What amazes me is that in our own lives how little any of this matters. It's great we are going to go to an afterlife or reincarnate again in some new form, but what does that do for us in the living moments of our lives. We can't reach out and touch any of that. We can touch a grilled cheese sandwich though.
I do miss the days I observed science and metaphysics without fear for myself. Those days have passed me by. I still enjoy the occasional musing when I am feeling up. But I came to the conclusion that it only matters in that there is something to believe in that isn't completely pessimistic. I work on optimism now but the going gets hard sometimes.
The quality of my science research is excellent as was the quality of my metaphysical speculation. Yet I was forced to abandon some of the later because it was too hierarchical. What is a universe of truly equal beings like? Are we truly equal? Surely the answer in the eyes of the divine is yes. No one is better than anyone else in terms of their value. This is the morally right answer.
Where does that leave us? It leaves us with a simple and easy to understand version of reality where everyone has value. Thus we must make sure that that ideal is the one we live with, by, and through. Whatever remains of our elitism must be cleansed from us. This is the standard.