Homesick?

The Next Big Thing appears to be virtual reality. Suddenly, VR headsets are being written up everywhere.

I was sufficiently intrigued to spend $15 on Google Cardboard, a VR viewer made of — yes — cardboard, which holds your smartphone in a snug little Velcro-tabbed flap and allows you to watch VR videos through two built-in lenses.  The quality is not great (and why would it be for fifteen bucks?), but Cardboard does give you a taste of the VR experience. I watched a short documentary video via the free Vrse app; called "The Source," it concerned an Ethiopian village desperate for clean water. The image quality is not first-rate and the 3D effects are rather crude; figures in the foreground appear somewhat pasted on, like the images in an old stereopticon (or the ViewMaster toy from my childhood). But you do have a 360 degree view of the scene; turn your head and the point of view shifts appropriately. The experience was convincing enough to make me a little dizzy at times, and I was genuinely startled when someone abruptly appeared right "next to" me. 

Even now, far more sophisticated VR gizmos are available, and naturally the technology will only get more realistic and affordable. It's not much of a stretch to assume that within ten years, and maybe much sooner, nearly everyone will be spending a certain part of his day plugged into an uncannily real virtual world. 

All this has led my Facebook friend Ian, who occasionally comments here, to suggest that this trend represents, in part, an attempt to recreate the Summerland experience. I think he just might be right. 

Image from a promotional video for the Oculus Rift VR headset

Summerland was a term coined by 19th century Spiritualists to designate the earthlike plane of spiritual reality to which most people gravitate shortly after they have died. Created out of the collective memories of the deceased, it feels as solid and real as physical reality does to the living. But unlike the earth plane, the Summerland environment is more directly under the control of consciousness, and some of its features can be creatively altered by an effort of imagination and will. 

Because people at a similar level of spiritual development tend to flock together, Summerland is largely free of the conflicts and frictions that plague us on earth. And because it is a product of consciousness, it is an idealized environment - butterflies, but no mosquitoes; flowers, but no weeds. 

If those of us who are currently alive retain any memory of a pre-birth existence, we may find ourselves unconsciously yearning for Summerland. This gnawing homesickness could be the basis of the persistent theme of paradise lost that resonates throughout world mythology. It may be why children, especially, are drawn to stories about magical kingdoms and happy endings. It may also be why some people become sad, even tearful, at the sight of a beautiful sunset or a scenic vista. 

And it may help explain our urge to lose ourselves in a wondrous world of color and light, where nothing bad can happen to us no matter what adventures we embark on. For over a century, movies and television have exerted a hypnotic influence on millions of people (there's a reason Hollywood has been styled the Dream Factory); more recently, the entertainment experience has become interactive in the form of increasingly realistic first-person video games; and now VR is poised to take us to a whole new level of immersion in an unreal reality. 

Some fans of the movie Avatar claimed to actually find it difficult to readjust to the real world after being immersed in the 3D (and sometimes Imax) world of Pandora. They said they felt sad and lost in mundane reality, and longed to return to the more colorful and exotic environment of the movie. Since Avatar arguably represents the highest technical and artistic level of 3D/CG imagery yet achieved, it's not too surprising that some people would get hooked on it. But VR technology will give us a vastly more immersive experience, one that makes even Avatar seem primitive by comparison. I will not be at all surprised if VR addiction (with its corollary: difficulty functioning in physical reality) becomes a leading issue in the next decade.

Imagine a fully immersive VR experience that is shared with thousands of other people via an online platform. Players interact with each other via avatars in a completely convincing 3D world. The environment has been meticulously designed to offer otherworldly beauty, dazzling variety, and total realism. The disagreeable features of real life are omitted, while the enjoyable aspects are abundantly available with no downside. In this world you can explore, study, party, fall in love, or just sit quietly on the bank of a babbling brook. 

It sounds a lot like Summerland — the "heaven" that we may indistinctly remember. Maybe we are exerting our efforts as a society toward recreating that lost paradise so we can escape the travails of physical life and return to the place we came from. 

But as Ian also observed in his Facebook post, Summerland is understood by Spiritualists to be a temporary place of rest and recuperation, a way station that prepares us for further challenges — either on higher planes or in a new earthly incarnation. If we should find a way to escape those challenges, are we missing out on the lessons that earthly life is intended to teach? Are we playing hooky when we should be in school, or going AWOL when we're meant to be in combat? 

Or will VR serve, instead, to heighten our spiritual sense by reinforcing the idea that physical life is simply another drama played out for the ebenfit of consciousness — a "cosmic game," as Stanislav Grof described it? Will VR allows us to undergo shamanic vision quests without the need for ayahuasca, DMT, or peyote? Will it enable us to live a variety of alternate lives and have even more experiences (with concomitant opportunities for learning) than we can have now?

Perhaps the outcome will be mixed. Historical VR worlds may open us up to past-life memories, but also plant false memories of past lives. VR encounters with deceased loved ones may make some of us more accepting of a postmortem existence, while leading others to conclude that an afterlife is unnecessary. The convergence of physical and virtual reality may be liberating to some people and destabilizing to others. 

