Jeff Curtis was "a no-good son of a bitch".
Peter Proud? Mild-mannered New England nice guy.
If reincarnation is the placing of a man's soul into another body, shouldn't that soul have the same personality?
Haven't seen this in years, but I don't recall this very fundamental issue being addressed at all.
I'm far from an expert on these matters, but doesn't reincarnation serve to give the soul a second chance (or a third or a fourth one) in a different body? It seems like reincarnation almost serves as retribution for past injustices, so a slave master would later become a slave, and so on. How the soul knows to switch gears like that is beyond me. I haven't seen this in years either. Anyone else?
shareWell, it seems to me that Peter Proud is not all that much of a "nice guy". Like the man he was reincarnated from, he feels compelled to have sex with his own daughter, even marry her. Jeff Curtis was a womanizer, too, unable to control his urges, so there are lots of parallels between Jeff Curtis and Peter Proud.
I like the movie, even though it is rather slow and tedious at times.
His sins were so ungodly he had to pay the double price!
What I couldn't understand was how he got to the lake faster than Marcia, when she left earlier.
Yes, sadly, I agree. His bad karma was so bad that he had to be killed twice in a row for his moral crimes. I think Peter Proud was an okay guy too- definitely better than Jeff! Plus, he did NOT sleep with his 'own daughter'. They are not genetically related. According to the principles of reincarnation, people are reborn and can become each others' family members and lovers in various lives. The person you are having a romantic relationship right now could indeed have been a child, sibling or parent of yours in a past life- random mosquitoes you kill could be family members being reborn in the animal realm due to really horrible karma- that's one reason why Buddhists and Hindus oppose killing of any being. Luckily, most people don't remember their past lives, but some people do (especially young children).
You also don't have to have the same personality each time you are born- the personality you have is dependent on your karma from other past lives. It's possible to share traits with your different incarnations, though. Clearly, Peter must have done some good deeds in his other past lives to be born in the human realm right after spending a corrupt life as Jeff.
Poor Peter :(
Peter Proud knowingly went into a relationship with his daughter from a previously life which is on the same level as a stepfather having a relationship with a stepdaughter. Peter is also harassing his previous wife, knowing what an a-hole he was and what he did to her. Clearly from Marcia's perspective he's not only back in her life, but aslo in her daughter's. She is unhinged with a gun, never a good combination. He played too close to the fire and got burned.
shareThat comparison is stupid. They were not related in any way. And he was not harassing Marcia.
share"His bad karma was so bad that he had to be killed twice in a row."
Heh heh... "row".
If reincarnation is the placing of a man's soul into another body, shouldn't that soul have the same personality?
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I thought that at first too but the woman he was sleeping with at the beginning of the movie later mentions that she got a letter from her fiancee - who also sent one to Peter so I am assuming that they were all on friendly terms. So he was sleeping with a friends girlfriend while the friend was away. That seems not so nice and mild mannered.
The major difference between Peter and Jeff seemed to be that the woman sleeping with Peter had no illusions about their relationship. In that case, she had the more "Jeff" personality despite the fact that we do not know if her fiancee knows that she has been sleeping with Peter while he was away.
Jeff also did not seem to care if people knew that he was sleeping around despite the fact that he was married - though it seemed that Jeff only married for financial reasons.
Also the way I see it is that the majority of your personality is genetic - predispositions to seeing the world in certain terms. But it is also shaped by your life experiences. Jeff may have been suffering from PTSD after being injured during war time which might have contributed to his bad attitude and drinking. It is very possible that while he was sober he might have been just as charming as Peter seemed. How else did he get margot kidders character to fall in love with him enough that she married him despite her father not approving?
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I just think that poor Peter Proud had the misfortune to have been a bastard in his previous life, and now his homicidal wife was going to punish him a second time for the sins of his predecessor. But he was a good guy, regardless.
shareIf you believe in reincarnation, you probably also believe in the zodiac, which means that you probably believe your personality is formed as much by your natal chart as by environment, or even DNA. I've even heard a psychic refer to 'parachuting back into life' under the perfect 'sign'.
shareI don't believe in reincarnation and I'm an agnostic at best.
But, if I was an alien and convinced that there was a true religion that was practiced on earth, I believe I would choose reincarnation after researching each and every one. It makes the most sense really.
What's always bothered me is that I know kids who were born to shitty families who didn't teach them right or wrong, and indeed taught them to take whatever they can out of life. What's to happen to a kid brought up under these circumstances? Should he go to hell if he steals, cheats, lies, and harms others where he might have been a good human if he was my son instead?
Reincarnation would take out societal influences if the soul is reincarnated many times until it grows to the point of advancing.