Reincarnation

I spoke to an Amazonian ayawaska shaman once about reincarnation. Cool dude. Anyway, what he told me was very important. He first made it very clear that he did not believe any personal information or knowledge was transfered between people in the process of reincarnation. Later I'll explain why I think this is only partially true. He spoke about how God each gives us a "light bank" upon our arrival on this world and by spending this "light currency" we increased the value, or total sum, in our light bank. He was very vague on the nature of the currency but was able to tell me that you spent this currency by doing good deeds and helping others. If you squandered this light currency or were frugal with your kindness, you lost some from your bank.
He told me that when you die, your light bank is transfered to another person when they are born. He didn't speak about how this next person was chosen. He wasn't able to explain how this transfer happened or even why, but his language use was that God had been the one to transfer this light bank.

Quick breakdown.
• You're born with some kind of inherent good quality. 
• You receive this quality from another person (somehow).
• You increase this quality by doing good deeds. 
   Alternatively, you lose this quality by doing bad deeds.
• Upon death you transfer this quality (somehow) to someone else. 
• Absolutely no personal information is traded. 

--The Interpretation-- 

First, I think the most important aspect of this translation is to figure out how goodness is transfered from one person and another. Like I said before, Ali (the shaman) said that by doing good deeds you increased this quality. Of course if you do some kind of good deed, there is a recipient. This is the basis of my interpretation of the transaction. Instead of one life to the next, it is between one individual and another within their lifetime. God then would be the circumstances and opportunities that allow for you to do these good deeds (see pantheism).

If you're born with this inherent good quality it would make sense that you're born into a community of this good quality. That wording is a little funny so allow me to rephrase. The amount of light you are born with is entirely dependent on your environment. You may be a naturally good person but let's not forget that this is a transfer between people and that each person receives their base amount from other people- in this case, their community.

This would also fit into the fact that no personal information is exchanged but here is where I think it is kind of a half truth. While you don't receive the memories of another lifetime at birth, you do receive stories and shared experiences throughout your lifetime. This, of course, is in the same social process that allows you to do these good deeds. In caring for someone, you take a part of them with you. In that respect, the social reincarnation- the rebirth of a generation- does carry personal information; just as a series of tribesmen will share an oral tradition over generations.

Here is where it gets real interesting.

In this diagram, the large circle represents our community as a whole, 

the smaller circles would be the individuals within that community. 

As each individual increases their light bank by doing good deeds, their circle grows larger.
As the whole of the community gathers more and more light (positive karma, whathaveyou), it influences the city. Now imagine each small circle as its own city within the state (large circle). Each state within the country. Each country within the continent. Each continent within the Earth, and so on.

And so you can start to see the idea of reincarnation as a way to explain social evolution over generations.

(This same model can be used to illustrate any kind of communal change. Genetic diversity of biological evolution, the democratic process, social trends of any kind, particles/cells/organs/humans/planets- many implications, simple diagram)