The Adolescent’s Searchings

At the January 2003 IANDS conference in Hawaii, I asked several near-death experiencers what the view from the other side says about why we are here on Earth. They said we are here to remember who we are, to remember our divinity, to be the best we can be, and to come into the greater oneness. One of my favorite things to do with such information is to offer adolescent clients this enlarged view on life. Adolescence is the time when a person is supposed to be preparing for life. Yet in today’s world, what life are they preparing for?—a life of consuming, getting and spending, wanting to be like others and just going along with the crowd? Or the vision of life offered by the NDE, in which life is seen as a quest of awakening to who you deeply are, and challenging yourself to realize (to make real) the potentials within you. It’s about knowing that you are here because you have something special to contribute to making this world a better place. It’s about being a blessing to this world, and expanding your circle of compassion and respect continuously. After all, we, and our sons and daughters, will live either up or down to the vision we have in life. Many adolescents, when presented with this larger view of life as a quest, respond with excitement, saying “I knew there was something more to life!”