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Manure Shoveler

John W. Pinkerton

oldjwpinkerton@gmail.com


Okay, let's talk about reincarnation…indulge me.


Christianity preaches that folks have one opportunity to live.  If they screw it up, they go to Hell.  If they don't, they go to Heaven---not the most attractive offer ever made to man.


My superficial examination of the various religions tell me that Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism are all religions embracing reincarnation.  All of these religions began in India.  If I had been born in India, I'm pretty sure I would be a believer in one of these exotic flavors.


Here's the deal with reincarnation: we get cycled  through many lives.  It's called the cycle samsara.  If a fellow leads a good life, good karma, he'll end up on a higher plane in his next life.  If he has enough successful lives, it's possible he'll reach an ultimate state not requiring any further reincarnations---perfection.


I think most of us have considered this possibility.  Some imagine that they were kings or queens or great people in the past.  Not me.  I don't think that for a moment.  Each time I try to imagine my other lives, I end up shoveling manure.


Well, at least in this life, I don't have to shovel manure: well, at least not on a regular basis.


There's a lot of folks who claim to remember previous lives, many with some corroborating evidence.  Virginia Burns Tighe of Colorado claimed to have been Bridey Murphy in 19th Century Ireland.  A Welsh housewife, “Jane Evans,” claimed several previous lives including an Egyptian woman and a lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon, and a Catholic nun.  Dorothy Eady claimed to have been an Egyptian who got pregnant by a king.  Shanti Devi, when she was four, claimed her home was not Delhi but Mathura where she said her husband lived.  Sam Taylor claimed to have been his own grandfather.


Now back to me.  Yeah, manure shoveler…if I had a previous life, I'm pretty sure that's it.

enough