We are being told by powerful voices that empathy is a weakness, that seeing the world through the eyes of another is something to be avoided. That the fate of civilization and our spiritual well-being hinges upon curbing our capacity for empathy.
I disagree.
The only way we will get through our uncertain future is by connecting with and caring for each other.
Death in some cases is not permanent. Person flatlines on the operating table, people think they’re dead. And they come back, with a story. Tunnel of light, bliss, a moment of required empathy called the “life review,” and they either decide to come back, or they’re simply sent back. The “near-death experience,” or NDE.
You can be skeptical about what’s on the other side. What you cannot reasonably be skeptical about is the existence of these cases.
Awareness of near-death experiences is expanding, and across many thousands of documented accounts, one feature recurs: the life review, in which the experiencer sees and feels the impact of all their actions on the lives and realities of others.
Experiencers come back transformed. They come back more empathetic. And many of them suffer for it.
These themes are deep, operatic even. There is no end to the noise and chatter about them. Arguments and evidence only go so far. The experience must be felt.
Which is why Five Minutes on the Low Road is a musical.
About the Show
Five Minutes on the Low Road follows Tanya McDermott, a driven pharmaceutical executive who crashes her car and has a textbook near-death experience, complete with life review, an encounter with a guide, and a choice. She returns transformed. The people around her are not prepared for who she becomes.
The dramatic stakes
There are not many plays, TV shows, or movies that treat the NDE accurately. Perhaps dramatists look at an NDE account and think: spectacle, puzzle, but where’s the drama? However, dig into the research and one finds it’s not all sweetness and light. People who return from NDEs are significantly more likely to get divorced and/or change jobs, even careers. They often lose interest in competitive, materialist pursuits, sometimes with impact on their families. Their churches may not accept their firsthand accounts of the “other side.” They may conflict with the medical establishment, which has more than once characterized such patients as delusional.
People return transformed. There are consequences.
About the title
Five Minutes on the Low Road takes its name from the traditional Scottish folk song “Loch Lomond.” In the well-known chorus, “You take the high road, and I’ll take the low road,” the “low road” is the road of the spirit home.
Development
The show is in active development in Minneapolis. Read about the workshops, the collaborators, and where it stands on the Development & Team page.