Past lives are weird...

[xise]

Sometimes people elevate a vague notion to the status of a theory. This overextension is commonplace because you get the semblance of answer for no invested effort. Everything is possible if everything is entertained, merely because we do not care to know better. However, without investigation of supporting principles and mechanisms there is nothing to learn from it - the idea just points towards another idea which suggests a possibility without any accountability whatsoever.

I can one up you and say that since "all is one", we've all shared everyone's past lives. And in elevating the situation to that absurdity of infinity we've just explained everything and nothing at all.

You're quite correct that I don't use the word theory as per its actual (scientific?) definition. The word notion is a much better word for it. I don't rule out notions, nor do I let them replace actual responsibility for learning (or at least I try not to). Many notions are in practice untestable, and thus are only useful as curiosities. I only commented because it's common to hear talk of simultaneous incarnations, in multiple universes, along with multiple timelines, at least in new age circles, and so I think for some people, there is an open question as to whether multiple people can have the same incarnation. Personally, for me, I don't think it matters to me whether multiple people claimed to be the same person in a previous life, since the whole previous lives thing is so hard to objectively verify. It's something subjective, and who am I to determine whether a subjective experience for someone else is true or not true?

However, I do think there is a real danger to get carried away and use notions in place of real learning about our experiences in this world. I agree with your note of caution!