Spiritual Travel - Contemplating the Great People in One's Life

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Travel in the Spiritual Worlds CONTEMPLATING GREATNESS in the PEOPLE ONE HAS KNOWN
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A Catholic priest once said that to understand and appreciate the greatness of God, one has to first see that greatness reflected in people.
Appreciating one's life is an important step in bringing about a "good death". Overcoming the tendency to think primarily about how one was wronged and suffered during life is an important thing to do as death approaches.
The author has had the good fortune to know greatness in many people. Parents, teachers, relatives, friends, doctors and nurses, and gurus have all gone far beyond behavior that is merely acceptable. Many have had aspects of greatness and some have achieved true greatness spiritual and otherwise. Most people have known at least a few great people in life personally, and there are usually many more examples if one searches the news, magazines, and history books for them.
As the angel says in the popular movie A Wonderful Life to the film's complaining, dejected hero, "You've had a wonderful life". Let me count the ways in which this is true by listing some of the people the author has encountered who embodied greatness. Such greatness often has little to do with what is recognized as greatness in a social or entertainment sense.

Some gurus the author has met have shown extraordinary and even miraculous spiritual gifts and provided guidance.
Some school teachers were selfless, dedicated, sometimes inspirational, and only concerned with helping students become productive, educated citizens.
Some people were talented poets, artists, and filmmakers.
Some were war protestors ultimately reducing the length of wars and the number of resulting violent deaths in war.
Some were talented research biologists who were able to uncover and understand the cellular mechanisms behind widespread diseases like Cholera and edema leading to drugs and new treatments.
Some were legislators and legislative aids who proposed and researched generic drug laws. This research into the use of generic drugs in hospitals led to passage of the law that was ultimately responsible for the adoption of less expensive generic drugs throughout the United States saving billions of consumer dollars.
Some were Hospice nurses, counselors, and administrators supporting the dying and easing their way into the next world.
Some were children who were subject to continuing cruelty and violence but in spite of their suffering grew up to be kind and sympathetic adults instead of the angry, vengeful people that such treatment would likely produce.
In technology, some were innovative scientists who used early computers and a Bell Labs Digital Synthesizer to develop and record the first piece of electronically generated music.
Some were nurses and doctors who were willing to make enormous efforts to treat and heal Covid-19 victims even though seeing so much pain, trauma, and death was likely to haunt them for decades, and lead to psychological damage and PTSD.
Some were mothers who lost husbands from divorce or death, and took on enormous responsibilities to raise and support their children trying every means to keep them safe and give them a good future.
Some were talented engineers who worked on complex computer and communication systems that led to the creation of the the digital world we have today with the Internet and its associated electronic infrastructure.
Some were volunteer counselors who worked at grief camps for children who lost loved parents, friends, and relatives in order to lessen their trauma.
Some were loving parents managing complex family responsibilities with little money and support from others.
Some were talented physicians with compassionate bedside manners who supported worried patients, and did much pro bono work with the poor.
Some were world famous like Mother Theresa and her nuns and volunteers who with great courage and strength cared for the dying and abandoned children on the streets of Kolkata, India.
Some were war heros fighting the Japanese in the South Pacific, the North Koreans in the Korean War, and the Nazis in Europe risking their lives for a higher cause.
Some were relatives who grew up in families with few resources but went on to become writers, artists, lawyers, engineers, teachers, and social workers.
Some were spiritual seekers who traveled the world looking for wisdom and were dedicated to teachers and the goal of spiritual realization.
Some were academics who traveled widely, lectured frequently, made friends in different cultures by documenting and respecting their cultural values, and advanced their field of study with multiple books and articles.
Some were spiritual travelers who explored the realms of spiritual light and wisdom on multiple occasions and communicated inwardly with gods, buddhas, spiritual guides, and members of both human and non-human cultures.

These are only example individuals. There were many more.
The greatness of all these people is overwhelming when considered in its totality. It could take a very long time to review all of their talents, abilities, and honorable deeds.
But the superhero approach to greatness with all its pomp and drama overlooks an important aspect of greatness. A few amazing deeds are not the sum total of greatness.
Many of the great are humble people who take on great responsibility quietly and without any notice. Some of these people endure these responsibilities as a crushing burden and live with a fear of failure for years and even decades. This is because so many people depend on them doing their job properly to keep others safe, fed, and alive. This form of greatness is many times invisible but it is all the more great because it comes with no marching bands, paparazzi cameras, and large paychecks.
Taking time to appreciate the greatness of the people in one's life can be a positive prelude to death. Listing and contemplating the inspirational or great people of one's past is a good meditation, and can be one of the more valuable and uplifting things that can be done prior to one's death.
It can also give us insight into the greatness of God and the Infinite.

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