Some of the newer physics have heartened those, who are drawn to metaphysics, and those who like to see in a more left brain way, by giving evidence that consciousness is non local at the same time. This brings up the ideas of how, and in what way, are we all connected. Besides an egoic nature that starts as a helpless newborn that will need care and protection to survive, we are immersed in a system that is structured to believe that the world revolves around us. I want this - i need that - it is nature's way. These beginnings, driven by needs and the underlying desire to live and love, are approached in different ways by a multitude of cultures, past and present. Most, if not all, have a structure, built by their forebears, that explain and delineate the various codes,deities,social rules, and origin and purpose of life. A lot of ancient cultures had knowledge of the connectedness of life. Many didn't. A tribe in a jungle may have a totally different culture than their neighbors, 30 mi. away. And as far as we know, we've always fought in the recent past ( the last 5000 yrs) - (we create the conditions that cause pain - must therefore experience the effect). As Dannion Brinkley related in Saved By The Light: In Vietnam he was a special ops assassin. He was dropped off in Laos with 2 support crew and carried out his mission, which was to shoot a Colonel, who was addressing his troops in the morning. So - Dannion was not a new ager, so his near death and out of body (OBE) experience a few yrs later was not expected. When shown pictures of his life, he would be the one to feel and understand the whole experience. He not only had to feel the pain and surprise of the Colonel, he felt the pain of his children, who grieved for their father. We don't know how we affect it all, and this is our quest - to open to what is deep within... Learning thru time and space...With a very long recovery, Daniel changed his life and has been working with hospice and veteran's groups for decades -