This guy is Brian Weiss, M.D. psychiatrist and author. He has written extensively on reincarnation and regression hypnosis, regressing patients beyond their childhood into past lives. Considering his excellent medical credentials, his careful revelations to his colleagues about what he was doing, and the documentation from observers of his work...he remains a cult hero without general acceptance in "the World." Sure, his books have been best sellers but considering that he virtually proved reincarnation is likely, most westerners continue to dismiss the possibility, in any form. His fame has moved through our culture like The Adkin's diet or the Hula Hoop. Why do I bring him up at this time? Well, it has something to do with the movie "The Box." Not that it is about Weiss's subject but more about the acceptance or non-acceptance of ideas that are not easy to grasp. As a movie The Box is not entertaining. As a thought provoking event, it deserves praise. Unfortunately, most people will not see through the movie to the provoking part. In The Box, a force behind the actions of chosen human beings seems to exist at a different level, perhaps, extraterrestrial, or non-physical at least, that is running an experiment on mankind, as if we were rats in a laboratory. The tool for this is a box with a button on it that is delivered to certain people, usually in financial dire straits, who then have to decide to unlock the box and push the button thereby getting a million tax free dollars but simultaneously killing a stranger, or... passing on the opportunity.
The existence of an unknown world beyond our usual senses is the subject of movies but seldom do we stretch ourselves to live or even contemplate a different reality. It reminds me of the Dark Ages, and similarly famous unenlightened historical periods, and the certitude that Earth was the center of the Universe and the Sun revolved around us. The acceptance that everyone belonged to the King and that the King had a divine right to do with you whatever he wished. And, any other period in the history of the world, where we thought we knew it all and that further scientific developments were heresy and deserved excommunication. We are living in one of those periods now. Humans always do. Do you believe that there is more to be seen and discovered about our world than that which is obvious to our 5 senses? Someone had to look at things a different way to invent radio, television, computer chips, electric and gas power. We had the same eyes in 1700 and yet nobody saw the potential in oil, not to mention silicon chips. We are still unable to see many things that are a reality right now but just don't register with our senses and our brains because they do not fit into our little boxes that we have constructed to hold reality. An outside force, an invisible actor, reincarnation, and so many other things remain the realm of New Age authors and occasionally Oprah, yet we live as if only things we can see and touch and that fit our preconceptions are real. Even good uplifting ideas that become cultural successes like "The Secret" come and go. Someone finds out that a guru who promoted these spiritual ideas killed some of his followers accidentally in a sweat lodge, and we jump to discredit everything based upon this argumentum ad hominem...the guy is flawed, therefore the ideas should be discarded. I Hope they don't delve too deeply into the private life of Thomas Edison or we may have to stop using lightbulbs. There are lots of examples of this. I do not mean to promote "The Secret" or any other woo-woo fads, but there is truth to many of these that transcends what we are comfortable with...and that are too powerful to dismiss.
As a doctor, I remember that at one time, my profession applied leeches, drained patients of blood, and set them out on a porch in fresh air to cure TB. We did not wash our hands between surgeries and killed thousands of people by the transfer of infection. The leaders in the field refused to listen to the new theory of bacterial contamination. We are so much smarter now and know it all. Really???
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