Two Indian gods, brothers, decide to race around the world, three times. The first mounts his peacock, and soars over mountains, plains, and oceans, one time, two times, three times. The other walks around the yard three times, and says "I win".
"How can that be?" asks the first.
"Oh," says the second, "You went around the world, I went around my world."
Great story.
He then goes on to a confrontation between Alexander the Great and a Janist monk. Both think the other fools, Alexander for wanting to conquer the world (to what use? This is one life out of infinite, the striving only causes hurt), the monk for wasting a life doing nothing (to what use? This is one life, the only one, and you should use it to accomplish all that is possible).
Devdutt argues that both positions are relevant and equally valid. I call bullshit on that. Until many people have many and firm recollections of previous/future lives, it is a dangerously flawed assumption.
Oh, but it would be nice if we did. At the gym yesterday, Jeannot was watching Custer's last stand. I would have liked to have been there, to have experienced it. But not at the cost of my life, only if I could reincarnate away.
On the other hand, what would become of war if everyone thought there was no long-term downside, that the pain and death were temporary inconveniences in an infinite experience?
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