On our Veterans Day show, hospice volunteer and veteran of the US Marines, author Dannion Brinkley discussed the issues veterans face, their end-of-life and palliative care needs, and the role that trained volunteers play in their lives. During one of his near-death experiences, he realized that the transitional place between the physical world and the heavenly realm was a level of consciousness itself. Many souls were trapped there, especially veterans, whom he identified by their uniforms. He observed that they were so dejected that they couldn't let go, and it was out of this experience that he decided to create a program (The Twilight Brigade) to give these soldiers closure toward the end of their lives, so their souls could more readily progress.
After working as a hospice volunteer for 37 years, he has gleaned a variety of information both for the veteran as well as the caregiver. At the VA, Brinkley helped develop the integrative therapies program (now called Whole Health), and he recommends that veterans ask for the Mindfulness part of the program, which offers ways to improve health that can be done at home. For the spouses of veterans, he advised calling your local congressperson and asking to speak with their head of military affairs to inquire about "general caregiver support," as you may qualify for a monthly stipend as a primary caregiver.
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In the latter half, former professor of philosophy and current lead chaplain at a large jail in Michigan, Jeff Grupp, detailed his journey from being an atheist to a believer, and delved into the nature of reality and simulation theory. Regarding his belief in God, he remarked that "we all have to be open to the infinite creator everywhere, or else we're in big trouble" and will be stuck in the "empty forms" of the world that can't deliver lasting happiness. The simulation theory (which has been popularized by Elon Musk in recent times) is the idea that our consciousness has been implanted in us by some other being.
Grupp believes the simulation hypothesis is accurate but that God (rather than some outside entity) has created all the simulations. Other advocates of the simulation theory suggest that with upcoming advances in technology, there may eventually be entities in our world that can create simulations of consciousness. But Grupp is critical of that argument, saying we can't know what exists outside of our simulated consciousness, and a reality beyond that could be far different than anything we could postulate. He also spoke about why he subscribes to the idea of the multiverse (or infinite universe theory), but again posited that only God, as a perfected being, could be the creator of such realms. For more on this, view his related papers: GOD creates all the simulated minds / GOD creates infinite souls and universes.
News segment guests: Jeff Nelken, Cal Orey