Who Am I? 

this guy can talk about walls for 3 hours and still make it sound interesting

"We never really change, we just become more of who we really are."

All the people in this comments section are the type of people you (want to) meet at a party and then you and that person end up having the most beautiful, deep, mind blowing conversation, all night long, somewhere away from the music and everyone else. And when the sun starts rising and it's time to go, that other person is still a stranger yet both of you feel like you know and understand each other better than anyone ever did, all because of this conversation... Who am I ? Someone who enjoys the beautiful energy and people gathered by this video. But you can keep your asparagus and mayonnaise tho, I'm good. 😂 Sending love and light to anyone who'll read this in the future.

This....."When you’re 20, you care what everyone thinks, when you’re 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks, when you’re 60, you realize no one was ever thinking about you in the first place."👌👌👌

I can't honestly believe I'm watching this for free. Stunning.

You can not bathe twice in the same river, because the second time, neither you nor the river are the same

"What do you really like about me?" "Your soul"

Moral of the story (in my humble opinion); try to live a decent and honorable life so that your life can be a lesson to those around you and those of all of you whether it’s children of your own or just other people.

The graphic art used in these videos are seriously outstanding

I want this man to narrate my daily life

Only your "character" is not constant. Your values, inclinations, sense of humor, beliefs are always changing and developing. Arguably it's the most dynamic part of your self-identity.

Why did he leave me with more questions than answers 💀🤣

It's 3 a.m. and I've been stuck on some type of crisis and this is actually helping get me through. It's comforting knowing I'm not alone

As Woody Allen said, "I don't want to live on in people's hearts and minds. I want to live on in my apartment."

3:21 it means: 'As long as we are humans, let us be human'. - a Latin student ;)

I think the best friend you'll meet is someone who has similar loves and hates, but has a totally different character than you.

i wish you guys had a reference section, where youd tell which books and thinkers are used as an inspiration or should be read to better understand the video

This channel deserves much more attention than most 'successful' ones.

"Most people would choose their brain" Me: why would I need my anxiety ridden blob of matter no thank you I'll take the belly button

I noticed the same idea myself recently. I hate being valued only for how I look. Because am quite fit and handsome, but when it’s the only thing people value and praise about me I feel like they are living behind a part that’s much more important. It’s like they fail to notice I have a personality, awesome interests, am kind and genuine and it makes me feel invalidated.

I feel like I have joined a cult. I have been drawn inside his channel for hours and my life seems to make so much more sense...

I wanted to say Good Animation, but i almost cried watching this video. I would have been a completely different person without THE SCHOOL OF LIFE. I m happy i found this channel. Keep up the good work.

I'll always remember how depressed I've been. What I had to grow up & endure emotionally & spiritually & physically. That will always stay with me.

Having English as my second language. The fact that I can’t share this with my family as they wouldn’t understand is so frustrating!! This channel is amazing and just what we all need. It would be amazing having this in different languages ❤️ thank you for all the effort you all put behind these videos. They are amazing

this is well animated

This was therapeutic

The question of "keeping your memories but having different values etc" was so paradoxical in itself. Because most of our values stem from (prolonged) exposure to certain things (stored as "memories"). May it be social groups or the media we consume. Maybe also the context in which it was presented also forms our opinion. Because let's be real- we don't always know immediately of know how we feel of certain things, so we need some sort of feedback/reaction of others to "set it" or to approve that feeling.

This channel is slowly obliterating my depression! Mind blown and I'm so thankful!

I just came across this video. It is meaningful for me as my mother has dementia, and I agree with the idea that you are not your body, or your memories. You are your character. My mother doesn't have long or short term memory anymore. But she continues to be warm, kind, engaging, concerned for others, self deprecating and has a great sense of humour.

what? At 67, I wont remember what bugged me at 25. I should have never spent so much time in anger and hatred.

For like 3 years i have been asking myself "Who am i?" "What is my place in this world?" All that. This identity crisis sucks but im glad i'm not the only one.

This made me think of my beautiful mother and the compassion she’s inspired in me. Thank you.

This doesn't go deep enough. Really, there is no self, it's an illusion. The video concludes that we are our values, but our values also change just as much as everything else mentioned.

You're not your body. You just have a body. You are a state of your mind. Our state of mind is also the only thing we can take with us when we die and it's also the only thing that we have any sort of control over. It's what matters the most and is oftentimes something that means so little to us that we trade it for the most insignificant things.

I’m in love with the brains behind this channel ❤️

This perception of ourselves is so beautiful. "If we think that who we are is to large degree about our values, characteristic loves and hates, then we are, in a sense, granted a kind of immortality, simply through the fact that these will continue to live on in our species, as a whole, lodged here and there, outside of their present home."

I kinda like the idea of a friendly alain de button living in a jar somewhere, putting tiny life affirming wisps of thoughts out into the universe and making us all feel less alone (all in a British accent, of course).

