What's the Story with Reincarnation?

Question:

I have a question (rather a big one!).

What's the story with reincarnation? Who is reincarnated, and why?

Answer:

Imagine you are a volunteer for a humanitarian organisation. Your boss sends you on a five year assignment to an underprivileged community. Your mission: to bring hope and meaning in life to as many people as possible. You are given a list of goals to achieve, provisions and a budget with which to get it all done. You will miss your family and friends, but your sense of responsibility pushes you to accept the challenge.

As soon as you arrive in the community, your work begins. Every day has its specific tasks, and you carefully assess and divide your time appropriately, aware that there is much to achieve and little time to achieve it.

The five years go by very quickly. It is very hard for you to leave; you have become attached to the many people with whom you have come into contact, you have enjoyed the sense of achievement, and you can't help feeling that there is so much more to do. But your time is up. Your family is waiting. You have to go home.

Upon your return, even before you are allowed to reunite with your family, you are taken to your boss to give a detailed report of your trip. He has been following your progress from afar and wants to go over it with you. He smiles as you recount your small victories -- the hope you brought to lonely families, the new life you showed to forgotten souls. He cries with you over your failings. Sometimes you overslept, and missed the opportunity to help a hungry child. You spent some of your money on unnecessary indulgences. On the whole your mission was a success, most of your time and money well spent. But there is unfinished work.

Your boss addresses you:

"I know it wasn't easy. You have done a fantastic job, and I am proud of you. But there is some unfinished business. Hand in your left-over money and provisions. We have other volunteers waiting to take over your job. You are free to go home to your family."

You are overjoyed. The reunion with your loved ones is even more emotional than you had imagined. But after you have settled back home, something bothers you. You realize that a part of you was left behind. You feel that your mission is not complete. Things were left hanging, and that prevents you from fully reintegrating into your old life.

Until one day the boss calls. He tells you that the work is done. Building on your groundwork, and taking up from where you left off, other volunteers had been able to give the finishing touches to take the community to where it needed to go.

Now you can truly be at rest. Your mission is fulfilled.