The Explanation

You were on your way home when you died.

It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMT's tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered. You're better off now. trust me.

And that's when you met me.

"What... what happened?" You asked. "Where am I?"

"You died." I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.

"There was... It was a truck. It was skidding..."

"Yup." I said.

"I... I'm dead?"

"Yup. But don't feel bad about it. Everyone dies." I said.

You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. No color. No sound. No feeling or smell. It was... just.

"What is this place?" you asked. "The afterlife?"

"More or less." I shrugged.

"Are you God?"

"Yup." I smiled. "I'm God."

"My kids... my wife... my family..."

"What about them?"

"Will they be alright?"

"That's what I like to see." I smiled again. "You just died and your main concern is your family. that's good stuff right there. Very commendable, kind sir."

You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn't look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.

"Don't worry." I said. "They'll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. they didn't have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. Don't be upset. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it's any consolation, she'll feel very guilty for feeling relieved."

"Oh." you said, looking away from me in thought. "So... what happens now? Do I go to Heaven or Hell or something?"

"Neither. You'll be reincarnated."

"Ah. So the Hindus were right."

"All religions are right in their own way." I said. "Walk with me."

"Walk?" You looked down at the nothing below you. "On what? Where are we going?"

"Nowhere in particular." I said. "It's just nice to walk while we talk."

"So... what's the point then?" you said, following me. "When I'm born again, I'll just be a blank slate right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything i did in this life won't matter."

"Not so!" I said. "You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. you just don't remember them right now."

I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. "Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It's like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it's hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel and when you bring it back out, you've gained all the experiences it had.

"You've been a human for the last 48 years, so you haven't stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here long enough, you'd start remembering everything. But there's no point in doing that between each life."

"How many times have i been reincarnated?"

"Oh lots. Lots and lots. And into lots of different lives. This time around, you'll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD."

"Wait, what?" you stammered. "You're sending me back in time?"

"Well, i guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from."

"Where you come from?"

"Oh sure." I smirked. "I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you'll want to know what it's like there, but honestly you wouldn't understand."

"Oh." You said, a little let down. "But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point."

"Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don't even know what's happening."

"So what's the point of it all?"

"Seriously?" I asked. "Seriously? You're asking me for the meaning of life? Kind of stereotypical, isn't it?"

"Well it's a reasonable question."

I looked you in the eye. "The meaning of life, the reason I made this... all of this" I waved my hands around me, indicating all directions, "is for you to mature."

"You mean mankind? You want us to mature?"

"No. Just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect."

"Just me? What about everyone else?"

"There is no one else. In this universe, there's just you an me."

You stared blankly at me. "But all the people on Earth..."

"All you. Different incarnations of you."

"Wait. I'm... everyone?"

"Now you're getting it," I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.

"I'm every human who ever lived... Ever?"

"Or who will ever live, yes."

"I'm Abraham Lincoln?"

"And you're John Wilkes Booth, too," I added.

"I'm Hitler?" you asked, appalled.

"And you're the millions he killed."

"I'm... I'm Jesus?"

"And you're everyone who followed him."

"When I had sex..." your eyes got wide and you looked at me for an answer.

I shrugged. "Puts a whole new spin on masturbation, doesn't it?"

You fell silent.

"Every time you victimized someone," I said, "You were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you've ever done, you've done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you."

You thought for a long time.

"Why?" You asked me. "Why do all of this?"

"Because, someday, you will become like me. Because that's what you are. You're one of a kind. You're my child."

"Whoa whoa whoa." you waved your hands in front of you, not believing what you were hearing. "You mean... you're telling me that I'm a god?"

"No. Not yet anyway. You're a fetus. you're still growing. once you've lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born."

"So the whole universe," you said, "It's just..."

"An egg." I answered. "Now it's time for you to move on to your next life."

And I sent you on your way.