My oldest sister is a Buddhist, and she firmly believes in rebirth. She once had a conversation with a fortune teller of sorts, although she is not known for being naive, and she said the experience was quite profound. The “mystic” told her that she had been here before, several times, and other things that made much sense to her.
I thought about that a lot, and began to reach the conclusion that I certainly haven’t been here before. Much of what people accept as normal, even down to the level of social interaction feels quite alien to me, and although I have reached an age where I can accept things and make sense out of them, I still don’t feel like this is my “home planet”.
I used to have to pretend, almost all the time, just to “fit in”, but luckily I’ve reached an age where I can be honest, first and foremost with myself, and now with others. It’s very liberating, and removing all those layers of manipulation and deception simplifies life in ways that I really wish I had discovered sooner.
I always thought that most religions have a “solid core”, consisting of God, the Prophets, and God’s will - which effortlessly equates to the trancendentals you mentioned: Truth, Beauty, Goodness and Unity. The doctrine, hierarchy, and further laws that are built on top however, are man-made, and are subject to flaws just as man is.
Here’s one of the first things I posted here:
It’s truly what I believe, expressed in very simplistic (and perhaps meandering) terms.