Reply #184: That idea

[manic expression]

is very convincing, IMO. It is backed up by the Law of Conservation of Matter/Energy. Energy and matter is not lost, but it is transfered to something else.

As a metaphor, picture a drop of water. It can occupy any body of water or even different states of matter (liquid, ice, gas) without changing, just as the individual soul does with physical manifestations.

Everything ends, but everything begins again. That which is constant through this cycle is the true self of the entity, which is connected with all and ultimately is the reality of all things.

That's just my opinion.

Hinduism has influenced my ideas.