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I've read that story too.
I think I recall some theorizing that the distant, softer light (beyond the more immediately apparent one) is an escape or final exit, of some sort. But, really.. there are trillions of stars in the sky, and there are likely just as many ways one can experience the immediate after-death realm. The Bardo states (as described by Tibetan buddhists) make sense to me, though I am not a Buddhist-- first, the death and dying, dissolution and the "clear light", maybe some ego or karma-related business-- then, visions and encounters within the nebulous in-between dimensions and worlds; deities, perhaps your own residual projections and so on-- and THEN (sorry, this paragraph is becoming a mess, I know) finally a total and utter clarity, understanding and peace. And then, I assume, a rebirth process. (Of course that's a vague, short, possibly butchered version of it; it's been a while since I've trudged through all those texts) Though I do not personally feel that reincarnation is a compulsory thing.
Intuitively, I do think there is a bit more to it than walking into a light. I also think after death there may indeed be a sort of "Ego death" process (or at the very least, a rapid disintegration of the illusion of separateness which perhaps can be jarring for some? As it would be a bit like one's consciousness being turned inside out, monsters flying free and all), even if that process is simply wading through and sloughing off all the residual though-forms and self-created labyrinths-- or, perhaps getting lost in their crumbling mind palaces (or whatever) -- I'm sure some may experience a resistance to this. And I'm sure what one sees immediately after death can be influenced by one's long-held religious/spiritual beliefs to an extent.
As for the "silver thread".. Ehh, I don't know. I see it less as a single thread and more of an inter-dimensional web. I lot of the narrative surrounding NDEs does not resonate with me.
(Sorry about all the long and confusing parentheticals..)
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