I notice the closer I get to it, the more interested I am in the subject of death. This is a nice overview of the basic theories of the process of dying going around now. Again, the old problem of using the only tool we have, consciousness, to study consciousness. At least we can kick around the more mechanical aspects of death and see what pops up.
I am pretty neutral personally. The one problem with Near Death Experiences is the people who have gone through them still haven't died. I always thought of it as like a household lightbulb. You turn it on and off hundreds of times until one time it burns out in one huge blinding flash of white light as the filament dies. To me that represents the flood that bathes your brain with vivid memories of your life, that last pop of super consciousness. Of course, it is all unknowable in the end. I just find that idea comforting somehow.
It would also appear that the brain does a really good job of releasing chemicals to make the transition easier. And it doesn't seem to make a difference whether you were a preacher or a mafia hitman, the endgame seems to be the same. That I find extra comforting!
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