Sohila Elattar - Week 14 - My Seven Minutes
Have you heard of the idea that after someone dies, their memories of their life will play for seven minutes before “actually dying?” It makes you wonder what memories could play; how nice would it be? Who will you see? What will you see? What specific memories will show? Will the last image be the most meaningful? Will you be able to see the image of other people’s reactions to your death? Would these memories play sound, or would they be quiet?
If only that were the case.
The truth is that you will breathe your last breath, your heart will beat once more, your brain will stop functioning, and all your vital organs will stop. It is not as beautiful as one would hope, but it does make you think about life. What memories do you think would be played, and who would you see?
Maybe you will see yourself take your first steps, the excitement that overtook everyone in the family. Or maybe you would see the first words you spoke, if the memories were quiet, you could just know whether or not you said “mama” or “papa” first by the reactions of your parents, by the one who would look defeated while the other shoots up in triumph.
Or maybe the memories that overtake you are so specific that others cannot say they experienced the same thing. Maybe that one specific card game round with all my siblings and my mother, the one where I received two cards that cannot even be played, the ones that are just numbers displayed, no spades, no diamonds, not even a joke, just blank cards. The same game that when we played it, I felt like I could not breathe just because of how much I laughed, the game where tears were leaking as we had laughed, it was just that funny to us. If only your memories really did replay after you died.
How much I would give to relive that moment once more, one more time, all my family in one room, and the same deck of cards. No arguments between the siblings, just cards, laughter, and each other, how great would that be?
However, I would not bring down my hopes just yet. A new study from Dr. Ajmal Zemmar of the University of Louisville stated that “‘Just before and after the heart stopped working, we saw changes in a specific band of neural oscillations, so-called gamma oscillations…’” or brain waves.
So maybe, just maybe, those seven minutes of replayed memories are not just an idea or a hope, but an actual reality, where we can see the memories most precious to us one more time, and relive them once more.
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| Me and my older sister making cookies when we were younger |
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Hi Sohila! I like how you opened with a common assumption and then went on to evaluate and assess it. Your incorporation of facts also helped me gather a well-rounded understanding of the topic, so thank you!
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of what occurs when we die, it reminded me of a series I used to sometimes watch that aired on TLC that has multiple people accounting their near-death experiences. (I can’t quite remember the name, but I’m sure if you’re curious there are tons of similar series/documentaries like it). The most interesting part of the accounts is that they all saw different things: some people saw a bright light, others saw their lives be replayed, some people did not see anything. Despite how the hallucinations before death are beautiful as you mentioned with our memories replaying, I think it is also a bit poetic that they are a result of our brain shutting down instead of the elegant seven minutes of peace and hope.
The idea of dying is often a troubling topic, so I appreciate you illustrating your own thoughts on the topic and providing professional stances and perspectives as well! Also, your picture with your sister is so cute! Thank you for sharing, Sohila!
Hi Sohila, your blog topic this week is super interesting! I’ve never really heard that you might see flashbacks of your life for seven minutes right before you meet your end, but I think I’ve seen similar scenes on television, so it was cool learning about them. I liked how you paid attention to different cases and clarified that people may experience these flashbacks differently, with some getting them in a shorter amount of time, some getting them of seemingly insignificant moments in their lives, and some not getting them at all. Nevertheless, I think you framed your writing really well by posing the question of what our flashbacks would look like to the audience. I felt like this was a really thought-provoking question because it made me reflect on what I hold closest to my heart today. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi, Sohila. It’s funny you should mention this. I recently saw a melancholy youtube short centered around this subject. It was accompanied by Miracle Musical’s “Dream Sweet in Sea Major.” While a fitting name for a song, the “dream” feels like the song was almost made for this topic. The song makes me anxious just thinking about falling asleep to it given my latest past-times.
ReplyDeleteThe thought of death was always a slippery slope to me. I had imagined it to be the end of all things-at least for me and my story. I imagined it to be a nonconsensual discovery of what’s on the other side. Putting my thanatophobia aside, one’s memory is exactly what I’m afraid of losing. The time and effort spent, the love and journey covered, and the legacy people leave that they cannot explore. But I always remember that this gives life its value in the end. Thanks for the fun discussion, Sohila! - Rafael Montes Barrera