An interesting post looftee and lots of points to give people reason to think . I would like to suggest a different theory along similar lines that I picked up whilst listening to the philosopher Neil Kramer. Suppose each of us has a 10,000 year existence here on earth comprised of many lifetimes. During our first lifetime our instincts are very base and we are selfish, ruthless and greedy etc but as we progress through different lives with different experiences both new and retained from previous incarnations of our soul, we slowly become more compassionate and modest in our interactions with others and with the earth itself. After many, many reincarnations with the required knowledge and wisdom gained through our experiences, we should be in a position to move on to whatever the next challenge holds. So the world we live in now may well be filled with souls here on their first 'ride' as Bill Hicks would put it, as well as others who are here on their last ride, wise and knowledgeable enough to 'ascend' to the next level. The problem may be that there are more entry level humans than graduating ones. :)

thanks for the post!