Ode to a Fledgeling Bubba

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Stewart, Tsakaris, Long

BUBBA- (Definition)- One who retires into a state of permanent lecturing and book writing with no significant work obligations or time constraints who are passionate about  informing people how to,

-Decrease stress

-Improve relationships

-Find meaning in life

-Find the time to do important things in life

- Generate Happiness

- Improve financial wellbeing

The paradox of the Bubba is the complete disconnect from the struggles of their audience. The professional Bubba exudes inner serenity, power, and spiritual authority while lecturing to an audience of overworked frantic people who lead miserable and stressful workaday 9 to 5 lives constantly wondering why they aren’t happy and prosperous stuck in a cage of trading hours for dollars while desperately searching for inner peace between binges of antidepressent medication. They look upwards for guidance towards the Bubba on how to navigate the shit-hole of their own existence. The Bubba meanwhile makes vast sums of money doing very little, with few pressing obligations other than their book deadlines, living a life of vacationing and hobbying  and storytelling.

Many strive for Bubbahood, most fail. To acheive Bubbahood is to have arrived. When people go to seminars on how to meld their personal aspirations with their work life they are really just scheming on how to be a professional Bubba. How to stop everything and tell others how they did it. How to simply collect money in their slippers tapping on a laptop- blessed by God.

Jeff Long is a fledgeling Bubba. His book reached the NY times best sellers list. In this interview on Skeptico, Jeff Long takes a stand for survival. He believes and makes no hesitations about it. Long is certain that we survive death. He is certain that NDEs are precisely what they seem to be. This separates him from the minions of pussies and cowards among his colleagues who dare not take a stand. Long has put it all on the line and offers to debate any reasonable challenger on the NDE. I respect him for it. I think his NDERF research is greatly over-rated and tragically flawed, but his bravery in stepping up to the plate will draw fire and hopefully create new lines of thought and argumnt so we can get to a better understanding of the NDE and whether our lives have some element of cosmic meaning, or are precisely what they seem- Darwinian tragicomic idiot’s tales.