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Lets say for arguments sake, that a world, with maximum population of 5 billion, the common Joe gets reincarnated a few hundred times since the creation of humankind. This type of reincarnation is specific only to humans and didn't so much matter till record keeping was invented. The Old Soul doesn't have very many memories of their previous lives just things similar to what we have as deja vu. Looks, memories and more importantly the names, which are recorded at every birth determine what soul inhabits a baby. A child can grow, learn and have the childhood of any other without the thought that they have lived before. Only in strong instances can a memory surface. All they know is that there name is what ties them to where they grow up, their occupation, their role in the world of society.

The ether stores energy of converted souls (animals, dinos, insects, etc) to transfer the souls into bodies and every once in a long long time, create a new soul.

With that background knowledge, plausibly speaking, how would it be possible to keep the same group of souls continuously entering new bodies while others take longer? What could substitute the hiatus of a souls sleep to bypass decades and jump right into a new body after say, a week or so?

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  • $\begingroup$ So your question is about why a select group of souls get reincarnated very quickly compared to all the rest? Oh, and what was all that about names? Could you clarify that part? $\endgroup$
    – AngelPray
    Dec 28, 2018 at 17:39
  • $\begingroup$ Pretty much, I'm trying to figure out the logistics of how one soul can get a new body quicker then a soul that has been sleeping for 100 years. A better idea other then they are cutting in line. I need it possible to have 5 friends all born together at the same time but each can die at different times. The names are basically an ID number to the signature of the soul. So if your name is Angel, that's basically been your name every time you've been born and someone with the name Angel has the memories of past reincarnations previously named Angel. Was that a little bit more clear? $\endgroup$
    – Isillome
    Dec 28, 2018 at 17:45
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    $\begingroup$ Are the controllers of the reincarnation susceptible to bribery, blackmail or influence? Can the process of reincarnation be gamed? Is it controlled by computers which can be hacked? Is it controlled by gods who can be propitiated by intercessory prayers? $\endgroup$
    – AlexP
    Dec 28, 2018 at 18:01
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    $\begingroup$ In other words... you want to know how to bind a group of souls together such that the individuals all wait in spirit-storage until the last dude dies, then they all reincarnate together? If so, are you asking us how that binding could take place? (Is that an answerable question without your detailed explanation of how reincarnation works on your world? What would make "love" a better/worse answer than "a curse" or "god designed it that way"?) $\endgroup$
    – JBH
    Dec 28, 2018 at 18:39
  • $\begingroup$ There is no way to bribe, or blackmail the ether. It is sentient however not a being and not in a particular spot you can go to. It could be considered a god but not everyone worships it nor even knows about it. It could be considered a pre-programmed entity that does what it what, but has been doing the same thing for centuries. $\endgroup$
    – Isillome
    Dec 28, 2018 at 19:14

2 Answers 2

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Souls are not all the same. Certain souls are suited for certain purposes.

utensil drawer

https://www.twotwentyone.net/organizing-the-kitchen-utensil-drawer/

Consider my utensils. The big metal spatula is in heavy rotation. Often it will wind up in the dishwasher with the chef knife. If it is for pasta, the slotted spoon might be along too. The whisk and the spatula tend to be out together, often with the metal measuring cups. Those corncob holders stay in the drawer for months at a time. There is some pastry thing in there I am not sure how to use, and it stays in there.

So too souls. Certain souls are suited for certain purposes, and the frequency with which that purpose occurs determines the rotation / reincarnation frequency of that soul.

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When they died matters

The universe likes to keep things in balance, but the universe - not being sapient - is quite dumb about it. So, a body that dies of old age at 80, 90, etc years old will take the normal time to re-birth. A child? They didn't even have a chance to have new experiences, so they get bumped up in line. This scales, in some fashion, so there is an "optimal" age to die at which you don't have a long wait, but you still live long enough to have an effect.

Someone in some power has discovered this. They discovered that if they commit some form of suicide at a specific age, they can maximize their time "living" with minimal wait.

In addition, there can be other things that affect the position in line. Number of children, chronic ilnesses, etc. Depending on what you go for, you could make it so even if the average joe finds out about the optimal age, they still have to work at things to make it happen.

It also has an interesting side effect of making capital punishment less appealing in some cases. Make the person sit in jail for a few decades, and then you don't have to deal with them for quite some time since the universe only saw a long life.

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