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Bodhidharma
Ever wonder why we are alive now instead of 100 years ago or a 1,000, out of all the eras of human existence I find this to be the most satisfying for many reasons.

1) people today are more enlightened than ever, (one exception maybe ancient Greece or Atlantis if it ever existed) 50 years ago we had separate water fountains and schools, go back 200+ years and there was man enslaving his fellow man +2000 years and people would bleed themselves to release their evil demons what kind of a world is that?

2) Our technology, one might argue that why live now, why not wait a little longer and live during a more technologically advanced time? Maybe the age of the nano? My only counter to that is, well I don’t know... we are in the present, if you keep waiting longer and longer you might never live. Despite our differences in age, we will all see (I hope) the near future as well, not much of an answer but at least I tried.

2.1) The internet, never before has the human race been globally connected like it is now, 1000 years ago, no one could have ever fathomed that something like the internet would one day exist, (a global knowledge source of infinite proportions, the near culmination of everything and everything, all accessible at the touch of a key or a click of the mouse)

Maybe I chose to be a human (the smartest creature on earth, I think) maybe I chose to be alive now, maybe my purpose in life is to absorb as much human knowledge and experiences as physically possible. If I had existed before July 24, 1984 then I was not in human form, maybe I existed as something else in another place, if so, that would mean that I should have the memories of this prior existence, right? But would I want to remember? HELL NO! it would be the end all spoiler of my current existence and it would suck the fun out of living and it would severely conflict with current human understanding, pretty much turning the world upside-down (if I started walking around saying that I was Blog-a-bag from the galaxy Blagen, or I was some dead guy from the past) Perhaps when we die we regain the memories of our prior existences, a cosmic collage of knowledge and experiences, all I know is that when I die, and if/when my consciousness lives on to the next plain. I will have a lot of pondering and contemplation to do... So I guess my question is, well, what do you think of this "theory" I pulled out of my 4th point of contact?
Landwand Spacorn
everything happens for a reason right?
DB

I guess it depends on what part of you has to exist for this poll, hehe.. if you say the atoms that make up you're body and mind, sure, we all existed before that, we dont even use the same molecules we were born with anyways, they're constantly replaced, thats why we eat, hehe... rebuilding cell walls, etc.... out matter probably gets replaced 10000's of times before we die... so i guess i was part of a tree, or rock perhaps, maybe a carrot or potatoe...... hehe.
DB


Since when you do die, there's no re-encarnation, and you're memories dont get passed on, thats why we must LEARN, then write it down on somthing that lasts longer than we do, or teach it to our kids, wich build upon that and spread the knowledge smile.gif
Guest
If I ever knew the answere then you'd never read this post
555Joshua
QUOTE
Ever wonder why we are alive now instead of 100 years ago or a 1,000, out of all the eras of human existence I find this to be the most satisfying for many reasons.

1) people today are more enlightened than ever, (one exception maybe ancient Greece or Atlantis if it ever existed) 50 years ago we had separate water fountains and schools, go back 200+ years and there was man enslaving his fellow man +2000 years and people would bleed themselves to release their evil demons what kind of a world is that?

2) Our technology, one might argue that why live now, why not wait a little longer and live during a more technologically advanced time? Maybe the age of the nano? My only counter to that is, well I don’t know... we are in the present, if you keep waiting longer and longer you might never live. Despite our differences in age, we will all see (I hope) the near future as well, not much of an answer but at least I tried.

2.1) The internet, never before has the human race been globally connected like it is now, 1000 years ago, no one could have ever fathomed that something like the internet would one day exist, (a global knowledge source of infinite proportions, the near culmination of everything and everything, all accessible at the touch of a key or a click of the mouse)

Maybe I chose to be a human (the smartest creature on earth, I think) maybe I chose to be alive now, maybe my purpose in life is to absorb as much human knowledge and experiences as physically possible. If I had existed before July 24, 1984 then I was not in human form, maybe I existed as something else in another place, if so, that would mean that I should have the memories of this prior existence, right? But would I want to remember? HELL NO! it would be the end all spoiler of my current existence and it would suck the fun out of living and it would severely conflict with current human understanding, pretty much turning the world upside-down (if I started walking around saying that I was Blog-a-bag from the galaxy Blagen, or I was some dead guy from the past) Perhaps when we die we regain the memories of our prior existences, a cosmic collage of knowledge and experiences, all I know is that when I die, and if/when my consciousness lives on to the next plain. I will have a lot of pondering and contemplation to do... So I guess my question is, well, what do you think of this "theory" I pulled out of my 4th point of contact?

