[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f6Yy90nCY-YDi_e9hArnXJO3nHqBX1dI0s8Si7sdJ8Cw":3,"$fMXUlulLkgUraCFKIh_XWT6JMo-HiIbNUkkrGpAxZPu0":16},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"bio_jsonld":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},17870,"E.A.A. Wilson","E",7,null,"eaa-wilson",[12],{"tag_id":13,"tag_name":14,"tag_count":15},5413,"afterlife",5,{"quotes":17,"pagination":193},[18,46,66,87,126,143,175],{"id":19,"quote_text":20,"author_id":5,"source_id":21,"has_image":22,"author":23,"source":24,"quote_tag":25,"commentary":9},659898,"Meanwhile, on Earth, a completely different esoteric plane of existence, Father Chuck awoke with a jolt. This time he was sure of it. Oh dear, he’d heard the Voice of God.What had the Good Lord said? Trembling, the little priest smoothed down his mustache. He was not the right man for a calling. Not the right man at all.",2,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[26,31,36,41],{"id":27,"tag":28},3352554,{"id":29,"tag_name":30},102,"religion",{"id":32,"tag":33},3352552,{"id":34,"tag_name":35},255,"god",{"id":37,"tag":38},3352551,{"id":39,"tag_name":40},6605,"calling",{"id":42,"tag":43},3352553,{"id":44,"tag_name":45},20074,"priest",{"id":47,"quote_text":48,"author_id":5,"source_id":21,"has_image":22,"author":49,"source":50,"quote_tag":51,"commentary":65},636121,"Death is, in fact, oddly pleasant, and certainly an improvement on what comes immediately before it.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[52,57,62],{"id":53,"tag":54},3279477,{"id":55,"tag_name":56},3,"humor",{"id":58,"tag":59},3279476,{"id":60,"tag_name":61},119,"death",{"id":63,"tag":64},3279475,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},"**The Backstory**\nThis enigmatic quote is attributed to Edward Arthur Alexander Wilson, a British explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions into Africa's heartland in the late 19th century. During his travels, Wilson often found himself in precarious situations, facing disease, injury, and even death. His experiences likely influenced his views on mortality.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nWhat lies beneath Wilson's statement is a fascinating paradox: he suggests that death can be preferable to the suffering that precedes it. This isn't a morbid acceptance of mortality but rather an acknowledgment of the human capacity for resilience in the face of extreme adversity. By implying that death can be \"oddly pleasant,\" Wilson highlights the psychological phenomenon where individuals, under certain conditions, may find relief in the release from their current circumstances.\n\n**How to Use This**\nIn today's fast-paced professional environment, we often overlook our own mortality as a motivating factor for change. However, embracing this paradox can help us confront and overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. By acknowledging that death can be an improvement over suffering, professionals can reorient themselves towards finding relief in the completion of tasks or projects, rather than getting bogged down by prolonged hardship.",{"id":67,"quote_text":68,"author_id":5,"source_id":21,"has_image":22,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":9},536088,"I’m a guardian angel. I'm condemned to share the responsibility for my ward’s life, and therefore the ultimate course of the progression of the human species. So you see, while I’m here I cannot change my conduct, I cannot choose for myself, and every movement I make sends millions of tiny aftershocks across the present and future of every living human.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[72,77,82],{"id":73,"tag":74},2930295,{"id":75,"tag_name":76},2666,"rebellion",{"id":78,"tag":79},2930292,{"id":80,"tag_name":81},11707,"cause-and-effect",{"id":83,"tag":84},2930294,{"id":85,"tag_name":86},11909,"guardian-angel",{"id":88,"quote_text":89,"author_id":5,"source_id":21,"has_image":22,"author":90,"source":91,"quote_tag":92,"commentary":9},188220,"In a world where people are too languid to make something of themselves out of effort, I sell them hope. What they do with it is up to them. Invariably they drink it and then hurl it down a gutter, but that’s their choice and their freedom. I won’t judge them.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[93,98,103,108,113,118,121],{"id":94,"tag":95},1203372,{"id":96,"tag_name":97},21,"hope",{"id":99,"tag":100},1203371,{"id":101,"tag_name":102},164,"hell",{"id":104,"tag":105},1203370,{"id":106,"tag_name":107},2027,"drunkenness",{"id":109,"tag":110},1203369,{"id":111,"tag_name":112},2463,"devil",{"id":114,"tag":115},1203368,{"id":116,"tag_name":117},2636,"despair",{"id":119,"tag":120},1203367,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":122,"tag":123},1203374,{"id":124,"tag_name":125},7868,"satan",{"id":127,"quote_text":128,"author_id":5,"source_id":21,"has_image":22,"author":129,"source":130,"quote_tag":131,"commentary":9},188207,"Be prepared for a bit of a stinker! My little lambs always start bleating when told they're not going to Heaven.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[132,135,140],{"id":133,"tag":134},1203309,{"id":101,"tag_name":102},{"id":136,"tag":137},1203307,{"id":138,"tag_name":139},2343,"heaven",{"id":141,"tag":142},1203305,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":144,"quote_text":145,"author_id":5,"source_id":21,"has_image":22,"author":146,"source":147,"quote_tag":148,"commentary":9},78053,"I have been capable of some mischief in the past. I know what rebellion feels like. Everyone and everything is provided with a destiny, but there is no obligation whatsoever to fulfill it. Some just prefer to ignore the humming of their soul.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[149,154,157,162,167,172],{"id":150,"tag":151},537875,{"id":152,"tag_name":153},67,"angels",{"id":155,"tag":156},537876,{"id":60,"tag_name":61},{"id":158,"tag":159},537877,{"id":160,"tag_name":161},1772,"destiny",{"id":163,"tag":164},537878,{"id":165,"tag_name":166},1810,"fate",{"id":168,"tag":169},537879,{"id":170,"tag_name":171},2945,"soul",{"id":173,"tag":174},537874,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"id":176,"quote_text":177,"author_id":5,"source_id":21,"has_image":22,"author":178,"source":179,"quote_tag":180,"commentary":9},78048,"God? We don't know what He's like. But at least now that we're dead we all know we don't know, whereas on Earth we all thought we knew, and those who didn't know didn't know that they knew they didn't know. They didn't find that out till they'd been here in purgatory for a while. Now we all know we don't know. Even the angels.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[181,184,187,190],{"id":182,"tag":183},537854,{"id":152,"tag_name":153},{"id":185,"tag":186},537855,{"id":60,"tag_name":61},{"id":188,"tag":189},537856,{"id":34,"tag_name":35},{"id":191,"tag":192},537853,{"id":13,"tag_name":14},{"currentPage":194,"totalPages":194,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":195},1,10]