© Getty ImagesWithin roughly 72 hours of the end of their lives, many dying people begin to speak in metaphors
But he wasn't. That sigh was his final breath as he died.
No one, least of all my father, had known he was ill. As for my mother, she'd assumed he was still asleep when she rose a few hours later and had breakfast alone.
Afterwards she'd returned to the bedroom and tried, with increasing desperation, to wake him.
There was, however, one person who knew about Dad's death well before Mum did: my sister Katharine, who lived 100 miles away and was herself suffering from terminal breast cancer.
'On the night of my father's death,' she told mourners at his memorial service some weeks later, 'I had an extraordinary spiritual experience.
'It was about 4.30am and I couldn't sleep, when all of a sudden I began having this amazing experience. For the next two hours, I felt nothing but joy and healing. I felt hands on my head, and experienced vision after vision of a happy future.'
When she awoke that morning, she'd described them to her teenage son Graeme as she drove him to school. Among the visions of the future, she told him, was one of his own child - a yet- to-be conceived five-month-old granddaughter - whom she'd played with on her bedroom floor.
It wasn't till Katharine got back home that my mother phoned to tell her Dad had just died.
Suddenly, she knew the reason for the powerful surge of energy and joy she'd felt in her bedroom, the sense of someone there. 'I now know that it was my father,' she said.
Now, my family isn't in the habit of channelling ghosts. Indeed, my first reaction to my sister's vision was close to hysterical laughter.
But, almost immediately afterwards, the vision began to make profound sense, like puzzle pieces slipping perfectly into place. Without discussing it, we were convinced as a family that Dad had done something of great emotional elegance.
Comment: The propagation of the psychopathic myths and lies mentioned in this article have intensified in recent years as information about psychopaths has become more prominent. The mask of sanity that psychopaths wear is most effective when people know nothing of it. Now that the cat is out of the bag they're maneuvering every which way to remain unnoticed. But as always, knowledge protects and having an accurate and comprehensive understanding of psychopathy remains an essential building block for discerning truth from lies.
We're faced with a psychological information war from psychopaths that goes further than any government sponsored propaganda. It reaches into our psyches and into the social fabric of the present and past; it corrupts our philosophies, our morality and our family relationships. It's pervasive but it can be countered with human connection and a desire to understand.
In Political Ponerology, Andrew Lobaczewski describes his initiation into recognizing the world of this corrupting influence and describes how he and fellow students learned to counter it's influence from a pathological professor: Recreating a more human world is integral to overcoming the effects of the imposing psychopathic reality. Working on stronger bonds with friends and family, disconnecting from the stress induced rat race, and taking the time to talk over our problems with loved ones can provide a protective measure that we all need now and will certainly continue to need in the future. Pathology flourishes in isolation and the more we connect with others who want the same things, the better we can handle and process the hardships we face as individuals and as a larger society. While pathological types may be the origin of many of our world issues, we've only gotten to where we are because of our participation. It's our responsibility to create something else, and we need a clear head to do it. And as Lobaczewski writes, understanding the characteristics of psychopaths provides an additional layer of protection.
For further information check out these shows on SOTT Talk Radio:
The 'Wetiko Virus' and Collective Psychosis: Interview With Paul Levy
Surviving the Psy-pocalypse: Interview with Stefan Verstappen
American Heart of Darkness: Robert Kirkconnell Interview
Predators Among Us: Interview With Dr. Anna Salter
Are Psychopaths Cool? Uncovering the predators among us