Could Gender Dysphoria, "Transracialism," And The Like Be Evidence Of Reincarnation?

originally posted by: SlapMonkey

originally posted by: Skywatcher2011

There are some drugs out there that cure mental illnesses.

No, they treat mental illnesses.

Take the drugs away, the illnesses come back.

That, sir or madam, is not a cure.

It is for Drug Companies. Wouldn't want to actually cure anything, that crimps sales.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Yup, that reply helped. Appreciate it. As you mentioned, if nothing more, it's an interesting and thought-provoking discussion. Again, I appreciate you engaging me and giving me food for thought. I wouldn't discount the subject matter carrying enough water for a thesis/dissertation -- never know what your committee might sign off on

A couple things: 1) In the thread title is the term "transracialism", I have never encountered that term, so purely in the context of your OP, could you throw me a bone and tell me what it is (or what you mean)?; 2) I may have used the terms prevalence and incidence interchangeably in my first reply, but I do know the difference, so I attempted to illustrate such in the following replies and your remark about homosexuality and it's 'openness' (sorry for another possibly ambiguous term) and closetedness (not sure if that's a term...lol) over time during the Greco-Roman era is precisely what I was aiming for.

Hope that helps clear up any possible contradictory takes I may have made/inferred.

Sidebar: I am sure star and flag counts weren't your motivation in creating this thread, but I, in my humble opinion, am disappointed in the flag count and believe you deserve more 'recognition'. At any rate, look forward to your reply.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Reincarnation, as I understand it in the Greater Scheme of Things, is a way for the consciousness to mature and advance until it has reached Fullness or Completion. In the case of those who feel so attached to their previous incarnation gender or racial identity (or whatever have you), there is the immediate thing to consider....which is more important for the individual, to learn the lessons of the new incarnation and it's circumstances or to revert to a more comfortable familiarity.

As most people in the West are not fully versed in the Reincarnation Process and Dharma one may not understand their feelings of being "in the wrong body" or "born in the wrong culture" but individuals should always be encouraged to accept and love themselves as they are....but Human Beings are willful creatures, and many would risk undergoing a surgery to try and "quick fix" rather than spend their entire lifetime learning the lessons that are to be had with their natural assignments.

It would be interesting to see how the Hindu and Buddhist approach these dilemmas and a study of the prevalence of Transitionals in their Native Cultures at all levels, and what the overall sentiment to such is by learned scholars.

I know we are trying to globally come to an Enlightened Society where no topic (or person) is Verboten, but such an ideal will probably never come to a Universal Agreement over all Class Systems and Individual Perspectives.

originally posted by: BeefNoMeat
a reply to: SlapMonkey

1) In the thread title is the term "transracialism", I have never encountered that term, so purely in the context of your OP, could you throw me a bone and tell me what it is (or what you mean)?

The best thing to do would be to check out the thread to which I linked concerning that (in my OP), but basically, it's when someone feels as if they're from another race or culture than that into which they are born. Rachel Dolezal is a white woman, born to white parents, who identifies as a black woman, even holding a position in the NAACP until the controversy of her race came to light. The thread to which I linked in the OP is about a transsexual white guy who now identifies as a Filipino, even changing his name from "Adam" to "Ja Du." So, Adam was born a white woman, and not identifies as a Filipino man (if I understand that story correctly...that's a lot to take in).

I am sure star and flag counts weren't your motivation in creating this thread, but I, in my humble opinion, am disappointed in the flag count and believe you deserve more 'recognition'. At any rate, look forward to your reply.

Ha...no stars and flags are never my goal--I couldn't even tell you the ballpark number that I have total for either one (but I'll probably look now, since you mentioned it). I did hope that this thread would have had a bit more participation, for sure, because I think that it's something that only the most closed of minds wouldn't be interested in discussing, but not all topics interest all people. It is what it is, I suppose.

Best regards, and take care--I appreciate your interest and discussion.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

You bring up some good points, but the reason why I put the red disclaimer in my OP after the fact was because people were mentioning religion as a way to define reincarnation, and that's not what I'm doing. I'm using the broader, generalized idea of reincarnation as a means to determine a possible "why" behind why some people feel so uncomfortable with and detached from the body/gender/sex/race/culture into which they were born.

But your point about accepting one's self still is valid, in either my or your point of view. Fighting to "fix" something that was obviously a natural happening isn't always the best route to go--I mean, I get physical deformities and whatnot, but I don't think that some "mental dissonances," as I'll call them, were meant to or should be "fixed."

Although, as with most religions, I take the "official" understandings of things with a relative grain of salt, as I have never been convinced by any religion that I've studied well that they have it correct. But, like I've noted in other comments on here, I'm just being completely theoretical in my discussion about this, using it more as a means of thoughtful discussion than, say, a persuasive argument. So, you may very well have a better approach, or neither of us could be correct, and it could just simply be a chemical imbalance or a neuron-firing issue.

