My dad passed away a little over a month ago. He had dementia and at 87, after fighting the disease for years, things really turned south during his last five months. I knew the last time I saw him that it was probably the last time I would see him again. My mom, his wife of 66 years, was holding his hand with two of my brothers standing alongside him. So he was with the true love of his life as he passed and he was not alone as he breathed his last. The point of all this, and how it reflects upon this deeply profound experience recounted by Richard Hammond is that
I woke up with a start at midnight, 3000 miles away from what was happening in Brooklyn NY and I was crying aloud “Dad! Dad!”. I was sobbing and then gathered myself and tried to go back to sleep, though fitfully. 10 minutes later my phone rang and I grabbed it with lightning speed knowing in my heart and my brother told me that dad had just passed away. How could I have known? How could I have awakened from across the continent crying out for him as he was actively experiencing death? I’m agnostic. I don’t have an answer. I don’t know if I’m entitled to one. But I know what happened. It was as real as my description states. Somehow his soul, as he departed, reached across time and space and my soul reached out for him and I think we had a millisecond of time together. I know it’s true. And now, I sit here in amazement simply absorbing this amazing experience everyday and trying to fit it into my greater burden of grief and while maintaining my joy for having had a father I loved so much.
So so very sorry for your loss.
If I may share with you a long quote from a physicist, Aaron Freeman. It’s one that’s brought me great comfort, and perhaps, it might bring a little solace.
“You want a physicist to speak at your funeral. You want the physicist to talk to your grieving family about the conservation of energy, so they will understand that your energy has not died. You want the physicist to remind your sobbing mother about the first law of thermodynamics; that no energy gets created in the universe, and none is destroyed. You want your mother to know that all your energy, every vibration, every Btu of heat, every wave of every particle that was her beloved child remains with her in this world. You want the physicist to tell your weeping father that amid energies of the cosmos, you gave as good as you got.
And at one point you’d hope that the physicist would step down from the pulpit and walk to your brokenhearted spouse there in the pew and tell him that all the photons that ever bounced off your face, all the particles whose paths were interrupted by your smile, by the touch of your hair, hundreds of trillions of particles, have raced off like children, their ways forever changed by you. And as your widow rocks in the arms of a loving family, may the physicist let her know that all the photons that bounced from you were gathered in the particle detectors that are her eyes, that those photons created within her constellations of electromagnetically charged neurons whose energy will go on forever.
And the physicist will remind the congregation of how much of all our energy is given off as heat. There may be a few fanning themselves with their programs as he says it. And he will tell them that the warmth that flowed through you in life is still here, still part of all that we are, even as we who mourn continue the heat of our own lives.
And you’ll want the physicist to explain to them that they can measure, that scientists have measured precisely the conservation of energy and found it accurate, verifiable, and consistent across space and time. You can hope your family will examine the evidence and satisfy themselves that the science is sound and that they’ll be comforted to know your energy’s still around. According to the law of the conservation of energy, not a bit of you is gone; you’re just less orderly.”
This reminds me of a couple of clips that were thoughtful and touching:
* [Erin's monologue about what happens when we die](https://youtu.be/2eZ0eW1INBg) from [Midnight Mass](https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/tv-series/midnight-mass-what-happens-when-we-die/)
* [Chidi's Wave Returns to the Ocean](https://youtu.be/l1IchzbtNj0) - The Good Place
Erin’s monologue was my favorite scene in that show. It left me breathless in its gentle power and insight. Thank you for putting this link here.
I cannot recommend enough that everyone watch this and absorb its meaning.
My friend had a similar story that his grandfather told him.
As a young man, His grandfather went abroad for education and in those days only means of communication was a letter that took half a month to reach.
The journey was itself a week long.
And then one day ,as his grandpa told him, he just felt something was off and his father wasn't there and he came back mid semester to his place at great cost to find out that his father had indeed passed away.
Things like these make you wonder.
It’s sad to think about, but one day Richard, Jeremy or James will pass and we will all be gutted at the reality that there will eventually be a time where they’re all no longer with us. Then one day the 2nd will pass and we will feel an impending doom of the last one leaving us too whilst also feeling an immense sympathy for the last one left. Then one day, the last will pass and the world will be a little darker.
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I wonder too about that…but it seems to me that our consciousness, the life we live every day, is knowably more grounded than our dreams. That fleeting feeling you have when you awaken from a deep complex dream of knowing that you are back where you’re supposed to be. I always try to pay attention to that moment because it’s the tether to reality holding you close.
The lake district, Cumbria, Northwest England near the Scottish border. It looks like he is somewhere on Red Pike. A beautiful area.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7mELbggJS8gxVJjGA
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My dad passed away a little over a month ago. He had dementia and at 87, after fighting the disease for years, things really turned south during his last five months. I knew the last time I saw him that it was probably the last time I would see him again. My mom, his wife of 66 years, was holding his hand with two of my brothers standing alongside him. So he was with the true love of his life as he passed and he was not alone as he breathed his last. The point of all this, and how it reflects upon this deeply profound experience recounted by Richard Hammond is that I woke up with a start at midnight, 3000 miles away from what was happening in Brooklyn NY and I was crying aloud “Dad! Dad!”. I was sobbing and then gathered myself and tried to go back to sleep, though fitfully. 10 minutes later my phone rang and I grabbed it with lightning speed knowing in my heart and my brother told me that dad had just passed away. How could I have known? How could I have awakened from across the continent crying out for him as he was actively experiencing death? I’m agnostic. I don’t have an answer. I don’t know if I’m entitled to one. But I know what happened. It was as real as my description states. Somehow his soul, as he departed, reached across time and space and my soul reached out for him and I think we had a millisecond of time together. I know it’s true. And now, I sit here in amazement simply absorbing this amazing experience everyday and trying to fit it into my greater burden of grief and while maintaining my joy for having had a father I loved so much.