I am going to say what I voted: YOU NEED metical attention.
a_ht
Since we cant remember our prior lifes (if we have them), they have no influence on our present condition therefore qualify as uninteresting.
Bodhidharma
QUOTE (DB+Jul 11 2005, 04:27 AM)
I guess it depends on what part of you has to exist for this poll, hehe.. if you say the atoms that make up you're body and mind, sure, we all existed before that, we dont even use the same molecules we were born with anyways, they're constantly replaced, thats why we eat, hehe...  rebuilding cell walls, etc....  out matter probably gets replaced 10000's of times before we die... so i guess i was part of a tree, or rock perhaps, maybe a carrot or potatoe...... hehe.

If M-theory is correct, wouldn't that mean that my molecules could be part of a rock or a dog or any other piece of matter in a parallel universe? If we really are just one giant membrane floating around in hyper space along with countless other universes... then I don't really see how reincarnation can be so far fetched, after all those alternate dimensions could be the biblical heaven(s) or hell(s) that everyone's all worked up about, maybe we're here to learn or experience something before moving on to another level of existence.

Bodhidharma
QUOTE (DB+Jul 11 2005, 04:30 AM)
Since when you do die, there's no re-encarnation, and you're memories dont get passed on,

How can a murderer evolve into a good person with the memories of his victims still fresh in his/her mind? What you're talking about is genetic memory, if a species possessed that ability it would be able genetically imbed its memories into its offspring like the way we pass our traits to our offspring, as far as I'm aware, no species has that ability.
a_ht
The earth population was so low more than 2 century ago... 500 million? 5 century ago, 50 million? If reincarnation is true, where are all the new souls comming from? Since human population can grow indefinetly, there must exist in infinite number of souls in a "celestial pool" waiting to incarnate in a human body (to meet current and future demand)... And, if there exists an infinite amount, that means "quite" a lot will never be incarnated... so, what warrants this unfair treatment to those souls which are stucked in the pool?
Insyght
QUOTE
Ever wonder why we are alive now instead of 100 years ago or a 1,000, out of all the eras of human existence


Yes, I used to ponder over it in my younger days - quite a lot actually.

My conclusion was as follows; Mom and Dad a while back decided to have a good time. They combine their DNA and a mass start to grow. Following genetic programming, I was formed.

Consider; what would have happened had my mom married someone else? Would I still exist?. No someone else would exist.

Add to this, the following though; suppose before Mom and Dad started to have fun, they decided to do the dishes first. Would I exist? Probably not, timing could be everything. Perhaps I was the strong sperm, but after an hour of waiting, I might not have been. Someone else could exist rather than me.

The definition of YOU, I see as the outcome of pregnancy with cause YOU to exist. Anything else would be someone else, not you. Any other outcome of pregnancy would have caused someone else to exist.

If you beleive there are souls and all that stuff (though being a creationist, I don't follow this teaching) then you have problems as a_ht highlights. God would have to create a soul and put it in you at the point of conception.... hmmmm what a load of garb. Anyways.

To some up your question, I would say no. We have one life, brough on by the actions of previous living humans, healthy sperm, healthy sexual desire and a bit of luck.
anonymous
well, i have a question for you. It is acceptable that evry human being has ancestors. But can you tell me who were the first human being on earth and who created them?
Insyght
Is that a trick question?
aardan
QUOTE (anonymous+Aug 8 2005, 06:04 PM)
well, i have a question for you. It is acceptable that evry human being has ancestors. But can you tell me who were the first human being on earth and who created them?

I am?
hrishi
Hi !!
Maybe you would like to read about SOUL , reincarnation in this question ans discussion :
Reincarnation Discussion

which will solve most of your Questions.

You said that "people today are more enlightened than ever" , but u may like to know that 1000's of year before and before that civilizations did exist which were far far superior to current one , People had the power of MIND , which is the fastest , even faster than light.People used to travel from planet to planet at that time .
The atom was discovered few 100 - 500 years , but it was already know to the ancient civiliztions , they use to call it "Annu" (atom) .
a_ht
QUOTE (hrishi+Aug 8 2005, 06:44 PM)
You said that "people today are more enlightened than ever" , but u may like to know that 1000's of year before and before that civilizations did exist which were far far superior to current one , People had the power of MIND , which is the fastest , even faster than light.People used to travel from planet to planet at that time .
  • Replace far far superior by precursor
  • Replace MIND by domesticated animals
  • Replace light by most dangerous predators
  • Replace planet by underground cave
And you have a text everyone can agree with.

