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I have a problem... It has currently been drawn to my attention that nobody seems to have any explanation for why people are people... i mean why each person is their own entity, why we can't see out of anyone else's eyes but our own, and why, if they are not physical, our souls can be bounded by physical flesh. I know this is a little deep for most people, and many have strong religious beliefs, but from a purely secular, theoretical point of view, the question is...

Why are You YOU?

and why do we lose exactly 21 grams of weight the moment we die?

"If you let them make you
they'll make you papier mache
at a distance you're strong
until the wind comes
then you crumble and blow away
if you let them **ck you
there'll be no foreplay
rest assured, they'll screw you complete
'til your ass is blue and grey
you should make amends with you
if only for better health
but if you really want to live
why not try and make yourself"
-Brandon Boyd, Incubus

I don't know if I want to know the answer to that question..

I have my explanation, but it's quite long and my English is not that good to say the things I wish to say. So... uhm... good luck with finding you answer

well...considering the fact that a normal person uses about 4% of his/her brain within the life span, it's safe to assume that the answer to your questions is...out of bounds
Or..there are multiple answers....ruling religious matters out, ofcourse...


and what's the thing about those 21 grams? ..is it true?

It's your soul that leaves you (the 21 grams)

The human soul is said to weigh 21 grams. Back in 1907, Dr. Duncan MacDougall brought it upon himself to prove that a person's soul could indeed be measured, to the tune of approximately 21 grams lost at the moment of death. While the doctor's physical results are questionable, the concept behind trying to measure up an entire life is an intriguing subject.
How much do we lose when those we love die? How much do they lose when we die? When we take a life, save a life, how much is gained? How much is lost?

really??

well....IF we do lose or gain when experiencing these....it's likely to be our metabolism changing....the nutrients it can assimilate in such a case. But to think the soul has a weight and that it changes when in emotional changes is....quite silly actually

I'm sure that even for that 21 grams loss case there's a perfectly logical explanation...about .....body substances or something. OR the energetic field of every being...but not the soul having a weight

Yeah...isn't the point of a soul that it's something insubstantial? I don't think that it would have weight even if it does exist in the way we think it does.

itd be really cool if that theory was tru but it seems a bit unlikely - does energy have a mass? if it does its probably just all your energy leaving at once (sorry if its a stupid suggestion but science aint my strong point)

an energetic particle has a neglijable mass...but that's not the point.
energy fields can affect weight.
how do you think them UFOs fly?

lol dexx with his rational explination

Lol, I just found myself a new excuse after checking my weight:

"I'm not overweight, I just happen to have too much energy."

I prefer "I'm my ideal weight.........if I were another foot taller".

its urban legend that u only use 4% or 10% of ur brain, u actually use about 90% of it at any given time...its been proven, look it up online...
anyway, as to what makes a person themselves, its a matter of observing the world around you and adapting yourself to how you see yousrelf fittin into society...for some people that plays to the tune of rebellion or strict moral properties, however, for most it is simply a matter of finding your niche and going with it...figuring out what you are good at and sticking with it, and if at any time you want to change that, we are fortunate enough to live in a world where that is possible.
so what makes us US? simply the desire to find a place in the world.

]

so what about the ppl who die and come back to life? or like when they are brought back to life then die and drought back to life?! that would be a easy way to loose weight.....

that's weird... I was sure I posted here ...
*checks medication*

.

"Need I remind you Eclipse, that you have a licence to be here, not to post utter crap."

(adapted quote from James Bond)

We are not us... no one is any different to anyone else, except in minor ways that can be explained by the differences of our environment... we just feel that we are different because we have lost touch with each other through our own so-called advancement... there is no "soul" sitting in the head, controlling our robot body... merely an illusion that there should be...

Of course, the above is possibly utter bilge... and as I could have told you when my schizophrenia was less controlled, you are all totally different to me, as you exist only in the imagination of my tormentor... none of you are real, and therefore it does not matter to me what you think or what happens to you...

umm...no..it's actually true. There is a great percentage of the brain which isn't used in mental nor phisical functions..

djee, I never use my brain

yeah...which brings me to my next point:
through talent and extraordinary practice, SOME people learn to use 0% of their brain. very rare. Yerss extraordinaire...yup

I'm special, therefor, people should worship me ... even more

lol you'd wish yerss

silence you puny slave! As you know, you will listen to me very closely

neah...they should just lock you into a chest and throw you into the deepest darkest dungeon. And feed you.....ocasionally

Ok thanks for your input people... but it's all beating around the bush. You're talking about how much brain you use (and feasibly the rest could be controlling the self-awareness factor and whatever) but what i'm interested in is why I am me and you are you and there is no in-between. and why my point of view is different from yours. And why you can see (physically and mentally) through your eyes only. why are we not one collective being if we are all composed the same? What makes us have that sense of individualism, thought, the sense of being here? It's a hard thing to explain logically.

-why is the theoretical "soul" confined to one body if it is beyond physical? And where do they come from, all of our "souls", this life energy that makes each our own?

"-why is the theoretical "soul" confined to one body if it is beyond physical? And where do they come from, all of our "souls", this life energy that makes each our own?"

Well, it's a matter of perspective. Your will is your own, the focal point through which you experience the world around you and within you. There are those among us who do not see their soul confined to a physical body and do not feel themself separate from a greater whole... a matter of perspective. If you believe we are a soul occupying physical form what then do you call 'yourself'. Are you the soul or are you a physical body? are you both? and which one do you want to focus on more as defining who you are?. Most of us will only see the physical and therefore their focal point is locked on that. They will see themself as a physical being separate from everything, that's is how your 'reality' will be translated to you. The physical self is a personal expression tool, like a pencil it makes our mark. In order to interact in a physical world you require physical form. We each have our own individual form because we each have our individual expression.

Now as for why this is the case you'll need to understand the mechanics of the human psyche and how it translates a circular reality into a linear reality. And understanding the side effects of that process. Through looking at history we can also see this process at work and how it's shaped modern thinking. Through looking at the entire history of our species the path we're on will become quite clear and the answer to your question will present itself to you.

After that you can then ask the question where does the "soul" energy come from. But to do that fully you'll have to convert your thinking from linear to circular. You have to think without thought This is what is referred to as silent knowledge.

people make people who they are