You chose to be human!
In both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the process of incarnation as a human is not random; rather, souls choose to take human form at specific times, drawn by karmic patterns, past-life aspirations, and the collective needs of the world. The Bhagavad Gita, for instance, speaks of how divine beings, including Krishna himself, incarnate in times of great turmoil to restore balance:
"Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an increase in unrighteousness, O Arjuna, at that time I manifest Myself on earth." (Bhagavad Gita 4.7)
While Krishna’s incarnation is a divine intervention, this principle extends to all beings—souls are drawn to human birth in moments when their presence and gifts are most needed. Similarly, in Mahayana Buddhism, the bodhisattva ideal teaches that highly evolved beings deliberately reincarnate during times of great suffering to aid others in awakening. The bodhisattva Vimalakirti, for example, chooses to be reborn not in serene, enlightened realms but in corrupted societies to engage in compassionate action.
In Tibetan Buddhist texts, there are also stories of beings consciously selecting their rebirths. The Bardo Thodol (Tibetan Book of the Dead) describes how, in the intermediate state between death and rebirth, a soul is drawn to the conditions that match its karmic propensities and aspirations. Some recognize the suffering of the world and step forward, choosing a lineage, a body, a family, a moment in history where their presence can be of service and have “meaning”.
This understanding suggests that everyone alive today—amidst polycrisis, climate collapse, rising fascism, and deepening inequalities—has, on some level, chosen to be here. Whether consciously or because of karmic influences, each soul has arrived at this moment with a purpose, however hidden or hard it may seem. Some may be here to heal ancestral wounds, others to resist oppression, and still others to midwife new ways of being or simply make sense of things.
Thus, if you are alive now, it is not by accident. You are part of a great unfolding—a soul who, in the vast expanse of time, saw this moment of crisis and chose to incarnate not in a golden age of peace, but in the fires of transformation. Your and my presence is a deep calling. Let’s go very very still and let us hear what our soul’s purpose is amidst the madness and chaos.
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