I don't know. But I suspect that VR will be the next frontier in the expansion of consciousness and that it will take us in wildly unexpected directions. It may even take us home. 

Comments

[Art]

\\"Furthermore there's one thing that does give me pause with VR... if we do create heaven-like worlds, " - Ian//
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The physics of heaven will be very different from what we experience here. The physics described by near death experiencers is the physics of holographic film which is very different from what we normally experience here. Time and space don't seem to exist and where simply by thinking about a particular time or place and you will be transported there. You aren't limited to one time one direction of time like we are here in this Universe.

It is a place where thoughts are things and consciousness creates reality. Where the feelings of oneness and connectedness are overwhelming and where you will literally feel like you are everywhere in the Universe at once. A place where you can see 360 degrees at once and where you communicate telepathically.

A place where you feel like you have access to all knowledge and simply by thinking about a subject all the information about it will be instantly downloaded into your mind in a "bolus" at once. Heaven is a place where there are more colors than we have here and where it is "realer than real" or "more real than normal.

One near death experiencer said he went into a library or hall of knowledge and it seemed like the building itself was "made of knowledge." I have read several NDEs where they said they literally felt like they were everywhere in the Universe at once.

[Juan]

"Non sequitur: Would anyone here choose to reincarnate into a form of human-evolved, non-biological life?"

I do not know that question coming.

[chel]

Unrelated funny thing: http://jinzlers.tumblr.com/post/143278373082/soloontherocks-atheists-are-wild-i-see

[Michael Prescott]

Chel, that is pretty funny. I've noticed that some in the atheist-Skeptic community seem to have a lot of trouble with humor. I suspect that some of them are so left-brain-oriented that intuitive thinking is hard for them.

On the other hand, some in the pro-paranormal community are so right-brain-oriented that critical thinking is hard for them. We all have our blind spots.

Well, except for me. If I had any blind spots, I'm sure I would see them.

[Amos Oliver Doyle]

Somebody help me out! Chel, I looked at the site you linked but I don't know how to follow through on that site. I saw that, if I clicked on some things it took me to cartoons and other pictures that were supposed to be funny---right? I didn't find them very funny and instead found it too much of an effort in a busy day to continue searching for something interesting or meaningful there. (Besides the print is too small for me.)

Is it me or the Sceptic community as Michael Prescott says?

Michael says,
"Well, except for me. If I had any blind spots, I'm sure I would see them."

Now that's funny! - AOD

[SPatel]

@ Julie -

Did you mean the spirit would enter into a physical structure made of silicon?

Because I think the idea of conscious programs is nothing but delusional fantasy.

[SPatel]

Continuing on the idea of feeling like you're remembering something when reading fantasy - good podcast with Becca Tarnas on Runesoup:

http://runesoup.com/2016/04/episode-21-talking-tolkien-and-jung-with-becca-tarnas/

[lynn]

Here's a scientific approach to near death. a long read, He goes into theories also at the bottom of the page i.e. lack of oxygen.

http://www.atmph.org/article.asp?issn=1755-6783;year=2013;volume=6;issue=2;spage=151;epage=165;aulast=Bhattacharya

Cheers.

[lynn]

"There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think this is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist."– ‘The God Moment’, Mail on Sunday.

Terry Pratchett quotes, anyone read his books? Love it. I'm not really a sci-fi fan, but he sounds like an intelligent read. Excuse my ignorance. Lyn x.

[SPatel]

Lynn,

Check out the book he wrote with Gaiman called Good Omens. Great satire.

[Paul]

Yes.He probably made an effort to find his keys though :)

[Kathleen]

OK, here's something odd that some might wish to comment on. My dear father, who passed away last year, had made a beautiful grandfather clock for me. I look at it often, to either see the time or admire it. Today, I was cleaning the glass on the front of the clock, admiring it, and thinking of him and how sweet it was of him to make this beautiful clock for me. I then sat down in a chair just a few feet away from the clock and within just a few seconds, a loud BANG came from the direction of the clock - it seemed to come right out of the clock. Quite startled, I examined the clock - and just examined it again - but it's perfectly OK. And everything else around it is perfectly OK - nothing fell anywhere. And yet the bang was loud - almost like a picture falling off the wall. Is this perhaps a way for them to communicate?

[Michael Prescott]

Kathleen, your story reminded me of this:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/untangling-lifes-complexities/201109/jungs-explosive-visit-freud

Though raps and bangs have certainly been associated with spirit communication, there is also the possibility that they are the result of PK, as seems to have been the case in the incident Jung and Freud experienced.

[SPatel]

On knocks - after my mother died I heard a crash at night but thought nothing of it.

In the morning I realized the router had somehow been turned over which caused it to be disconnected.

Not a definite sign, but I had to smile as I could hear her saying, "Maybe this will get his damn attention since he's online all the time!" :-)

[lynn]

I always seem to have something to say about some phenomena I've experienced, but here goes. I've been on the fence about this sort of thing, Theres always a causal explanation, thats just how it is.

