If any of us is lucky enough to live a long life, is the person who eventually dies the very same one who was born? I realize that, in many ways, this seems like a foolish question with such an obvious answer. Of course, we're the same person. Why would you ask such a question?
But what about you or me is the same?
Physically, our bodies are made up of cells that are constantly dying and being replenished. Red blood cells have a lifespan of a mere 4 months and their white counterparts only live for a few days to approximately one month. Skin cells are constantly dying and are replaced by new cells. Our organs are constantly being renewed via this cycle. So most, if not all, of the original biological components we are born with are long gone by the time we die.
Emotionally, we in no way resemble the little babe that popped out of the womb. In the very beginning, our personalities are close to a blank slate. As we encounter the world around us, our personality begins to gel. It is shaped not only by our reactions to various stimuli, but also due to external conditioning (i.e., socialization and education). So, the emotional person that dies at age 40 or 80 is not the same emotional person born 40 or 80 years ago.
Many would say that it is our consciousness that is the same, but since consciousness is impacted by our physical and emotional self -- and these two components have changed dramatically over the course of our life -- it could just as easily be argued that our consciousness too is not the same one we were born with.
So, if all the various parts that make up what we call you and me are in a constant state of flux, what is it about you or me that we can say is a permanent component of this thing we call the self? This is not a rhetorical question. I'd really like to read what you have to say. It's a question I ponder quite frequently.
Who are you really?
Does what might be called an "objective self" really exist? Because of all the reasons you cite, I am inclined to think that it does not.... And I think that "no self" aligns very much with Buddhist thought on this matter.
ReplyDeleteBut that is hard concept to swallow, to wrap one's head around. We need some sense of a unique self to get through life....
I have pondered over this question before, and I feel that the thing that remains the same about us is our memories. Memories cause us to continue behaving in a certain way. The effect of genes also counts as well.
ReplyDeleteHeraclitus said "You never step in the same river twice". Actually you never step in the same water twice. While our bodies and minds change within time I would say that our essence remains the same, that we are not a blank slate, and that experience is categorized into preexisting slots. The configuration of those slots is like music on a page. We each have our own song. Our experience dictates how that song will be played. My song is Punk.
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