The near-death experience shows certain common elements, including an appreciation of the interconnectedness of all humanity. This appreciation has been enshrined in many religios and moral codes throughout the world, but has been recently lost in the West. The author reviews the near-death experience, moral codes and argues for a new ethic based on the fact of "empathetic resonance" between people. David Lorimer is the author of "Survival? Body, Mind and Death in the Light of Psychic Experience".