There are a lot of good reasons to behave as though we get reborn.
I'm not saying I believe or don't believe. But I find it convenient to live as though it's a thing.
A while back I mentioned to Tom that I'd always hoped to travel more, and now that particular door is closing fast. He said, "Maybe in your next life." It came at the right moment to remind me that while some doors close, others open. I'm not missing out on anything.
A dear friend lives with Schizophrenia. The wonderful curious kid he used to be is still there but is hard to see through the illness. Has his life been wasted? I don't think so. Perhaps at some level he needed this life to have this challenge. But I hope his next life is more fun.
In an idealistic culture like ours, we strive for perfection and then beat ourselves up for our inability to attain it, even though it is not possible. By seeing life as something we are not supposed to get right, we can relax. Having other lives gives us limitless possibilities.
How better to connect with all of humanity than to know we live such different and varied lives? I could be a tired old man in one life and a laughing child in another. When I have an opinion about someone, it can help to remember they may not just be the person I see, but may be very different in another life. I also keep this in mind when I do energy healing. We may know each other over lifetimes. In another lifetime it may be me reaching out to you. Thinking like this levels the playing field.
Rebirth? I don't know. But behaving as though it were true takes off the pressure and leaves me more free to enjoy what this life brings.
( photo copyright Moyan Brenn )