I dont even wanna know how incredible time-consuming the animations for your videos are. They are extraordinaire

I discovered in later part of my life that I've always been a storyteller/writer/coder but I lack social skills

I've been struggling with my identitiy for a while now. I feel like I've been living someone else's life. I don't know why but this video not only brought me relief and comfort but brought me to tears. Thank you.

My character has changed A LOT from seven years ago, before depression set in. I do feel like a different person.

me watching this, just sitting here and boom! then I learn a recipe about asparagus and light mayo sauce, you learn everyday.

"I am not what i think i am, i am not what you think i am, i am what i think you think i am" my fav quote from Cooper. I like this idea that the perception of my "Real" self in "real world " is the mix of both my perspective and others. But i also want to have a power where i can be alone so that i can show my "True self" without constant anxiety from others.

I saw this for my philosophy final in baccalaureat 3 years ago and I still go back to watch it .Such a beautiful video

"All those moments will be lost, in time, like, tears, in the rain."

“Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” ― David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas

This is one of the most profound and beautiful philosophical theories I’ve ever learned. Thank you very much!

Let’s always make sure that what we leave behind is love, integrity, compassion and consistency. Thank you for this fascinating information. I’m a huge fan! 🙏🏻

I would watch a whole movie of videos like this touching different topics for like 3 days straight. This beautiful animation, wow. Props to the team behind it.

Man, I fucking love the School of Life. Keep up the awesome work you guys, you're doing something important.

This made me think about my mother, who died in 2015. In a sense, she is immortal, living on through all of us in some way...

For someone who has always been afraid of death and being forgotten, this created alot of security. 💕 thank you

This time, the visuals of the video were great. Sometimes, I love to listen to The School of Life, but this time, I also loved to watch it.

isn't memory an intrinsic part of one's identity? a man with amnesia is no longer the individual he once was, his choices will be different, his character will be different so to speak. our decisions are fundamentally built from our memories, experiences, and genetics. if we removed memory, would you still be you? part of me thinks no. similarly if you took someone's memories and implanted then in a body, that being will think he's the original person.

This channel is positively so addictive as it opens up every emotion and thought subconsciously addressed or not and providing this for free is such a noble service to humans in today's times. God bless everyone who encourages others to be their best :)

You can’t honestly say “I love you” until you have defined the “I”.

"The Self is an illusion." ~ Buddhism 101

I am nothing more than a bundle of atoms and a long chain of random events. Who are you?

One of the outstandingly cleverest philosopher nowadays and to my opinion stands with the greatests. Everything he says is worth listening to, a true teacher, who always leaves the listener optimistic and with hope. What a gift.

So absolutely soul soothing - I love your work the videos and the calm timbre of your voice is so delightfully blissful and evokes feelings of warm nostalgia. Thank you all at The School of Life for all the work you do. It truly is medicine for the soul!

There's a beautiful idea in this but I disagree with many parts of it. If I lost all my memories, I'd be a totally different person. My values, loves and hates are based on things I've learned; from what I've thought and experienced. However, I don't think 'what I am like' is the same as 'what is me'. What fundamentally is 'me' is just a particular observer, no matter how much I change.

I would much much rather remember everything but feel and value differently. I couldn't imagine living without my memories. I feel as though they're much closer to the core of who I am. My feelings and values change almost daily on the other hand.

I really appreciate the transcript, at the bottom of the description, because I can lower the volume and read out loud, following along the reading speed. I can always tap on a line I couldn't keep up with to hear it again. It turns into a great tool for us ESL learners! Thank you.

The answer is so simple, you are Everything! That's why you can't find a specific individual answer. In this world you are seeing in slices instead of seeing the Whole picture! Move back from the tree an see Everything is One! 🙏🏼

i miss my brother terribly... this helped me with perspective and reminded me that he lives on in/with me in many significant ways. Thank you

I am in love with this channel, I am Guatemalan and I love this because I learn about a lot of topics and your accent, we are use to hear American English but not your English, that accent lol... It helps me a lot. THANK YOU.

My professor had this as a video we needed to watch and I am not disappointed. This is amazing.

This is very therapeutic for those (like me) experiencing an identity crisis. Thanks for this!

I'd like to think that what makes me a unique individual are my memories, which create my personality.

Beautiful. What can I say, this little video is so important to me and I'm not sure I can thank School of Life enough

My son (19) lives with his Mum and his sister. He was a chubby bundle of irrepressible fun and energy throughout his childhood, always well behaved and capable of meaningful reflection on deeper issues when he sat still. About five years ago he changed profoundly in part because of his natural development. In part because of the discovery and growth of his significant musical talent and leadership qualities. Despite being most pleasant and up beat however his spontaneous sense of fun and mischief have gone and he's different, more self possessed. He had great personal faith, was tipped to be the next prophet but now it's completely gone though it hasn't given place to irreverence. He's lost 50 lbs in weight. Without my knowledge or concent his Mum sent him for counselling as he said he felt responsible for our separation though he was only four at the time. Whilst he is a fine young man by any measure, he has changed. He is not the boy I raised and I feel a slight discomfort with it. Just thought that I would share something.

