Elaheh wrote in a post that observing herself in her photos made her question the concept of the “self.” Reading it prompted me to gather and summarize thoughts I’d been meaning to write about the “self” for a while.

The “self” in a religious sense is condensed into the concept of the “soul,” which is connected to the Creator of that soul.

In the material sense, the last thing I read explained that the “self” is an illusion arising from human intelligence far exceeding that of other animals. They called it “self-awareness,” but in my view, there’s no real difference between the two.

My perspective on the “self” is pluralistic. Either I am the only entity with a “self,” and you, reading this, are nothing but an illusion of “self” injected into me in various possible forms (for example, the Matrix), or you also have a “self,” and we selves are wandering entities in this 13.5-billion-year-old universe, encountering the “self” without knowing what to do.

All three definitions above don’t conflict with the question: What now? What do I do for my “self,” and what do I do for the world around my “self,” which starts with my brain and body and extends to the ends of the universe?

How do we distinguish between the two? Where does the external world end, and where does the “self” begin?

Is my body the “self”? Or is my hand the “self”? Is my brain the “self”?

To what extent am I responsible for the “self,” and to what extent is the “self” responsible for me?

Should I dedicate the “self” to my survival, or should I dedicate myself to elevating the “self”?