I'm a little concerned by 3 remarks amongst these posts.

Gracey said she was taught that if you are a negative person, it's oblivion for you. That's enough to push some who are feeling depressed or are grieving right over the edge! We are all eternal souls, there is no oblivion, and after all, what is negativity? It's the opposite of positivity, just as night is the opposite of day, dark is the opposite of light. Neither is good or bad. The universe needs positive and negative, light and dark, yin and yang to hold it together. We all need to experience all aspects of what it is to be human to complete us - which is why we incarnate in the first place!

Mei-ling said: I doubt anyone chooses to incarnate in an impoverished country ... that would give the west a beautiful excuse not to care. Becoming rich or incarnating into a comfortable life isn't why we come - we come to learn! But we also come to help others learn. We are all members of soul groups who incarnate to experience for ourselves and to assist others in our soul group to experience what THEY need. There would hardly be any point incarnating every time as a rich white happy successful male - we need to know what it's like to be rich and poor, male and female, black/yellow/red/purple. We need to know what it's like to have a family, to have no family, be attractive, be considered unattractive (according to current social attitudes towards beauty) be a genius or a slow learner, be healthy or be disabled. And not only do WE need to experience these things, but so do those around us. Many souls volunteer to incarnate in impoverished countries or circumstances for the very reason you discount it - to help those who incarnated in rich countries or circumstances SEE how they need to help, to encourage their compassion. Some learn, some don't - but eventually all do. However many lifetimes it takes is of no consequence, because time doesn't exist beyond our man-made clocks.

The above also applies to Chrysaetos' post that people would hardly be enthusiastic about incarnating as deaf or incurable. Why not? Our mission on earth is not to get rich, it's not even necessarily to be happy (although that's always a choice we have and rarely a choice we embrace) but it's to learn and to help others learn. My mother has been disabled for over 20 years, and I have been her full-time sole carer during those years. I can't begin to tell you how much I have learned in that time - lessons I would never have learnt without her volunteering to assume that role. For a start, I've learnt compassion, tolerance, the joy of giving. She has also learnt much, including patience, acceptance, and faith. We've both learnt the ability to remain joyous and loving throughout difficult and challenging circumstances. How do we learn such lessons when we have plenty of money and a comfortable life?