I do agree with you, though, since I posted the OP--I would be quite interested in seeing the Hindu and Buddhist take on gender dysphoria as it pertains to reincarnation as they see it. If I have time, I may research that angle and see if it leads me anywhere.

Thanks for the discussion!

a reply to: SlapMonkey


Hmmm, my bad on missing those links in your OP, but thanks for helping me understand transracialism — I did see a news clip about the Rachael D lady and her concern or whatnot (I think I may have heard it here first on ATS?) and essentially just gave it an eye roll.

Maybe a mod or someone will bump this thread to the front page and it’ll get more run...love to hear others’ take on it and what has already been discussed.

Back atcha and same to you.

originally posted by: BeefNoMeat
a reply to: SlapMonkey


I did see a news clip about the Rachael D lady and her concern or whatnot (I think I may have heard it here first on ATS?) and essentially just gave it an eye roll

I did the same thing, although it was an interesting discussion that came from that story.

Please understand (and this goes out to all reading this thread): I do not believe that ALL instances of gender dysphoria or "transracialism" are things felt from the core of an individual. I have no doubt at all that some/many people who claim these things do so out of some sort of disorder or confusion or grasp for attention or just plain inability to be happy with who they are, for whatever reason. But I also do believe that many, if not most, of the instances of GD and "TR" have sincerity behind them, and I'm just positing an theoretical possibility that in and of itself is incapable of being proven at this time, but worthy of contemplation, IMO.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

Thinking of Evolution like this as a process of millions of years on physical and mental levels, I start thinking, in a weird abstract sense: What does the Universe want of us, of itself? Is it important to realize these interconnections of past lives and consciousness, and, use these to learn new lessons from different perspectives - become "enlightened", or is the goal to achieve complete dominion over the physical world to surgically/genetically alter ourselves to whatever specifications we think are important - which I think would inevitably lead to relatively immortal cybernetic beings like the Borg in Star Trek.... I don't know what the answer is - or if there is an "answer" (maybe the Universe really doesn't give a sh*t about what we do)...

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Agreed. I understand what you're saying, so thanks for engaging me and I appreciate the discussion.

Back to your positing of GD/TR/the like being a possible indicator of reincarnation...have you come across the theory of "morphic resonance"? We are still spit-balling here and I believe the idea of morphic resonance should be tossed out there...

I first heard it being discussed on a Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Joe had a guest on (I believe it was a British guy with a Ph.D in some natural science) who was sharing a story about a small bird species in England craftily skimming (pun intended) the cream off the top of milk jugs at a milk plant. It goes, that with each successive generation of birds, that a higher incidence of skimming was observed and skimming was done so in a more efficient manner. It wasn't a problem for the milk distributors when just a few birds were only skimming a bit of the neck of the bottle, but after several years, tons of birds were skimming and drinking the entire neck of the bottle.

Were the youngest birds inheriting the memories of the older, dead birds, who first schemed up the skimming operation? Could the birds share these experiences, and any accompanying wisdom, with other birds while still alive? What would that mechanism be that facilitates the inherited and/or shared wisdom? Reincarnation is a possibility. So, too, is morphic resonance (we have acknowledged reincarnation is incapable of being proven and same goes for morphic resonance). I understand the limitations of drawing comparisons between bird and human consciousness, but it's an off-the-top contemplation in discussing this topic and has merit, IMO.

So, yeah, maybe the genesis of GD/TR/the like -- those instances/cases which have sincerity behind them -- is the result of past life experiences that are incongruous with their current 'state of being'. It makes sense to me. If that is the case, then it stands to reason, the incidence of GD/TR/the like would have been (and will be) the same throughout history. Its prevalence would be a function of social norms/mores at the time; the social norms/mores of today allows for those instances to be accepted and its increased prevalence reflects the difference in the time we live.

If reincarnation, in-of-itself, is unable to account for all (all the sincere ones) instances of GD/TR/the like, maybe it is the case, that it is 'aided' by something like morphic resonance. Accessing the consciousness of both -- the living and the dead -- and using that information to 'make sense' of one's circumstances, based on others' experiences, may explain why we see more sincere instances in society. Those with sincere instances may have accessed/inherited previous experiences that aided them in constructively moving forward in life, where in the past it would have been difficult to disclose one's instance.

It's messy and not completely tied together, but we're just spit-balling here and I'm sure others have a take on it...heck, I'll be thinking about it more and likely have a different take in time.

a reply to: BeefNoMeat

So, in short, you're contemplating the possibility that morphic resonance works in tandem with reincarnation, both of which can automatically, at the point of conception, cause certain attributes/skill within a person, or at least an enhanced foundation of skills from where the current individual can accumulate more of the skill and pass it on to the next generation, giving them an even better foundation/starting point.