You said that "people today are more enlightened than ever" , but u may like to know that 1000's of year before and before that civilizations did exist which were precursor to current one , People had the power of domesticated animals , which is the fastest , even faster than most dangerous predators. People used to travel from underground cave to underground cave at that time.
af0
QUOTE
You said that "people today are more enlightened than ever" , but u may like to know that 1000's of year before and before that civilizations did exist which were far far superior to current one


Right... I think that we'd have probably found some archeological evidence by now if such civilizations ever existed. Also, how many thousands of years ago?

Honestly, if you're going to make such an insane claim, try to back it up with at least a little evidence.

Also, as far as your link goes, I got about as far as this quote before feeling insulted:

QUOTE (->
QUOTE
You said that "people today are more enlightened than ever" , but u may like to know that 1000's of year before and before that civilizations did exist which were far far superior to current one


Right... I think that we'd have probably found some archeological evidence by now if such civilizations ever existed. Also, how many thousands of years ago?

Honestly, if you're going to make such an insane claim, try to back it up with at least a little evidence.

Also, as far as your link goes, I got about as far as this quote before feeling insulted:

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Krishna consciousness is not a question of belief; it is a science. The first step is to know the difference between a living body and a dead body. What is the difference? The difference is that when someone dies, the spirit soul, or the living force, leaves the body. And therefore the body is called "dead."


This stuff's not even pseudo-science, it's religion, plain and simple.

And as to the original topic: not only is there no evidence that you existed before now, but there is no evidence that you'll exist after you die; the assumption of a soul cannot be used in any serious discussion unless you have empirical data which at least hints at its existence. Sure it's fun to think about 'what if I was born at some other time' but thinking that you acutally have some choice in what you are born as, or when you are born is simply ludicrous.
Bodhidharma
QUOTE (a_ht+Aug 8 2005, 03:49 PM)
The earth population was so low more than 2 century ago... 500 million? 5 century ago, 50 million? If reincarnation is true, where are all the new souls comming from? Since human population can grow indefinetly, there must exist in infinite number of souls in a "celestial pool" waiting to incarnate in a human body (to meet current and future demand)... And, if there exists an infinite amount, that means "quite" a lot will never be incarnated... so, what warrants this unfair treatment to those souls which are stucked in the pool?

I'm sorry, but unfortunately no human being can offer a scientific answer to your questions. All we can do is hypothesize a philosophy about these events:

If the incarnate cycle exists then the cycle had to have been going on longer than the human race existed. Hence, we were once something else, if anything, millions and billions of years ago. If all the matter and energy in the universe cannot be created or destroyed then we must have existed as one form or another.

New souls do not interfere with the theory (philosophy) of a karmic cycle, in fact (I believe) the cycle was meant to keep us here until our spiritual growth is complete (at least on earth) and the soul feels like there is nothing more to learn and nothing more it wishes to experience here. At that point, I think it is possible to break the cycle and move to a higher existence… but that’s just what my “gut” is telling me, my gut has been wrong before. cool.gif
Bodhidharma
QUOTE (Insyght+Aug 8 2005, 04:25 PM)
To some up your question, I would say no. We have one life, brough on by the actions of previous living humans, healthy sperm, healthy sexual desire and a bit of luck.

The act of conceiving a child is, in its self a miracle that science has not fully explained. How does a programmed cell like a sperm find the 1 egg that is ready for fertilization, then how does the code inside the sperm get embedded into the egg, and how does that new cell know what the hell its doing before it starts to multiply into you…

What I'm trying to ask is how an intricate process like that, produce a fully functioning human being capable of all the things that we are capable of...

I just thing that you are oversimplifying one of natures greatest feats, I just find it illogical to think that everything around us just happened to be this way and we should just take it for granted and assume that its nothing special, don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that religion is the answer or spirituality, I’m just saying that so far, science has not done a good job explaining the unexplainable.
Bodhidharma
QUOTE (hrishi+Aug 8 2005, 06:44 PM)
You said that "people today are more enlightened than ever" , but u may like to know that 1000's of year before and before that civilizations did exist which were far far superior to current one , People had the power of MIND , which is the fastest , even faster than light.People used to travel from planet to planet at that time .

I too would like to know where you heard about these civilizations; perhaps you could provide a link?

(about the “lost” civilizations I mean)
Bodhidharma
QUOTE (af0+Aug 8 2005, 08:50 PM)
And as to the original topic: not only is there no evidence that you existed before now, but there is no evidence that you'll exist after you die; the assumption of a soul cannot be used in any serious discussion unless you have empirical data which at least hints at its existence. Sure it's fun to think about 'what if I was born at some other time' but thinking that you acutally have some choice in what you are born as, or when you are born is simply ludicrous.