I must've watched this video 10 times by now and each time I come back to it I realize something new

Our combination of values, hates and loves will not exist ever again. The "me" will not exist again, I and all people in the world are special.

However, characteristics- values, morals, beliefs- change over time as well. Therefore, we are not our characteristics-but then who are we really? We are in which the "thing" that does not change within this ever changing mind, body and feelings.

'Who am I?' Me: not sure man, but I'm sure as hell gonna watch a 7 minute video about that which will help me finding out nothing.

Worth the wait . Thank you . I love you if you’re reading this.

My biggest fear is being forgotten. But of course, for the vast majority of us that is an inevitability, so I have to accept it.

I believe that the brain is like a trap, being in another trap(body). Brain is a materialistic thing that keeps the soul and awareness in a materialistic world. The brain unites the soul with the body.

Absolutely adore this channel, granted me such peace by teaching me who i truly am when all along the answer was just myself

This is the sweetest thing on youtube. And there are many many sweet puppy and baby videos on the internet. But the idea that immortality is achievable because aspects of who we are persist in someone, somewhere is the sweetest and most comforting notion.

Any body who just watches these videos so, they can hear that calming voice !!!!

I write journals concisely and articulate myself to the best of my ability so my future self can read on it. We loose what isn't preserved, why do old pictures make us happy? old messages? old memories? "capturing and preserving" a state in time that will never repeat itself is in my opinion the essence of being the same person. People become different versions of themselves, but they are innately the same software, different patches. Version 2.4 - Painful breakup, patched, v3.0 - Went through existential dilemmas, patched. v3.5 - Father now, new set of responsibilities, patched. Not every update is necessarily an upgrade. Our individualism does carry on if you cling to it. A lot of people allow themselves to change, some adapt and conform to their environments and their immediate social groups. In 10 years some go through so many personalities, married people relate to this (The feeling of being with so many identities, while being committed to the same person). Others cling desperately to their values, ideologies, visions, and derive more strongly off their internal reference over an external to shape their growth. There needs to be a certain ego and stubbornness in place. I still reflect on old journals, and recollect old memories in vivid detail, my oldest memory dates back to 14 months of age, and I record every memory I recollect lest my mind fails me. And I think most importantly I keep practicing my craft: music, art, painting, without these I feel a disconnect from self. We loose what isn't recorded, we become what we give ourselves permission to become. Some of us change, others simply grow.

The wonderful Alain De B is bringing philosophy to the public. Educating, enlightening and encouraging with these videos. And opening us to new vistas of exploration. It's a service to humanity.

I really liked the ending of this and how it makes it so that the enduring thoughts, values, and sets of ideas are what make us live on beyond death. My catcpassed away last summer, and evern though she wasn't human, I can still remember her character, and the way she meowed and just everything. Made me smile a bit because in a way I feel she also lives on

Mad respect for these animations! Great story as always.

For as long as I could remember, I've always been aware of the voice inside my head (the voice inside the head that makes the thoughts, when I talk to myself inside). It's a memory. Therefore, a part of who I am is my memory, the things I know etc... If I were to wake up & forget everything, I may not be interested in the same things I once was. It wouldn't be me anymore.

Watching this video has already made me feel better about myself. Thank you for this topic

I appreciate your perspective - being one's self is what life is all about! I actually define who I am in the last video on my channel - I encourage everyone to do something similar: Define WHO YOU ARE, and then stay committed to stay true to yourself no matter what.

Wow, The School of Life, this is your best so far. I would like to speak about the topic of the video, but I'm still to amazed.

There's something wrong with this logic. For a start, I'm pretty sure behaviours are built upon memories of past experiences.

This was simply amazing, really a masterpiece. Thank you for helping all of us, it's really great to feel that we're not alone.

As always, The School of Life giving us priceless material to cope with life and existence. Thank you!

The "I" is always changing and is never really the same as before.The I is never really separate from anything else either. Every person's feeling of I, is the same "I", the same essence, it is only illusion and limited sensory capabilities that keep us from seeing this.

Great video but it doesn't really make sense since character and everything related to it can change over time as well. I doubt for example a 50 year old man having the same character i.e. responses, behaviors and ideas as those he had when he was 5. The truth is *ME* is a present state that can't be identified by anyone including you because even your idea of who you are remains clouded because of your past memories of yourself. You used to believe "X" 5 years ago but is it still true for today? You might respond unsure and that's because you are conflicted with your past self trying to make sense of whether or not you became someone else without realizing.

This channel is the best on RU-vid! It's been my savior this quarantine time. Thank you a lot!

One of the best explanation of "who am I" ever.. 🙏🙌 thank you for sharing this .

Another great video. You guys never disappoint👍

Wheew this is insane ! My mind blown by the idea of this video. This is what spirituality trying to teach us to shed away our own identity. Finally it'd explained in scientific term. Thanks for putting up this video !

omg this so pure and so beautiful thank you from the bottom of my heart thank you

To quote Alice in Wonderland: "who are you?"