Monday, November 24, 2014

Play the Reincarnation Game

I'm an atheist. That should be no surprise for anyone who knows me. I dabbled a little with religion and found I had very little interest in any of those belief systems I tried to understand and incorporate into my world. I got a little closer to spirituality, thinking for a while that it was the organization and structure of religion that stood in the way. That really didn't work out either, but I did learn to appreciate benefits of seeing humans as part of something larger. It fit well with my understanding of environment, evolution and belief that we are, indeed, part of the web of life. Many trips to the wilderness and maybe a little bit of time spent under the influence of things that allowed me to believe in things that can't really be seen may have helped a little there as well. But in a life where I've celebrated with family and friends the same music and food and sporting events and politics and concern for the welfare of others managed to illustrate that there are common bonds that humans share.

But all of that is just prologue to the point, if there is one, of this note. While wandering the world of Eastern religious belief it's not unusual to run into the concept of reincarnation. Buddhist teaching tell us that we are on this wheel time and time again as we attempt to improve our soul and earn our ticket off. Reincarnation isn't a reward, but a continuation of the struggle not being able to attain Nirvana or a real understanding of the nature of existence. Some would suggest struggle is the wrong word, but for those who feel they've come to understand why we exist and what the purpose of life actually is, they would have to be pretty convinced they were being punished when they are sent back to ride the wheel around one more time. Now I'm not going to claim I have any insight on what the ride is all about. However be sure to keep your head and arms inside the ride at all times, just to be safe. I'd be a bigger liar than I already am if I didn't admit I've had times when I've thought about the possibility of reincarnation. It is an interesting concept. Normally we play with it, not as a way to evaluate how we are progressing spiritually toward that ultimate understanding of reality but more as a wishful exercise in how we may become immortal. By the way, that desire for immortality will probably get you back on the wheel again, so if you are looking to get off, stay away from that one.

I don't understand all the dynamics, conditions and limits to reincarnation, but as I said there have been times when I've explored a possible future path that included various additional spins around the old cosmic block. It's actually quite a fun game to play, sometimes. At least until you get to that part where you have to acknowledge the realities of life, regardless of circumstance, gender or species. If you take it past the purely superficial where the future you is a super-model, leader of your favorite NFL franchise, extremely wealthy entrepreneur, lion or wolf. Of course I left out the sickly child born into poverty in the slums of Lagos, Mumbai or Los Angeles, the starving dog on the streets of Tijuana or the lab rat. None of us has done so poorly to end up in any of those situations, right? And we ignore the fact that those first picks will also suffer and die, maybe the super-model will have organ failure from the years of not eating properly, the athlete might end up with early dementia from repeated head injuries, the entrepreneur suffering from liver failure and the lion and wolf scraping to find enough to eat in a depleted and altered habitat or maybe end up in a poorly run zoo. Not really the kind of fun we think about when we play the old reincarnation game, so I won't talk about any of those things.

My fantasy has a few steps in it and somehow they all keep me in this region. So play along with me as I plan something well beyond my control as I make a few draft picks in the Fantasy Reincarnation Lottery, first up, next life will be a raven;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_raven - the one after that coyote;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote - and then bristlecone pine tree;


Of course all of these may end up having their lives changed by climate change or other more direct human behaviors. But the image of a raven gliding along, wingtips inches from slot canyon walls, croaking and pinging above the heads of hikers has stayed with me for quite a while. Studies suggest they are an intelligent bird, crafty in it's own way and I'd like to think it has a bit of a sense of humor. Coyotes padding along, trailing a herd of deer or looking for handouts near a rest stop in Death Valley, then singing at the moon later in the night also has a slightly romantic image in my mind. The day to day focus on survival for the individual and genetic drive to preserve the species would be a nice extension beyond politics, entertainment and self-awareness. Then the stability and amazing longevity of the bristlecone pine would give a reincarnated soul plenty of time to search for that key to the universal off-ramp. And evidently I'm not the only one with that thought, take a few minutes, relax and listen to the song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gTu18pgDwY .


So there you have my preferred path for the next several incarnations, but I understand the forces that govern the Karmic recycling process pay little attention to what we say, only what we do. Given my transgressions, weaknesses, lack of faith and unwillingness to change away from comfortable patterns may end up keeping me on the wheel as a human, housefly or Pomeranian for a few more turns. Hell, with my track record I'll probably come back as a member of congress. Maybe I'd better start working harder.