A funky
head-scratcher for you:
If the infamous yarn-spinner Pinocchio says “my nose will grow now”, what happens next?
After all, his nose only grows when he’s lying. Not when he’s telling the truth.
Tough nut to crack, isn’t it?
I enjoy a puzzling paradox like this. Paradoxes can open creaky doors to dusty, deserted rooms in the furthest corners of my brain. And sometimes those rooms turn up unexpected treasures.
Here’s another knotty problem for you:
If you replace all the parts of a ship, one by one, is it still the same ship at the end?
Well?
What do you think?
This question is known as the Ship of Theseus Paradox.
It’s worth chewing over.
Not just because it’s a curious question.
But also because humans are, in fact, that ship.
Did you know that every 7 years, all cells in the human body are replaced by completely new cells? Physically
speaking, none of us are the same person we were 7 years ago. All our “parts” are different, just like the ship.
Seems a bit strange right?
It still feels like the same “me” from 7 years ago.
My memories, habits and experiences haven’t changed (even though sometimes I wish they would! I can't be the only person who still remembers the Latin verb tables they were taught at school)
But there’s another part that also hasn’t changed.
It’s that part of us which isn’t impacted by what I might call the “story of our life”. A part of us that has nothing to do with any memories, habits, actions or experiences, or any knocks & bruises we’ve picked up along the way. A part which continues to be unaffected by whatever is going on in our lives.
You could say this part comes before that stuff & nonsense.
Maybe you have a sense of this part of you too. Or maybe you don’t, but you’re curious.
If so, I have an experiment you might like.
It’s a simple way to find the part of you I’ve just described. The part of you that is pure, innate and untouched - and the essence of who you are.
The experiment
takes a couple of minutes. All you need is a bathroom mirror and some peace & quiet.
It’s not a meditation, a pep-talk or anything like that.
It’s more of an exploration. You could even call it a
mini-adventure.
If you’d like me to send you this experiment, hit reply and let me know your take on the Ship of Theseus Paradox in a sentence or two. Do you think it’s still the same ship? I’m genuinely curious to hear what you have to say.
In return, I’ll send you the short experiment.
That’s all for today.