Bigelow Institute Award Speech

This video was recorded on my 75th birthday, December 4, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The location is the facility of the Bigelow Aerospace company. You will see in the background large objects that are actually inflatable space station components manufactured at this facility.

In 2021, Robert Bigelow established the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies and sponsored an essay competition on the topic of the best evidence for the survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. Some 1,200 people applied to enter this event. My entry was unanimously selected by a panel of six judges as the grand prize winner. The award was $500,000. 28 other essays received prizes totaling an additional 1.3 million.

The ABC affiliate station in Las Vegas described this event as “maybe the biggest essay contest of all time to solve the biggest question of all time.”

The video you are about to see is my acceptance speech at that event. Before I switch over to that video, I would like to acknowledge Patricia Fripp, the professional speaking coach who assisted me in my preparation for this momentous occasion.