Frank, I think you are correct about associations versus dissociations. The human mind–to my mind–cannot operate except by building upon and drawing upon all past experiences; even imaginative flights of fancy–especially those experienced by day-dreamers, visionaries, and mystics–probably draw upon some unconscious niches of the mind that have their origins in experience (either conscious or unconscious). I am particularly affected by the memory of your grandmother; there are thousands of ways in which similar Proustian moments provoke and intrigue me (and I suppose others) every day. I wonder–borrowing from Hamlet–if we continue to enjoy our associations, memories, dreams, day-dreams, visions, and mystic experiences when conscious life ends. Perhaps that is a reasonable definition of heaven and life-after-death: the ability to visit luncheonettes, have cheesesteaks, and–through association–remember idyllic moments with our grandmothers. Perhaps you have a different view of heaven.
Frank, I think you are correct about associations versus dissociations. The human mind–to my mind–cannot operate except by building upon and drawing upon all past experiences; even imaginative flights of fancy–especially those experienced by day-dreamers, visionaries, and mystics–probably draw upon some unconscious niches of the mind that have their origins in experience (either conscious or unconscious). I am particularly affected by the memory of your grandmother; there are thousands of ways in which similar Proustian moments provoke and intrigue me (and I suppose others) every day. I wonder–borrowing from Hamlet–if we continue to enjoy our associations, memories, dreams, day-dreams, visions, and mystic experiences when conscious life ends. Perhaps that is a reasonable definition of heaven and life-after-death: the ability to visit luncheonettes, have cheesesteaks, and–through association–remember idyllic moments with our grandmothers. Perhaps you have a different view of heaven.
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