We live in a crowded world.

As of this episode, the US Census Bureau puts the number of human lives on our pale blue

dot of a planet and around 7.3 billion.

I'm not sure I need to unpack that for you.

That's simply a lot of people.

And because of that, there are very few places where we can go to be truly alone.

Our cities are congested.

Our highways and parking lots seem to be overflowing.

The boggles the mind thinking about just how many people are around us on a daily basis,

which is why our homes offer a bit of peace and escape.

At home, we feel as if we're in control.

It's a personal space where strangers aren't allowed in without invitation, where we

can let down our guard and feel safe.

Our dwelling places have been a refuge for us ever since humans gave up their nomadic

hunter-gatherer lifestyle and settled in one location.

Even still, multiple religions throughout history have taught us to believe that while

we might think we are alone, there is another world beyond the thin veil of reality.

In heaven, the other world, the afterlife, we can call it what we want, the humans,

for the most part at least, have always believed it's there, waiting for us.

It was in the mid-19th century, though, that some people began to propose new ideas about

that world.

They claim that, rather than being passive, this other world was active and thriving, and

...