Reincarnation: Real or a Fantasy Life?

For years I was taught that there was only one life I would live. After-wards, we were to either be rewarded or punished, depending on our belief in God and Jesus Christ. Questioning this opinionated fact, always resulted in long lectures from those deemed to know. All I ever asked was if there was a life before this one? Did I just dream fantastic adventures? Or did I really live them in the past? The other question I wanted answered was why would such a magnificent Being create us to exist for just a few minutes, in His time frame? It only made sense to me that reincarnation was possible. There could have been past life experiences.

The reincarnation I am discussing is based on the belief that each person has a spirit within. A spirit which can exist outside the body, before or after life. Some would call it our soul, others would call it our life energy. The question is does that spirit have the ability to enter another body upon or soon after conception?

I pose to you some examples of past life experiences. At least that is the best way to describe them. Consider this. You and a complete stranger, together on a long flight, strike up a conversation. You feel as though you have known each other all your lives. As a matter of fact, your lives have lead a parallel path. Each of you is from a different part of the country, but each has the same likes, dislikes, habits, tastes, everything. You also seem to both have an affinity to Nordic culture. In re-telling a dream you have, the stranger interrupts and starts describing the scene. It is as though they had been there with you. How is that possible?

Another scenario. You are sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture on mid-eastern culture. You find yourself knowing the history, the places, the people. Yet you have never even studied the topic. Slides, during the presentation, seem vaguely familiar. You know these places, you've seen these people. You have never left your home town. One other thing, you find yourself disagreeing with some of what the lecturer is saying because you know what really happened. At least you think you do.

Before you get your best friend on the phone to research your past shared histories, take this into account. Hypnotists from around the world have had many cases wherein the patient supposedly regressed to a point before they were born. They were hoping to prove the theory of reincarnation. In almost every case, the memories recalled were later found to be filled with holes. Either the patient, acting the part of some ancient character, remembered "facts" that didn't exist until later periods, or it was found that most of what they were "recalling" was straight from a novel, movie or documentary they had been exposed to.

So I ask again, is reincarnation a fact or a myth we would like to believe? Is this our way of answering the meaning of life question?

The unknown is always going to be full of scholars and scoffers. There are thousands who believe in UFOs. Millions who believe in a Supreme Being. Hundreds of thousands who put all their faith in a psychic. Name a disease and you will find several differing opinions on how to treat it.

The bottom line is, do we believe in ourselves. Do we have enough faith in our own minds to stand and say what we believe and why? Can we look our friends and family in the eye and be definitive in our opinions? The facts all remain the same. What we did in a past life or what we may do in a future life, doesn't matter. What we do with this life is all that counts.