Reincarnation

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Do you believe in reincarnation

I'm not usually one to think about such things but I was wondering if people do believe that the things you do in this life have consequences for you in the next life

I am a nonbeliever in anything supernatural, including reincarnation.

Not directly, no. I think we die and the lights go out and we break down into our component elements.

But I do quite like the idea that we draw from a finite pool of consciousness. Might explain why the more of us there are the dumber we seem to get. Perhaps when we die whatever made up our consciousness returns to that pool, much like the elements that made up our body return into general circulation and parts of it may one day coalesce into a new being. That's a sort of reincarnation I suppose.

But in general I just think a brain can't handle the idea of itself not existing and it can't help coming up with ways that it can still exist somehow. Reincarnation, afterlife, ghosts - all the result of the same functional limitation of the brain.

I think it's easier to accept poor treatment from people in this life if I think I'm being punished for something I've done in a previous life

I don't actually believe that to be honest but it just makes it a bit easier to bear

It's an attractive thought, but no, I don't think it happens. I've never quite understood the human race's determination to believe that there's some kind of perfect cosmic justice system out there that's running everything. Let's see:

1. Fear of annihilation. We're an unusual species, because we can anticipate our own deaths. But we have a powerful survival instinct which makes death such a scary thought that we go into denial and pretend we'll somehow wake up after we've died.

2. Disenchantment with human systems of justice. The law often lets us down, and so do people around us who misjudge and misconstrue us. So we invent somebody out there who will judge us accurately and give us appropriate rewards and punishments.

Not “into” the idea of reincarnation at all.

Especially since meeting dozens of alleged Abe Lincolns, Joan-of-Arcs, and other famous historical figures in multiple bodies.

Oh yeah that's true

I think it's more fundamental than that even. I said before that I don't think the human brain can fully realise its own non-existance and that's why it comes up with ways it can continue to exist.

Similarly, I think it can't process randomness. It's essentially a machine for identifying patterns. The absence of a pattern - i.e. effect without cause - is unacceptable, so it's rejected.

It's a hardware limitation. We can sort of fudge around it in our thinking. I can say I believe there's nothing after death but I can't fully realise it as a thought. It's an abstract concept.

^
Odd in a way because we have plenty of dreamless sleep every night in which we're not aware of anything, so the experience of nonexistence is there, though it's not really an experience and we don't remember anything about it of course. It's very hard to imagine not being around. When I imagine the time before I was born, I might see Victorian Britain or whatever, but I always see myself as being there observing it, as if I'd used a time machine, when in truth there would be nothing.

I have wondered if some stark experiences of recall, dubbed to be reincarnation, might actually be inherited memories. We still have a lot to learn about genetic inheritance and impacts.

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Says it all

Edit...yes...the spelling drives me buggy

I've never met someone who claims to be a reincarnation of some mundane nobody.

This really makes me skeptical of reincarnation, vs. believing it's just people who wish to feel special.

I have never met someone who claimed to be a criminal, a slave, or even a cockroach. It is always a famous historical person of whom everybody has heard.

Sorta like the “otherkin” claimants - their “other” identity is always beautiful, powerful, and (obviously) undetectable.

In either case, their claims cannot be proven, and they expect the rest of us to just take their word for it or risk hurting their feelings.

What about the otherkin who think they're goblins?
I don't think goblins are known for their power or beauty.

Depends on the individual’s definition of ‘goblin’. The few ‘goblin-kin’ I have met talked about the superior strength and speed of their ‘others’. The people were also kinda weak or sickly-looking, and also claimed to be victimized by bullies.

I think the latter part is more important. A lot of people really want to feel special, they might also be guided by a constant disconnect from other people that through magical thinking they decide is explained by not really being a human but being something else instead.

From there it's just a matter of what 'else' they believe they are.