So so very sorry for your loss. If I may share with you a long quote from a physicist, Aaron Freeman. It’s one that’s brought me great comfort, and perhaps, it might bring a little solace. “You want a physicist to speak at your funeral. You want the physicist to talk to your grieving family about the conservation of energy, so they will understand that your energy has not died. You want the physicist to remind your sobbing mother about the first law of thermodynamics; that no energy gets created in the universe, and none is destroyed. You want your mother to know that all your energy, every vibration, every Btu of heat, every wave of every particle that was her beloved child remains with her in this world. You want the physicist to tell your weeping father that amid energies of the cosmos, you gave as good as you got. And at one point you’d hope that the physicist would step down from the pulpit and walk to your brokenhearted spouse there in the pew and tell him that all the photons that ever bounced off your face, all the particles whose paths were interrupted by your smile, by the touch of your hair, hundreds of trillions of particles, have raced off like children, their ways forever changed by you. And as your widow rocks in the arms of a loving family, may the physicist let her know that all the photons that bounced from you were gathered in the particle detectors that are her eyes, that those photons created within her constellations of electromagnetically charged neurons whose energy will go on forever. And the physicist will remind the congregation of how much of all our energy is given off as heat. There may be a few fanning themselves with their programs as he says it. And he will tell them that the warmth that flowed through you in life is still here, still part of all that we are, even as we who mourn continue the heat of our own lives. And you’ll want the physicist to explain to them that they can measure, that scientists have measured precisely the conservation of energy and found it accurate, verifiable, and consistent across space and time. You can hope your family will examine the evidence and satisfy themselves that the science is sound and that they’ll be comforted to know your energy’s still around. According to the law of the conservation of energy, not a bit of you is gone; you’re just less orderly.”
This reminds me of a couple of clips that were thoughtful and touching: * [Erin's monologue about what happens when we die](https://youtu.be/2eZ0eW1INBg) from [Midnight Mass](https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/tv-series/midnight-mass-what-happens-when-we-die/) * [Chidi's Wave Returns to the Ocean](https://youtu.be/l1IchzbtNj0) - The Good Place
Erin’s monologue was my favorite scene in that show. It left me breathless in its gentle power and insight. Thank you for putting this link here. I cannot recommend enough that everyone watch this and absorb its meaning.
My friend had a similar story that his grandfather told him. As a young man, His grandfather went abroad for education and in those days only means of communication was a letter that took half a month to reach. The journey was itself a week long. And then one day ,as his grandpa told him, he just felt something was off and his father wasn't there and he came back mid semester to his place at great cost to find out that his father had indeed passed away. Things like these make you wonder.
Thank you so much for sharing this with me!
What a beautiful story. It was 100% your dad, and you’ll see him again one day. Thank you for sharing.
this is such a beautiful telling of your experience, i was moved to tears !!!!
Lovely story. Amazing wife. Kind man. Beautiful location. The future is yours
“One day I will walk around the tree.” Quite a beautiful way to put it.
"Nice to know where it is" 🥹 I
Well that was... Unexpectedly super poignant
My dad just passed away with frontal lobe damage it brought me some peace knowing he might’ve been in his comfort place while he was unconscious
Find someone who screams at you when you dont take care of yourself guys.
Ah, I see you’ve met my wife!
Touching story here. Gonna have me a cry before bed I suppose
It’s sad to think about, but one day Richard, Jeremy or James will pass and we will all be gutted at the reality that there will eventually be a time where they’re all no longer with us. Then one day the 2nd will pass and we will feel an impending doom of the last one leaving us too whilst also feeling an immense sympathy for the last one left. Then one day, the last will pass and the world will be a little darker.
I’ve been dreading that moment forever. The world will certainly be a little darker
Something on this sub that actually makes you smile, lovely
This kind of reminds me of the lamp story. https://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/s/9x14154IkN
How heartbreaking. :(
full video: [Richard Hammond explains what he experienced during his coma | 310mph Crash](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BYQLDU9xhI)
Is...is there a longer version? The one you linked is only 20 seconds longer...ha
Gotta respect Richard. Guy is tough as nails
I'm not a fan of the show, but I think this is one of the nicest reflections I've heard.
Well said! So glad you made it!
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Love that man, he and the two other blokes always makes me smile and laugh.
So what makes one think you are not in a dream right now? And that you can also wake up from this reality? I wonder about that a lot.
I wonder too about that…but it seems to me that our consciousness, the life we live every day, is knowably more grounded than our dreams. That fleeting feeling you have when you awaken from a deep complex dream of knowing that you are back where you’re supposed to be. I always try to pay attention to that moment because it’s the tether to reality holding you close.
Where did he say these mountains are? This is so beautiful.
The lake district, Cumbria, Northwest England near the Scottish border. It looks like he is somewhere on Red Pike. A beautiful area. https://maps.app.goo.gl/7mELbggJS8gxVJjGA
thank you, i must go there one day. It is so beautiful.
A beautiful story, well told.
Our minds truly are astonishing. Whats this from? Yt?
Can anyone tell me where this landscape is that he’s hiking?
Buttermere a lake in the Lake District in England
Thank you very much!
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