It's an interesting theory, for sure. I can see how both could be independent of each other, work in tandem, or be complete nonsense

Hopefully it's not the latter, because this possibility becomes more and more interesting as we discuss it.

Now, to throw a curveball into the topic, what if the 'pieces of consciousness' that come together during reincarnation (my definition, not religious definitions) can also travel through different planes of existence or dimensions in the multiverse? Then the number of possible inherited memories and skills could be endless. And if so, maybe there is a cycle as to when and how much of this is allowed to pass through dimensions/planes, and that's where we get our cycles of cultural advancements around the globe throughout history.

I know, now I'm getting really out there, but if we're talking about skills and memories existing in free-floating particles puzzle pieces or transferring through DNA (or other means) coding, why not throw the multiverse into the mix?

a reply to: SlapMonkey

This is a question that I keep asking myself. I mean, population is ever-increasing, it seems, so one would think that there wouldn't be enough consciousness fragments (as I'm calling them) to come together to animate a new living being at some point.

My opinion on this in particular - Humans are increasing as animals become extinct. Perhaps every living creature has a soul and humans are the new hosts.

(And in the context of the OP: Perhaps this explains why there are so many "furries" around these days. )

I say that in jest, but in all seriousness... I believe the extra souls to fill the increase of humans come from the death of other creatures. I prefer to believe in reincarnation. I don't have any personal experience to corroborate my belief, but I like the idea and have thought often about past lives and such.

Last year I attempted to gain insight into a past life I may have once lived... I don't know if what I saw was just my imagination, or who I had once been, but it was intriguing nonetheless.

I have no thoughts to the actual OP though, except - "It's possible."

(And thank you for an interesting discussion... I don't believe it's a stupid question at all.)

originally posted by: kaelci
My opinion on this in particular - Humans are increasing as animals become extinct. Perhaps every living creature has a soul and humans are the new hosts.

This is something that I was considering when I wrote the comment that you quoted, but I didn't want to introduce that to the discussion just yet...that's for doing it for me.

This also could explain a lot, like the idea of "spirit animals," or what draws you to one species for a pet instead of another, or maybe why some people gravitate toward veganism over being an omnivore (or vice versa, where meat is a very important part of one's diet). Hell, it may even explain why some people are lactose intolerant or why others can suck it down like it's the sweet nectar of life.

(And in the context of the OP: Perhaps this explains why there are so many "furries" around these days.

)

Beat me to that comment, too LOL

I believe the extra souls to fill the increase of humans come from the death of other creatures. I prefer to believe in reincarnation. I don't have any personal experience to corroborate my belief, but I like the idea and have thought often about past lives and such.

What if they're not "extra souls" as much as the balanced amount that the earth needs in order to keep its balance? This is just off the cuff of thinking without researching right now, but it seems like when there are higher number of life forms on earth (at least per the fossil record), the smaller the life forms tend to be, or the lower in number. Humans, for example, are much smaller than the large dinosaurs of "yesteryear," but we have many, many more (I'm assuming) in number.

So, what if it takes more of the puzzle pieces of consciousness (per my theory) to create the life force/soul of a larger being than a smaller one? That could explain that when larger life forms exist, there are fewer, and vice versa. Again--assuming that generalization is correct.

Last year I attempted to gain insight into a past life I may have once lived... I don't know if what I saw was just my imagination, or who I had once been, but it was intriguing nonetheless.

Don't want to share the results or method?

I have no thoughts to the actual OP though, except - "It's possible."

Well, that about sums up my stance on it, too.

Thanks for the thoughtful response

a reply to: SlapMonkey

I, too, hope it's not complete nonsense

Yes, that pretty much sums it up. I haven't had the time to look further into morphic resonance, but that's my take at present.

I don't know if it's a "chicken before the egg" kinda thing, but I would think that a multiverse (or different planes of existence/dimensions) would be a requirement for pieces of consciousness to bleed through. Something else for me to ponder...I'll get back to the discussion when I have more time...it's still spit-balling on my end, but I hope I can add more substance in due time.

a reply to: BeefNoMeat

...been meaning to get back on this.

in a nutshell...yes. but lemme see if i can explain.
if there are a set number of souls, it doesn't preclude the fact that on occasion 2 won't collide and stick. i mean, i don't know what the existential word for "soul glue" is, but anyway...
as far as the more recent souls, i'm talking generational (perhaps). not just the ones that got put back in the blender yesterday. it could also explain the rate of progression in society...accounting for them being present in the cosmos again.

that's the best i can explain it at the moment. i'm stuck in the middle of an impromptu old lady crochet class and one of them keeps talking about her eye goop.
jesus...