For what it's worth, the chances that you will remain "you" for more than a short time are next to nil. You're different from your teenage self, who was different from your child self. Those people are dead, locked in the memories of a living person only slightly.
When you get old, there's a good chance brain disease will slowly erase your personality until nothing is left.
As you wander around the world, your blood pumps and exchanges ions, changing the physical substrate of your brain at every instant. Your sense of self is an illusion.
I think trying to hang onto who you are is like trying to hang onto a dream you're waking up from, but with the advantage that you can try to guide your future self into being a better person than you were.
I can clearly state that me 2015 is a distinctly different person than me mid-2013, some ways better some ways worse. My physical substrate has certainly changed. The fact that change is usually gradual and smooth hides the truth within a story we tell ourselves, mostly because our memories provide a sense of continuity.
That said, it's up to each person to weigh the risks of using a psychedelic drug. Would it help guide you into who you want to be in the future?
When you get old, there's a good chance brain disease will slowly erase your personality until nothing is left.
As you wander around the world, your blood pumps and exchanges ions, changing the physical substrate of your brain at every instant. Your sense of self is an illusion.
I think trying to hang onto who you are is like trying to hang onto a dream you're waking up from, but with the advantage that you can try to guide your future self into being a better person than you were.
I can clearly state that me 2015 is a distinctly different person than me mid-2013, some ways better some ways worse. My physical substrate has certainly changed. The fact that change is usually gradual and smooth hides the truth within a story we tell ourselves, mostly because our memories provide a sense of continuity.
That said, it's up to each person to weigh the risks of using a psychedelic drug. Would it help guide you into who you want to be in the future?