As you have surely realized by now, your "scientific actors" no longer trigger any reaction.
Perhaps like me, you have also come to understand just what kind of mess we are mired in, and how escaping it has now become absolutely impossible. It no longer merely *seems* that way; now there are logical conclusions irrefutable ones staring us right in the face.
At least for me. ;)
So, gentlemen: The punishments are REAL.
Our lives are a blend of autonomous action and programmed sequences.
The insidious part is that it is impossible to feel or perceive the transitions between the two.
It simply works and, like everything else, it can only be analyzed in retrospect.
Once one has understood one's own retrospective, the path forward reveals itself.
And we possess free will. For instance, I was faced with a choice: to care for my ailing mother, or to lead a digital nomad lifestyle in Asia. My conscience guided me toward the right decision. I could just as easily have chosen the other path.
Conversely, this implies that these are punitive tasks tests, essentially that are still being administered.
Ergo, we can evade our punishments thereby only worsening the situation further.
The silver lining in this whole creepy business after analyzing my past lives is that it amounts to nothing more than three days in kindergarten. Nevertheless, it is no trivial matter when you can recall the worries that once plagued you. Believe me: even two lifetimes down the road, a whole heap of creepy crap still clings to you stuff you’d really rather have nothing to do with.
This "kindergarten" demands everything you’ve got especially if you fail to heed the voice of your conscience.