Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/09/09/andy-weirs-short-story-the.html
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I liked it.
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Did Andy Weir come up with the concept for every person being reincarnated from a single soul? I remember reading about it a few years ago and was surprised there’s not already a major religion based around the idea.
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On balance, I don’t feel like I’m doing very well.
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I’ve had this book/story on my Good Reads to read list for quite some time. looks like it’s time to put it at the top of the list. That’s some trippy shit. And honestly, it makes a whole lot of sense. However, I think I’ll end up being aborted based on how I’m doing so far.
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When I first watched this it reminded me of the one-electron universe idea.
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Remember when the History channel had content about history? Remember when Kurzgesagt had content about non-fiction? Pepperidge Farms…
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(At least this time around.)
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Humans are being re-incarnated all the time, although in a more causal manner.
You die and your meat-bag rots, the worms and bugs eat you, the birds and mammals eat the worms and bugs, some of your nitrogen and carbon feed the plants, then humans eat the mammals, birds, and plants.
So a few decades after you pass, your soul will be providing substance to the next life. I sometimes wonder how many souls I’ve ingested and what their stories were.
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I remember discussing this very idea at 3 am in the 90’s with friends while indulging in mind expanding substances. Well this idea minus the part of other beings outside the universe. Just the concept that everyone is single consciousness observing and interacting with itself through non linear time and reincarnations. I remember reading this story and thinking yup none of my thoughts are original =/
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You think god would have put all that in a power point presentation or something to save on wasted explanation time.
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Mmm. Soul Food.
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It’s an idea that has been around for a while.
Babylon 5’s Minbari Religion
The Minbari have a belief that the universe itself is sentient, and that the universe can break itself into many pieces and invests itself in every form of life. Consequently, every being is a projection of a part of the universal soul. They believe that the universe uses the perspective of individual sentient beings in the process of self-examination and a search for meaning. This could also be a reference to the quote “We are a way for the universe to know itself” from astronomer Carl Sagan.
I think there is a buddhist sect that talks about the oversoul.
I also remember a Buckminster Fuller, writing along these lines, but he could have been inspired by Carl Sagan. Not about Souls or Reincarnation mind you that’s too “New Age” for Bucky. More in how the universe finds meaning.
Robert Anton Wilson also wrote along these lines, he was inspired by Buckminster Fuller, Carl Sagan, and his own psychedelic experiences.
Andy Weir’s story is definitely the most accessible.
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