 2005 should check it out for it’s the hilarious inspiration for
My Living Will.
MY
LIVING WILL / ALLEN L ROLAND
1. If I
should remain in a persistent vegetative state for more than 30 days, I would
like someone to pay my rent.
2. If I
do not respond to pinches, pinpricks, rubber mallets, electric shock or other
medical stimuli, please don’t take it personally.
3. If my
death is particularly dramatic and worthy of a movie ~ I would like to be
played
by Harrison Ford.
4. If my
doctor pronounces me brain-dead, I would like to see the latest Adam Sandler
movie.
5. If
there is a family dispute over my medical condition, it must be settled with a
boxing match.
6. I do
not wish to be kept alive by any machine that has a 5,10 or 20 dollar change
setting.
7. In
lieu of flowers or donations, I would prefer a fireworks show.
8. Assume
that, even in a coma, I can still hear discussions about my life, my loves and
my struggles.
9. If I
remain motionless for an extended period and utter only guttural, meaningless
sounds, I would like it set to music and submitted for an Emmy.
10. At my
memorial service, I would like my clergyman to begin his eulogy with the words
“I
suppose, in a way, we all misunderstood Allen.”
It’s
very healthy to laugh at death particularly because it’s inevitable and it’s
really just another chapter here on earth which may or may not have a sequel ~
dependent on whether we denied or surrendered to love ~ which
leads me to my final
comment as well as sincere promise;
Dr.
Eben Alexander, in his bestselling book Proof of Heaven writes about his
near death experience and says the same thing about what lies
beyond death ~ in essence, it’s all about
love;
Proof
of Heaven, p. 71 ~ “If I had to boil this entire message
down to one sentence, it would run this way: “You are loved.” And
if I had to boil it down further, to just one word, it would (of course) be
simply: Love. Love is without doubt, the basis of everything. Not
some abstract, hard-to-fathom kind of love, but the day-to-day kind that
everyone knows – the kind of love we feel when we look at our spouse and our
children, or even our animals. In its purest and most powerful form,
this love is not jealous or selfish, but unconditional. This is the
reality of realities, the incomprehensibly glorious truth of truths that lives
and breathes at the core of everything that exists or that ever will exist,
and no remotely accurate understanding of who and what we are can be achieved
by anyone who does not know it, and embody it in all of their actions. Not
much of a scientific insight? Well, I beg to differ. I’m
back from that place, and nothing could convince me that this is not only the
single most important scientific truth as well.” See 7 minute video ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AGNnOk6dhA
What Eben is suggesting is the very real possibility of consciousness
existing beyond the physical realm and being able to influence the physical
realm that does not necessarily contradict the known laws of physics ~ since
quantum mechanics, if not proving this idea, at least makes it theoretically
possible.
11. Since I am a firm believer and have demonstrated in my heart centered work and personal life that the Near and after Death
experience is, in reality, a state of love and soul consciousness (the Unified Field) that
exists not only beyond time and space but also beneath our deepest fears and a state of ego consciousness ~ I promise that I will
personally appear to and thank each person who has touched my heart during my
brief time on Earth after I pass on ~
including brother and sisters as well as all
former loves and close friends.
Both my
mother ( see post http://www.veteransnewsnow.com/2011/05/07/allen-l-roland-memories-of-my-mom-on-mothers-day/ ) who
died and 1958 and my twin brother ( See post http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/08/20/eulogy-for-my-beloved-twin/
) who died in 2014, have appeared to me in a joyful after death experience ~ so I
look forward, with great delight, to reminding these
people still alive of how close they were to my heart here on planet Earth. Most of them already
know this but this will be a special reminder that my love is actually a
state of love and soul consciousness that exists beyond time and space.
It will
be also
be my reminder to them that God is love and
manifests itself not only as a loving plan in
action but also as an evolutionary process
with which we all participate as co-creators
~ if we have the courage to say YES to ourselves and our dreams and not
be controlled by fear.
Life to me is and has always been a great
adventure ~ the
Poet and teacher Patrice Vecchione reflects on
what it's like to be alive in this great adventure where chaos and seeming
confusion often lead to clarity;
"To be alive is not
primarily a linear experience. It's a mix of dreaming and running to the store
for a quart of milk. Our lives have depth, in part, because we can't make sense
of everything. Life doesn't make sense; it's more complicated than our linear
way of knowing. Mystery and spirit run through our days like rivers and
sustain us. Life is a blend of possibility and impossibility... From chaos
comes clarity. It was there all along. You just couldn't see it. To come to
clarity, you have to enter the chaos. Dive in or enter inch by inch. Confusion
is not a bad thing."
“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great
adventure.” ~ J.K. Rowling,
