Are We Who We've Always Been?
We look in the mirror and sometimes see a stranger, yet something inside insists we're the same person we've always been. Our bodies change, our beliefs evolve, our relationships shift, and our memories fade or transform, yet we carry a sense of continuous selfhood through all these alterations.
This session explores one of humanity's most enduring puzzles: what makes you "you" across time?
The question becomes more pressing as we age, face major life transitions, or experience moments that fundamentally challenge our sense of identity. Do we have an essential core that remains constant, or are we more like rivers, always flowing and never quite the same? How do we reconcile the person we remember being with who we are now and who we might become?
Our conversation will explore:
Is there a core self that stays the same as we grow older?
How does memory shape who we believe we are?
What does it mean to change and still feel like yourself?
Are We Who We've Always Been?
We look in the mirror and sometimes see a stranger, yet something inside insists we're the same person we've always been. Our bodies change, our beliefs evolve, our relationships shift, and our memories fade or transform, yet we carry a sense of continuous selfhood through all these alterations.
This session explores one of humanity's most enduring puzzles: what makes you "you" across time?
The question becomes more pressing as we age, face major life transitions, or experience moments that fundamentally challenge our sense of identity. Do we have an essential core that remains constant, or are we more like rivers, always flowing and never quite the same? How do we reconcile the person we remember being with who we are now and who we might become?
Our conversation will explore:
Is there a core self that stays the same as we grow older?
How does memory shape who we believe we are?
What does it mean to change and still feel like yourself?
We look in the mirror and sometimes see a stranger, yet something inside insists we're the same person we've always been. Our bodies change, our beliefs evolve, our relationships shift, and our memories fade or transform, yet we carry a sense of continuous selfhood through all these alterations.
This session explores one of humanity's most enduring puzzles: what makes you "you" across time?
The question becomes more pressing as we age, face major life transitions, or experience moments that fundamentally challenge our sense of identity. Do we have an essential core that remains constant, or are we more like rivers, always flowing and never quite the same? How do we reconcile the person we remember being with who we are now and who we might become?
Our conversation will explore:
Is there a core self that stays the same as we grow older?
How does memory shape who we believe we are?
What does it mean to change and still feel like yourself?
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
"The Other" by Jorge Luis Borges
"Speak, Memory" by Oliver Sacks
"On Aging" by Maya Angelou
Preparation: < 1.5 hours
%20copy_edited.png)
We explore the tension between change and continuity through a surreal encounter with the self, reflections on memory's power, and a meditation on aging's gifts and losses.
"The Other" by Jorge Luis Borges
Borges crafts a mysterious tale of a man who encounters another version of himself on a park bench, leading to a disorienting conversation between his older and younger selves. The encounter raises profound questions about whether these are truly the same person separated by time or entirely different beings who happen to share memories and a name.
_edited.png)
"The Other" by Jorge Luis Borges
"Speak, Memory" by Oliver Sacks
"On Aging" by Maya Angelou
Preparation: < 1.5 hours
We explore the tension between change and continuity through a surreal encounter with the self, reflections on memory's power, and a meditation on aging's gifts and losses.
"The Other" by Jorge Luis Borges
Borges crafts a mysterious tale of a man who encounters another version of himself on a park bench, leading to a disorienting conversation between his older and younger selves. The encounter raises profound questions about whether these are truly the same person separated by time or entirely different beings who happen to share memories and a name.
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
"The Other" by Jorge Luis Borges
"Speak, Memory" by Oliver Sacks
"On Aging" by Maya Angelou
Text Set A
Preparation: < 1.5 hours
Session Description
We explore the tension between change and continuity through a surreal encounter with the self, reflections on memory's power, and a meditation on aging's gifts and losses.
"The Other" by Jorge Luis Borges
Borges crafts a mysterious tale of a man who encounters another version of himself on a park bench, leading to a disorienting conversation between his older and younger selves. The encounter raises profound questions about whether these are truly the same person separated by time or entirely different beings who happen to share memories and a name.
The story challenges our assumptions about personal continuity and the reliability of memory. Borges asks: If you met yourself from another time, would you recognize each other as the same person? What makes the connection between past and present selves real?
