Chapter 1 |
Chapter 9 (Excerpt):
The Other World Joining Heaven and Earth
What happens if you gaze into Eternity and Eternity gazes back? In 1999, national newspapers and magazines reported the story of Joe Firmage, the 28-year-old CEO of a multibillion dollar Internet start-up who, inspired by a vivid dream, resigned his position to begin a slew of ambitious socially responsible ventures. One morning, he told the press, after working late the previous night on papers that were to take his company public, he pressed the snooze button on his alarm clock and fell back asleep. It was then he was visited by a "remarkable being, clothed in brilliant white light” and carrying a glowing blue sphere. This Christ-like figure gave him key insights about humanity's place in the cosmos. He is now launching an “e-commerce” company, EarthCity, that he claims will enable vast numbers of consumers to earmark revenues from their purchases to nonprofit groups which are trying to help the planet.
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His story is a vivid reminder of the power of otherworldly visitations, even in our distinctly worldly age. Visions of paradises and their denizens have instigated religions, and fueled the imaginings of poets and madmen. The prospect attaining heaven has inspired saints and suicide bombers. Dreams have told me of visits to fantastic places where they glimpse, unforgettably, an eternal order that both underlies and transcends day-to-day reality. Others report meeting divinities and saviors, even God Him- or Herself. The encounters often inspire them to question their previous assumptions. Many have re-oriented their lives---, usually subtly, sometimes radically--- so as to embody their spiritual visions in the real world. Whatever we may think of these accounts, we must take seriously the power and mystery of a dream that can leave such an indelible brand upon the soul. Still, it is often hard to know what to do with these travelers' tales and their news of a far country, for the only authority their tellers can claim is that of personal experience: I was there. I saw with my own eyes, heard with my own ears.