Social Question

MRSHINYSHOES's avatar

When you look at a photo that was taken before you were born, or watch an old movie that was made before you were born, did you ever think to yourself, "Where was my soul at that time?"?

Asked by MRSHINYSHOES (13996points) June 20th, 2011
21 responses
“Great Question” (4points)

I know it’s a rather silly question, because you didn’t exist yet, physically, but have you ever watched an old movie or looked at an old historical photograph and wondered about your “spiritual existence” or where your soul was at the time? I’ve often wondered about that, especially when I watch an old movie like Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights” and think “The sun is shining in that outdoor scene, the trees are blowing gently in the wind, there are hundreds of people walking around, etc., yet did I exist in some other world back then?”

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Answers

faye's avatar

I have thought about that, years ago, watching westerns. I really like westerns and they are often pretty cheesy.

JLeslie's avatar

Never.

jonsblond's avatar

I don’t think it’s a silly question at all. I rather like it. =)

I’ve often felt I belonged in an earlier era. Maybe my soul wasn’t there, but my heart is.

Jude's avatar

I was that twinkle in my Daddy’s eye.

JLeslie's avatar

Whenever I think of the possibility of past or future lives it is never regarding an era, it is always regarding the people I love and interact with. Was my husband my son? Was my best friend my sister? Was zen my teacher? Was janbb my adopted mother? Will my grandma be my baby? That sort of thing.

Prosb's avatar

I never think of something like that. I do however sometimes think along the lines of, “Wow, that’s the same sun we’ve all had, since this planet first formed.”
Or, seeing an older tree next to a busy street I wonder, “What things has this tree seen in the past decades? How many accidents? Public quarrels? Romantic moments?”

ucme's avatar

I haven’t no, but I frequently wish I was born in a different era….me wanna be a cowboy grandma!!
When I was a kid watching old black & white movies or Harold Lloyd shorts, I was completely convinced the world was in monochrome back then. Like grey trees & charcoal oceans…..yes, I was that deluded ;¬}

Bellatrix's avatar

No, I can’t say that thought ever occurred to me. I sometimes wonder about those in the film/picture though. I look at pictures of my parents when they were younger than me and wonder if they had the same fears, hopes etc. My dad was only about 44 when my mum died and he was left with five children, I wonder how he coped. I don’t know how I would cope with such a thing? So, I wonder about the people in the film or picture rather than thinking about me.

markylit's avatar

That’s quite profound. I haven’t thought about it until I read this question.

Cruiser's avatar

I do believe in reincarnation as my atoms were someplace else before I was born and have to consider the source….my parents. That being said I imagine I am part of their last few meals before my dad jumped my moms bones so I could be a steak dinner and part cow who ate bug filled grass and grain….or I could be a pasta dinner and I am part tomato and basil…hopefully they had some Captain Crunch for breakfast as how cool would that be to be part sweet crunchy goodness! After conception it then comes back to nine months of what ever a food crazed mom was craving and knowing my mom’s eating habits explains a LOT of who I am today! LOL!

john65pennington's avatar

Several times in my real lifetime, I have been in a situation or location, that seemed so familiar to me. I asked myself, “have I been here before?”.

I think that all of us, at one time in our life, have asked ourselves this question.

crisw's avatar

No, never. There was no “me” at that time, at all.

KatawaGrey's avatar

Nope, mostly I wonder how anybody got laid in the eighties with the hair and shoulder pad thing that was going on.

JLeslie's avatar

@KatawaGrey I actually miss 80’s hair. Lol.

Kardamom's avatar

No, that is not something that would ever occur to me to think about. I don’t believe in souls or re-incarnation. All I know is that scientific fact that first I was partially and egg and partially a sperm inside my parent’s bodies. Before that, each of my parents were partially sperm and egg in their own parent’s bodies. It’s pretty simple.

Berserker's avatar

Since I don’t believe in souls, I’ve never asked myself this. Cool question though.

But sometimes, when I watch Night of the Living Dead I’m all like, I was there man, I was there.

Kardamom's avatar

@Symbeline I have no doubt in my mind that you were there. LOL

Berserker's avatar

@Kardamom Love your answer. It’s funny to think about…we were all sperm at one point. Our parents had sex, and we raced like mad to reach the egg. raced against millions.

We made it man, we made it.

That calls for a Dawn of the Dead quote; We got this, man. We got this by the ass!

Coloma's avatar

I can’t say I have had that exact thought, but, I tend to HOPE that we are reincarnated, it makes sense in many ways, and would sure explain the state of affairs in the world and in individuals, as it would truly prove that everything IS perfect, just a lot of unfinished souls, by degree, from basically very high to very low orientation and interactions.

I have always felt a deep attraction to the old south, the civil war era, as well as provincial times and old west/pioneer times as well. One never knows! ;-)

I do have a couple of antique pieces that have posed the contemplating of how many different people, homes, were these pieces in and I wonder about hidden energy.

I have an antique buffet I use in my movie room for storage and for my TV and DVD player, and it is interesting to think of it’s manifestation in about 1890 and all the various situations it has been a part of.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

More to the point I am amazed of all the stuff that happened before I was here and wonder how much more will happen once I am gone. I also wonder why was it this time I was born and of there was some meaning for it or if it was just random. I would have hated to be born at this time for some greater cause that I failed to see. Imagine if Einstein had been born in the time of the Dark Ages, would his contribution to man been as significant? What if Alexander Gram Bell would have been born under the rule of Marcus Aurelius, would he have been an inventor, a poet or something else?

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