"Speak, Memory" by Oliver Sacks
Neurologist Sacks examines how memory constructs our sense of continuous identity, exploring cases where brain injuries or conditions alter patients' relationship to their own past. He reveals how memory is not a passive recording but an active, creative process that shapes our understanding of who we are.
Sacks illuminates the fragile foundation upon which our sense of self rests. His work poses essential questions: How does memory create the story of our lives? What happens to identity when memory fails or changes?
"On Aging" by Maya Angelou
Angelou's poem reflects on the experience of growing older, acknowledging both the losses that come with age and the wisdom gained through time. She explores how the aging body carries the history of all our former selves while facing the reality of physical and mental changes.
The poem offers a nuanced view of aging that embraces both sorrow and celebration. Angelou invites us to consider: How do we hold space for both who we were and who we're becoming? What does it mean to age with dignity and self acceptance?
Text Set A
Preparation: < 1.5 hours
Session Description
We explore the tension between change and continuity through a surreal encounter with the self, reflections on memory's power, and a meditation on aging's gifts and losses.
"The Other" by Jorge Luis Borges
Borges crafts a mysterious tale of a man who encounters another version of himself on a park bench, leading to a disorienting conversation between his older and younger selves. The encounter raises profound questions about whether these are truly the same person separated by time or entirely different beings who happen to share memories and a name.
The story challenges our assumptions about personal continuity and the reliability of memory. Borges asks: If you met yourself from another time, would you recognize each other as the same person? What makes the connection between past and present selves real?
"Speak, Memory" by Oliver Sacks
Neurologist Sacks examines how memory constructs our sense of continuous identity, exploring cases where brain injuries or conditions alter patients' relationship to their own past. He reveals how memory is not a passive recording but an active, creative process that shapes our understanding of who we are.
Sacks illuminates the fragile foundation upon which our sense of self rests. His work poses essential questions: How does memory create the story of our lives? What happens to identity when memory fails or changes?
"On Aging" by Maya Angelou
Angelou's poem reflects on the experience of growing older, acknowledging both the losses that come with age and the wisdom gained through time. She explores how the aging body carries the history of all our former selves while facing the reality of physical and mental changes.
The poem offers a nuanced view of aging that embraces both sorrow and celebration. Angelou invites us to consider: How do we hold space for both who we were and who we're becoming? What does it mean to age with dignity and self acceptance?
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
"The Ship of Theseus" Philosophical Thought Experiment
Text Set B
Preparation: < 1.5 hours
Session Description
This ancient paradox asks whether a ship remains the same ship if all its parts are gradually replaced over time. Applied to human identity, it questions whether we remain the same person as our cells regenerate, our thoughts evolve, and our personalities develop throughout our lives.
The thought experiment illuminates the puzzle of continuity through change. It challenges us to consider: What makes you the same person you were ten years ago? Is identity about physical continuity, psychological continuity, or something else entirely?
Text Set A
Preparation: < 1.5 hours
Session Description
We explore the tension between change and continuity through a surreal encounter with the self, reflections on memory's power, and a meditation on aging's gifts and losses.
"The Other" by Jorge Luis Borges
Borges crafts a mysterious tale of a man who encounters another version of himself on a park bench, leading to a disorienting conversation between his older and younger selves. The encounter raises profound questions about whether these are truly the same person separated by time or entirely different beings who happen to share memories and a name.
The story challenges our assumptions about personal continuity and the reliability of memory. Borges asks: If you met yourself from another time, would you recognize each other as the same person? What makes the connection between past and present selves real?
"Speak, Memory" by Oliver Sacks
Neurologist Sacks examines how memory constructs our sense of continuous identity, exploring cases where brain injuries or conditions alter patients' relationship to their own past. He reveals how memory is not a passive recording but an active, creative process that shapes our understanding of who we are.
Sacks illuminates the fragile foundation upon which our sense of self rests. His work poses essential questions: How does memory create the story of our lives? What happens to identity when memory fails or changes?
"On Aging" by Maya Angelou
Angelou's poem reflects on the experience of growing older, acknowledging both the losses that come with age and the wisdom gained through time. She explores how the aging body carries the history of all our former selves while facing the reality of physical and mental changes.
The poem offers a nuanced view of aging that embraces both sorrow and celebration. Angelou invites us to consider: How do we hold space for both who we were and who we're becoming? What does it mean to age with dignity and self acceptance?