STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH: A Breakdown of "The Parable of the Twins" by Dr. Wayne Dyer

Introduction:

The Parable of the Twins by Dr. Wayne Dyer is an analogy of life after death using the communication between a set of twins in their mother's womb discussing "life after delivery." The following will be a detailed break down of how the analogy relates to life after death with a side-by-side comparison to a story I wrote about life after death in order to give a clearer idea of the parable's true meaning.

Comparison:

The parable aims to evoke a sense of revelation, using the parallels between the twins' experience and the concept of life after death.

Breaking Down The Parable of the Twins:

Section One- The Question of Delivery:

In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?” The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”
“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”

The first section introduces the twins' discussion about "life after delivery," mirroring human conversations about "life after death." Some believe people are given life in order to experience life lessons and build their eternal knowledge.

The first rejecting that idea lacks faith. This twin only believes in the here and now and cannot imagine how they would survive in the "after-birth" in their current form. They lack the faith to believe that there will be more once they are born because they cannot conceive anything different.

Section 2- Imagining the Unknown:

The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”

The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”

The second twin envisions life after birth, describing 'more light'—a reality of leaving the womb's darkness. The second twin continues with the possible differences: "Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths." This, as we already know, is a correct assumption because once born, babies eat with their mouths and eventually learn to walk with their legs. They also mention they may have new senses. This is true because in the Mother's womb, babies are limited to the use of their senses due to the darkness and them being submerged in amnionic fluid. Once born, they are able to smell, taste, touch, hear, and see- they experienced very little of these senses in the womb.

The first twin, lacking the faith needed to imagine the claims the second is making, states how walking would be impossible and asks how would they eat with their mouths when they get fed through the umbilical cord. This lack of faith relates to a person's unwillingness to accept any type of existence once the brain dies. They believe once your brain is dead, that is it for you. Just like the first twin says once born, that is it for them. 

As we know, there is life after delivery. 

Section 3- The Nature of the Afterlife:

The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”

The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”

The second twin expresses faith in a post-birth existence, suggesting they'll no longer require the 'cord,' analogous to the belief in a spiritual journey beyond the physical body.

The first twin's rebuttal is close to that of one who looks at everything through a scientific lens, wanting to see proof or solid evidence in order to persuade them to believe.

Section 4- Belief in a Maker:

“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”

The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”

The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”

Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”

To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.”

The final section explores the twins' understanding of "Mother." The second twin explains how they are surrounded by her which is correct because they are in the womb. The twin also says "It is in Her that we live." and "Without her, this world would not and could not exist." All of these statements are 100% true because without the Mother, the twins could not exist.

The first twin continues to argue claiming they have never seen this "Mother," so she doesn't exist. The second twin's final words, "Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above," evoke a powerful image, reflecting the reality of a baby hearing its mother's voice in the womb.

Conclusion:

The parable's conclusion prompts contemplation about the unknown, mirroring our uncertainty about death. Just as the second twin's faith is validated upon birth, perhaps our fears about the afterlife are unfounded. Ultimately, the parable encourages faith over fear.

All you have to do is believe...

Reference:

Dyer, W. W. (1994). Your Sacred Self: Making the Decision to be Free. Harper Collins.

Myth: I will Never Go To Prison

    Our whole lives we strive to stay out of trouble. From the time we are born, our parents constantly instill in us the morals and ethics that impress upon the independent person we become. I was raised that way, my parents still together, neither one ever been to jail. We were the "All American" family. Growing up, I have no memory of my parents ever struggling to take care of us (me and my little brother who is 4 years younger than me). My parents always displayed a strong marriage, if they ever had issues, we were never subjected to it. So, growing up my parents did everything right, the rest was up to me.

       It started toward the end of middle school... peer pressure. I was a natural at conforming to my environment. I did everything in my power to be anything except the "All American Girl" my parents expected. The first time I got in trouble in my entire life was on December 5 of eighth grade. A friend of mine smoked weed (I had never even seen it) and she had some rolling papers. I told her I needed some so I could smoke so she gave me a few. I had to show everyone so that they thought I was cool, someone told on me. I got called to the principal's office, they searched my stuff and found the rolling papers, I got suspended for three days. The look of disappointment in my daddy's eyes will stay with me forever, the first time I ever saw him look that way, but unfortunately, not the last.

    A lot of people learn from their mistakes, that is a part of growing and evolving as a human being. I am not one of those people, I repeatedly made the same mistakes over and over. In ninth grade, I was in Biology Class. An associate of mine informed me that he had some LSD. I passed him the cash for two "hits." The teacher saw him pass something to me and grabbed it from me. She walked out of the classroom into the hall, opening the paper expecting to read whatever the note said we were passing. She realized this was no note at all and immediately contacted the administrator. I was in real trouble then. I had to appear with my parents in front of the school "panel" and they suspended me for the remainder of the school year. I went to alternative school for more than half of my ninth grade year.

    I learned something from that incidence. I learned not to trust people, so I didn't. My life remained as a teenager's life should: boyfriends and freedom. I graduated high school in 2000 but not before my first arrest. My first job I worked as a pharmacy tech at the pharmacy up the street. The kids at school all took Xanax and pain pills and I had access to all of that. I started stealing the pills off the shelf in the pharmacy and selling them to the kids at school. I was making so much money, you couldn't tell me I wasn't rich. I will never forget the "Precious Moments" figurine I bought my parents for their 25th wedding anniversary. My mother looked at me, knowing I didn't afford this by my part time pharmacy job. One day, I went to work and a guy with a suit was waiting on me. He explained that he knew I had been stealing pills. Around 30 bottles were unaccounted for. I wasn't arrested at that moment but turned myself in a few days later. My daddy was waiting to bail me out as soon as I was booked in. Walking through the last door to freedom, my father was standing there waiting on me. It was the middle of the night but he wouldn't leave me there if he could help it. At this point, the disappointment was gone, he was heartbroken and confused.

This is my first Mug Shot, the "B" is because it was posted in the local "Bad and Busted" newspaper with other people arrested in the same time frame.

  

  I went to court on the charges a few months later and was placed on probation for five years under the "First Offender's Act." Under this act, as long as you complete probation with no other issues, the felony will not be a part of your permanent record. My parents paid a lot of money to hire an attorney that played golf with the District Attorney to keep me out of prison. Four years and nine months later, I violated the probation with a new, more serious felony. I sold 1 and 1/2 grams of cocaine to an undercover police officer. My father came to my rescue, hiring another attorney. This time, prison couldn't be avoided. I was sentenced to ten years to serve one and five years to serve one, they ran it concurrent. I was incarcerated for seven months, being released from the worst female prison in Georgia.

    These events cover the first half of my life. I turned 21 while in the state penitentiary. I am, now forty. It took me going through pure hell and back before I finally decided to live as a decent human being. The other half of my story is coming, depending on how this one does. I love to write, especially poems. I will post one of my favorites some time in the near future. See you next time and stay out of trouble!