The Ship of Theseus

From the moment we are born, who we are as individuals is in constant flux; continuously evolving. We accrue influences, form new memories and shed old ones. Moment to moment we are slightly different individuals, but somehow across time, we feel like the same person. What makes someone the same person from one moment to the next-- if they even are the same person?

• Is it their interests? People's interests change over time (though, when the outward perception of those changes are dramatic, it's seen as a mid-life crisis).
• Is it their values? There are times when people change their values for various reasons. Maybe there are deeper, subconscious, fundamental values: a person's nature.
• Is it the continuity of transitions that show some consistency of identity? How much can an individual change in a certain period of time before they could technically be considered a different person?
• Maybe it's just the agreement held by the individual-- and those around them-- that they are still themselves.

Although we are constantly changing, there's a level of certainty we have about ourselves at any given moment-- that all the things we are composed of, actually composes us. That level of certainty is also in flux. When people go through traumatic experiences, witness awesome or revelatory moments, this can shake up that certainty. At their most extreme, these experiences can leave someone feeling a sense of vertigo as they try to make sense of their entire lives, grasping for and analyzing pieces of their identity. At the end of such cathartic moments, a person may end up more sure about themselves, and certainly more refined. The image above shows what my experience from 2018 to 2023 has been like. If it showed your life experiences, what would it look like?

Charity

• Clean Air Task Force (address climate-related issues)
• Save the Children (end child hunger)
• Revived Soldiers Ukraine (support Ukraine)