A couple of years ago, I used to get raps on the walls at night (only) before I went to bed. I have a habit of clearing the room of spirits, and then the raps would come. Now I live in an apartment so you would expect that, but noise in the walls is normally quite muted. I used to get bangs in hotels we stayed at too, one year I was with my sister in northern Thailand and there was a huge bang on the wall. My sister piped up, "We are not making a noise, they don't have to rap on the wall". I didn't say a thing, I'm so used to it.

There was a stage that a huge commotion seemed to be going on in the corner of the bedroom at night as well, as if someone was moving things on the table and shuffling papers. I would jump up and put the light on, and it would immediately stop. That made me suspect something in itself. It was so loud one night it woke me from sleep and I sat up to take a good look to see if any thing was moving, or there was even a rat. The blinds don't shut out the city lights much, but still I couldn't see anything moving. Its stopped now.

But yea, I'm never sure about these things, particularly the raps, they are so explainable. i'm more sure of the voices in my head. "The seat behind you will be free by the next stop" (on the skytrain yesterday). And so it was. Lyn x.

[Matt Rouge]

Great post and comments, per usual!

I am late to the party but wanted to chime in (no pun intended about the grandfather clock event :)).

The thing about VR being about recreating the Summerland experience. The only thing about that is that, isn't Summerland all about recreating the best, most comfortable aspects of Earth, as another poster above suggested?

If so, couldn't that aspect of VR come directly from Earth: Hey, let's create a really pleasant environment based on what we know is comforting to humans.

Thus, perhaps the "middleman" of Summerland isn't necessary, yet it could at the same time *still* be an influence.

Just some thoughts, cheers!

[Kathleen]

That is really interesting, Michael, though I'd be the last person to consider myself having PK - or believing others do. It probably sounds really out there to most people, but I had a similar experience with a TV a few years ago. I was again, housecleaning, and thinking of a departed one who I missed, and the TV in the same room as myself turned on. I turned it off, and it turned back on, and this happened several times. Since then, it's never done that again.
I know this sounds really out there to most people, but I'm reasonably intelligence and did my due diligence to try to figure it out, but never could.

[no one]

"If so, couldn't that aspect of VR come directly from Earth: Hey, let's create a really pleasant environment based on what we know is comforting to humans." - Matt

Yes! I've been saying that for years. Focus more on artistic vision instead of industrial efficiency. We should talk to Trump about this. When he's done with The Wall he could start on building Summerlands throughout the country.

The environmentalists would have to accept things like massive DTD spraying to kill off mosquitos and such.

Making cannabis and drugs like opium and Xtasy legal and readily available would contribute to the effect as well!

I joke...but seriously. Creating pleasing environments is a sound concept that would go a long way toward helping people be happy.

[Amos Oliver Doyle]

Kathleen,
If the television could be operated with a remote, then an electrical appliance such as a vacuum cleaner or another appliance could emit an electrical signal which could turn on the TV. What do you think? - AOD

[nbtruthman]

Lynn: "I'm never sure about these things, particularly the raps, they are so explainable."

I'd be interested in your (natural or non-paranormal) explanation for your raps. I have had raps occur that seemed uncannily synchronized to particular thoughts, that I could never come up with a "normal phenomenon" explanation for. I concluded they were either psychokinetic entities of some sort, or subconscious telekinesis on my part. In either case, it appeared to me that probably, the energy already trapped at wooden joints under stress was being released using as little external energy as possible.

[lynn]

nbtruthman Sure, But that was a couple of years ago now. And since then there are have been none, so I guess the wooden joints have settled.

Here's another experience I have told before, but in retrospect I see it differently. About six years ago we lived in a house in Bangkok. Now every night for about 2 years, the door would rattle. I would go to bed at 8pm, 9pm, or 10pm. But the minute I was about to fall asleep the door would rattle.

Between our room and the next, there was a door. I was walking past one day and a voice said in my head "Its not for a child". Now at that stage I didn't notice voices in my head, so I didn't really take any heed,

Funny thing was though, we just had a mattress on the floor for my elder daughter when she came to stay. Sometimes I would sleep in there and feel so at peace and I could never understand why, as it only had a bare floor and a mattress. I would often lie there, asking myself what it was about the room? My elder daughter on the other hand hated the room, I noticed her light on in the early hours one morning and asked her about it. She told me she left it on as she hated sleeping in there.

One day, the landlord came with his brother from the states, and he told me they had had a mentally handicapped sister. So the penny dropped.

Did she rattle the door to wake her mother and get her to come to her room? Is that why she rattled the door for me, and why I felt at peace in the room? Curious and curiouser. Lyn x.

[Kathleen]

AOD, yes, it has a remote, and I don't rule anything out. But this happened about three years ago, and it's never happened again (same TV). By the way, my Dad knew the guy who owned the Seaford Poltergeist house in Seaford, Long Island, the place where I grew up. Both a cop and a reporter investigated the house. There's lot on the Web about it, but here's an interesting link: http://truelegends.info/amityville/poltergeist_2.htm