Reincarnation: Is there an advantage for non-believers?

[Tenet Nosce]

I didn't think you were attacking anything I assumed you were just a friendly person.

Oh sorry, I wasn't really meaning to insinuate that you personally were. Just commenting on the thread as a whole. That's why I separated the second part of my response with the line. And to point out that I felt the question needed reframing.

To take another stab at your question, people choose lives that give them "contrast" or "catalyst" or "polarity" which helps them move forward. Not lives which give them ease, which encourages them to dally and pick flowers.

Yes, that's what I am wondering about. I get a sense that in cultures which -do- believe in reincarnation, there could maybe be a propensity to "get less done" spiritually-speaking. (The wheel is spinning round and round, and since most of us are nowhere near getting off of it, why bother?)

But on the other hand, I can also see how -not- believing in reincarnation can serve as an impediment. The "straight line" approach of the Abrahamic religions sort of tends toward a (somewhat ironically) materialistic and ego-centered view. (Since this is our only time here, we should strive for comfort and to "make the best of it" while we await Salvation.)

One motion is as a circle. The other as a line. The Reality is a spiral.

I suppose every situation is unique, and the belief in reincarnation is just one parameter among many to select from. Though this does underscore the idea that it is not in any case necessary to have the philosophy correct in order to spiritually evolve as an individual.

Yet... would we not still benefit- as a collective- from having the correct image in mind? It still seems to me that much of the "conflict" in the population is due to this clash of worldviews, as represented by the circle and the line.