A question or two about reincarnation

[Zero]

Now, I know reincarnation is generally believed to be an illogical concept. When the brain died, the mind dies with it... hell, the two are the same thing. This isn't what I want thoughts on... what do you, personally, believe reincarnation would mean for you as a person? Would it change your life goals, your outlook? What impact would reincarnation, as a truth, have on morals? Would you act differently?

Just fishing for thoughts, basically.

[Molyneux]

Now, I know reincarnation is generally believed to be an illogical concept. When the brain died, the mind dies with it... hell, the two are the same thing. This isn't what I want thoughts on... what do you, personally, believe reincarnation would mean for you as a person? Would it change your life goals, your outlook? What impact would reincarnation, as a truth, have on morals? Would you act differently?

Just fishing for thoughts, basically.

Basically, as far as I can tell, reincarnation requires belief in a soul of some kind - some bastion of self that exists beyond, and thus can survive, the death of the body.

Apparently, Buddhists don't, but I never understood Buddhism anyway.

As far as I'm concerned, I tend to think that there is some form of soul - that regardless of memory or body, the little presence that makes me *me*, the spark that makes me something other than an automaton, will survive my bodily death, and either move to another realm, stay in this one as a disembodied spirit, or be reincarnated in another body.

I'm hoping for the last possibility; I'd like the chance to see technology in the years ahead, and I want the chance to experience more than just one life can show me.



As far as origin of the soul goes, however, I have no idea. Maybe it's gifted by an outside force, though I tend to doubt it...maybe it's simply a function of a sufficiently self-aware mind, so any creature that's beyond a certain level of intelligence will develop a soul.

[salm]

It would be so cool if it existed. I want to see tech in 40.000 years.

[Pick]

Quick note on Buddhism for you, Moly, they -do- believe in reincarnation, until you reach your final goal. That is, you're going to keep being reincarnated until you get it right.

And I'd assume you'd change a lot every time, considering only those with the most so-called spiritual tranquility can acess memories of past lives, and hence be influenced by those lives (other than karma, such as in Hinduism --but you wouldn't know what you were getting the effects of karma FOR anyway)

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

For me, it would be a despairing, soul-crushing truth. It would mean that life is essentially one giant Voyager episode, complete with a Big Reset Button at the end.

[Zero]

Yes, but each time you come back, you do at least get a chance to change things. Make things better. That's good, right? And you wouldn't really know that you were coming back each time... of course, this means that the benefits gained in your past life are all lost, too. If that's the case, what would the point be of learning?

If reincarnation is true, should we aspire now to make the world a better place, as we don't know who we'll be coming back as? Should our goal be to create conditions we would like for the average human being?

[Mayabird]

Well Zero, ever heard of H. Beam Piper? He was a science fiction author in the 1960s who commit suicide just as he was beginning to reach his peak.
The thing is, Piper definately believed in reincarnation. He wrote extensively about it in his stories. That belief and his problems with depression had been what led him to suicide, since he thought that maybe his next life would be better. I could see this happening with a lot of people (after all, strictures against suicide had to be added in Christianity, lest people give up their miserable lives here for the afterlife). It's a rather depressing thought.

[SirNitram]

If reincarnation is true, should we aspire now to make the world a better place, as we don't know who we'll be coming back as? Should our goal be to create conditions we would like for the average human being?

We should do this regardless; there's gonna be other humans running around. Survival of the species? Kinda important.

[Zero]

I don't see why survival of the species is important. As for the thing about the sci-fi author who killed himself... hell, I believe in reincarnation too, and I've even thought of doing such things myself. I typically realize, however, that chances are, I'd be reincarnated as some starving ass hole, or maybe I'd be born with AIDS, or some crap like that. As is, I know I can do a decent bit with this life, and I can't rely on my next life being better.

[Ravengrim]

I believe in reincarnation, however I dont believe that I will be the same exact person that I am now, nor have I ever been. I believe that the 'soul' and the ego or personality are two different things. Whereas the personality is influenced by environment and upbringing and such, I believe that the soul is unchanging, except through the lessons that it has learned from experiences here on earth. I follow Asatru and find the traditional European explanation of the soul the easiest for me to understand and work with, and I also believe that reincarnation only happens within the familial line. As I dont believe in a universal religion, I think that reincarnation happens differently for each 'people' and each has a specific set of goals and ends to achieve. However I think that as everyone goes to the same 'staging area' to learn, plan and prepare for their next life.

[Civil War Man]

I don't know about the whole idea of a soul and all that. One thing I do consider, though, is that reincarnation is a much more economical way of running a universe than the Christian idea of heaven. I imagine it would take less energy to grab a free soul and slap it in a new body as opposed to making a new one with every birth.

[Junghalli]

I don't know, it always seemed somewhat debatable to me whether reincarnation actually was an afterlife or not. I mean, when you die you supposedly still forget everything you did and were in your previous lives. Only some kind of vaguely defined "consciousness" carries over. Is that really you? Does it matter? My new self would have a whole different set of experiences and know absolutely nothing about any previous existence, so it seems kind of as if it would be a seperate being for all practical purposes.
It would be really cool if you could reincarnate and remember all your past lives though. That's one of the things that always fascinated me about the idea of immortals a la Highlander, I'd love to be able to see humanity evolve and the world change over the centuries.

[Molyneux]

I don't know, it always seemed somewhat debatable to me whether reincarnation actually was an afterlife or not. I mean, when you die you supposedly still forget everything you did and were in your previous lives. Only some kind of vaguely defined "consciousness" carries over. Is that really you? Does it matter? My new self would have a whole different set of experiences and know absolutely nothing about any previous existence, so it seems kind of as if it would be a seperate being for all practical purposes.
It would be really cool if you could reincarnate and remember all your past lives though. That's one of the things that always fascinated me about the idea of immortals a la Highlander, I'd love to be able to see humanity evolve and the world change over the centuries.

For all outside purposes, you would be a different person; however, with the same soul, the same existence would persist. Memory is not so important to me as the actual "I" which composes the core of my being.

Besides which, judging from past-life regression (if there's any truth to it), it may be possible that the soul (if it exists) does maintain knowledge of past existences, which may be easily accessible between lives; it's just hard to access in the middle of one.

[Zero]

I don't know, it always seemed somewhat debatable to me whether reincarnation actually was an afterlife or not. I mean, when you die you supposedly still forget everything you did and were in your previous lives. Only some kind of vaguely defined "consciousness" carries over. Is that really you? Does it matter? My new self would have a whole different set of experiences and know absolutely nothing about any previous existence, so it seems kind of as if it would be a seperate being for all practical purposes.
It would be really cool if you could reincarnate and remember all your past lives though. That's one of the things that always fascinated me about the idea of immortals a la Highlander, I'd love to be able to see humanity evolve and the world change over the centuries.

It is my belief that pieces of our past lives do stick with us, just not as conscious memory. Although I do remember some stuff... I believe that it's retained by our subconscious mind, and I think a lot more decisions and ideas are associated with our dreams then we think. Shit.. I got a crazy story about a dream, if anybody wants to hear of it.

[Shinova]

I don't really like believing that when your brain dies, your mind dies with it.

The thought of permanent death is one reason, but another because, why this body? Why is my consciousness here? Why not in that dude over across the street, or my prof, or a politician, or anyone else, why here?


If there was nothing beyond the brain, then everything's just physical. People might as well be walking computers carrying out decisions made my a thinking chip. Just little billions of shells walking around, doing whatever they are programmed to do.


So why am I "aware" in the sense?