The fear of death plays a major role in our internal experience; it haunts us like nothing else; it rumbles continuously under the surface; it is a dark, unsettling presence at the rim of

consciousness.

--- I'm not sure how to understand the word "rumble"? Does it mean "it rumbles like a storm" or maybe the meaning here is different?

Also: it is a dark, unsettling presence at the rim of consciousness - does it say that the fear of death is dark and unsettling?

EDIT: By the way, do you think that "under the surface" means "under the surface of our minds"?

Thanks

CalifJim

“A rumble is a low-pitched, ominous sound.  Hi, Jim,

I think you could make one of those on a good ol' pipe organ.  My oldest son used to go screaming at the first chord of the D minor.

But Arthur Sullivan's Lost Chord TREMBLED  away into silence.  It didn't rumble. (Maybe an ol' hotrod with Hollywood mufflers)

Something seems to be missing.  Are there no stones in Hell (woops) Heaven but serves for the thunder?

(And I could have gone all month without that ghastly imagery.)  Are we talking Hallowe'en or Thanksgiving?”

I would not say that "perception" and "reception" are synonyms.

Perception seems to have two meanings.  One describes the technical process of receiving stimuli to the senses (sensory perception), and the other describes the way a person chooses to understand some particular concept or thing:  "What is your perception of evolution?" (I think this should be "conception.")  "You saw the accident.  What's your perception of what happened?"  (How did you perceive it?  How did it seem to you?)

I agree that receiving information and perceiving information have a lot in common.  We perceive through the neural "receptors" (receivers).  But there's so much difference between the way the two words are commonly used, it would be unwise to try to substitute one for the other.

Best wishes,   - A.