I cannot disagree with truth. There is no concrete proof that anyone ever existed before now, technically, there is also no proof that god exists, no proof (yet) that string theory is correct, no proof that the emotions we feel like happiness sadness, and good and evil exist as well, for all we know they could just be part of our brain functions and when we cease to have a brain we cease to exist. But then, what would be the point of all this? Why allow us to exist and function w/ our own free will for a period of time, which in the cosmic scale, wouldn’t even amount to a blink of an eye?
hrishi
Hello !!
Nice Ans . I will try to reply to them later

I found some which i would like to share with u (about reincarnation) ...

Dr. Ian Stevenson

another site ,about civilizations
Forbidden Archeology

http://www.mcremo.com/fa.htm
Draugluin
QUOTE (555Joshua+Jul 11 2005, 12:13 PM)
QUOTE
Ever wonder why we are alive now instead of 100 years ago or a 1,000, out of all the eras of human existence I find this to be the most satisfying for many reasons.

1) people today are more enlightened than ever, (one exception maybe ancient Greece or Atlantis if it ever existed) 50 years ago we had separate water fountains and schools, go back 200+ years and there was man enslaving his fellow man +2000 years and people would bleed themselves to release their evil demons what kind of a world is that?

2) Our technology, one might argue that why live now, why not wait a little longer and live during a more technologically advanced time? Maybe the age of the nano? My only counter to that is, well I don’t know... we are in the present, if you keep waiting longer and longer you might never live. Despite our differences in age, we will all see (I hope) the near future as well, not much of an answer but at least I tried.

2.1) The internet, never before has the human race been globally connected like it is now, 1000 years ago, no one could have ever fathomed that something like the internet would one day exist, (a global knowledge source of infinite proportions, the near culmination of everything and everything, all accessible at the touch of a key or a click of the mouse)

Maybe I chose to be a human (the smartest creature on earth, I think) maybe I chose to be alive now, maybe my purpose in life is to absorb as much human knowledge and experiences as physically possible. If I had existed before July 24, 1984 then I was not in human form, maybe I existed as something else in another place, if so, that would mean that I should have the memories of this prior existence, right? But would I want to remember? HELL NO! it would be the end all spoiler of my current existence and it would suck the fun out of living and it would severely conflict with current human understanding, pretty much turning the world upside-down (if I started walking around saying that I was Blog-a-bag from the galaxy Blagen, or I was some dead guy from the past) Perhaps when we die we regain the memories of our prior existences, a cosmic collage of knowledge and experiences, all I know is that when I die, and if/when my consciousness lives on to the next plain. I will have a lot of pondering and contemplation to do... So I guess my question is, well, what do you think of this "theory" I pulled out of my 4th point of contact?

I am going to say what I voted: YOU NEED metical attention.

Aye! Get some, and quick! tongue.gif
Guest
QUOTE (a_ht+Aug 8 2005, 08:33 PM)
And you have a text everyone can agree with.

You said that "people today are more enlightened than ever" , but u may like to know that 1000's of year before and before that civilizations did exist which were precursor to current one , People had the power of domesticated animals , which is the fastest , even faster than most dangerous predators. People used to travel from underground cave to underground cave at that time.

The other thing they used to have in the Good Old Dark Ages was wildly crazy and clearly absurd mythology, pandering to man's vanity and ignorance - some of which is still believed by people today, remarkably enough.

The original question though, about why now at this great time, is a good one. But however how do you know that in previous days people didn't think the same? i.e. aren't I lucky to be born at a time when we have houses made of wood and cow dung, instead of having to live in a hole dug in the ground etc etc

And people in the future could well say, 'aren't i lucky i wasn't alive in the early 21st Century, when ignorance and religion still had the power to kill'
A message from ?!?
You all need faith.
Guest
am i right in thinking that 'faith' is the ability to believe something in the face of evidence that what you believe is unfounded or even false?

if so, maybe people have too much of that already
Tanvi
QUOTE (anonymous+Aug 8 2005, 06:04 PM)
It is acceptable that every human being has ancestors. But can you tell me who were the first human being on earth and who created them?

Well,I think it is an irrelevant question.
Do you know who were your grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's mother and father?
Good Elf
Hi guest and Tanvi,

Which came first the Chicken or the egg?... naturally the egg since all the precursors of chickens came from eggs. The same type of question can be asked of humans... Who were the first human beings?.... there were none... they were a distributed family of beings that ultimately inbred... to finally produce what we now call humans. There were not any "creators" for those "people" in the same way there are no creators for chicken eggs today. Chickens have them "naturally".

Cheers
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