What Are Your Chances of Being Born as You?

[Capt Lightning]

I found myself thinking about being given my own chance of life on the planet. At birth, the baby is naturally given a sense of self, so when I was born, I became me. Theoretically it seems like there was an infinitely small chance of this happening, because there was a much bigger chance that a baby would be born as someone else, but in each of our cases, we lucked out on the Wheel of Infinity's spin, and it turned out that we won! A baby was born, and it turned out to be one of us. That seems like the ultimate stroke of luck.

Not sure why this popped into my mind. And I have no idea how people could even respond to this, but I'll give it a try. Has anyone thought about this before?

I'm wondering about this too, but as others have stated, you are born you - nobody else. Another thing though, is self-awareness. It seems that this is not handed out at birth, but is gradually acquired over the first 5 or 6 months of life.

 

[Radrook]

That's another way to describe the phenomenon. Now add; there can be only one you, and you will only be you for a brief time. This is what makes it so extraordinary. It's like winning a lottery.

The material that contributed to our existence proceeded from two humans. Therefore, we could not be born as a reptile, fish, bird etc.

 

[Mr. Ed]

The chances of being born as me has long past

 

[JustDave]

Another thing though, is self-awareness. It seems that this is not handed out at birth, but is gradually acquired over the first 5 or 6 months of life.

It depends on how you define "self-aware." If that requires you to be aware of your name and telephone number, that occurs later. If you are aware that you can kick your feet, even if you don't identify feet, this will come much sooner. And while I'm fairly certain we do not remember our birthing, I would be surprised if we were not aware of something we had never experienced before was happening during the process. To be experiencing anything is how I define self awareness. But we cannot experience any awareness that belongs to someone else.

The problem here is that no one can remember that far back, so no one can make a positive claim. As an 80 year old person, I can't remember everything I did yesterday, and that was true when I was 25. But I'm quite sure that I was aware of what I was doing most of the time.

 

[papa tiger]

With the Birth control now and me #4, I would not exist.
I wouldn't pitch for St. Louis Cardinals either. Lol
How bout that some B with the mask on?

 

[Radrook]

If you are not you, who would you be? I Think it has something to do with identity. You are you because you identify with self which is inward. You cannot view other people as you because it is not the same.
" I am he, he is me and we are all together" See how they run...I am the Walrus

Inexistent.

 

[Radrook]

What seems to be assumed here is that there is something invisible and incomprehensible apart from the genetic material involved in determining who we are physically. What is being missed is that the material from the two individuals involved, that of the ovum and spermatozoa, is not identical to that of other couples, and that such material is essential in determining who we are. For example, it determines whether the conception is of a reptile, an insect, a bird a mammal and which species within those groups emerges.

So we could never have become any of these other creatures, unless our progenitors were.

From a purely human standpoint, neither could we have been born racially an East Asian unless the genetic material involved came from two racial East Asians or could be traced to East Asian ancestors.

Yes, there is indeed a powerful cultural socialization which indelibly imprints itself and gradually molds our personalities. However, socialization alone will never transform us physically contrary to what was genetically determined at the moment of conception.

Could we have been a snail? | Varietygalore​

 

[Bella]

What Are Your Chances of Being Born as You?​

How could I be someone else? It wasn't multiple choice. Nobody asked me if I wanted to be Susan.

 

[PeppermintPatty]

If you are not you, who would you be? I Think it has something to do with identity. You are you because you identify with self which is inward. You cannot view other people as you because it is not the same.
" I am he, he is me and we are all together" See how they run...I am the Walrus

I agree. Who else would you be if you don’t by identify as self. If you identified as anything but self you’d have a serious mental disorder to deal with.

 

[JustDave]

How could I be someone else? It wasn't multiple choice. Nobody asked me if I wanted to be Susan.

I liked HermitHogans response:

It's like being blindfolded and throwing a dart at a map on the wall. It lands on Winfield, Kansas. You exclaim, "Wow, Winfield, Kansas! What are the odds of that?!!!"

It's similar to the often quoted metaphor of making a big deal out of nothing:

"Today I saw a car with the license plate number NXJ4731. I was amazed. What are the chances that I would see that number?"

When it comes to why we are we, it seems more amazing because humans take an unusual interest in their own self awareness, one that statistically is not justified as proof of anything special.

 

[Radrook]

The material involved and its source has a lot to do with whom we are. Fish ovums fish sperms produce fish. Avian ovums and avian sperm produce birds. Reptilian ovums and reptilian sperm produces reptiles. Mammalian ovums and mammalian sperms produce mammals, So considering the material involved we could not have been any of these other creatures. The same applies within the human species itself. We are the particular person that we are due to the specific material that was involved in our conception. Same with any material life that might be extraterrestrial. Their material produced them, and could never have resulted in us.

 

[VaughanJB]

I found myself thinking about being given my own chance of life on the planet. At birth, the baby is naturally given a sense of self, so when I was born, I became me. Theoretically it seems like there was an infinitely small chance of this happening, because there was a much bigger chance that a baby would be born as someone else, but in each of our cases, we lucked out on the Wheel of Infinity's spin, and it turned out that we won! A baby was born, and it turned out to be one of us. That seems like the ultimate stroke of luck.

Not sure why this popped into my mind. And I have no idea how people could even respond to this, but I'll give it a try. Has anyone thought about this before?

An imponderable. If not me, then who? That life is a lottery - some born rich, some poor, is something I can't think too much about. That said, when two poor people get together, they have poor children. When two rich people make a baby, they're rich...... I should have chosen better.