Sort of a complicated question, I'll try to ask. How was I born me and not another?

[The Grand Nudger]

I don't smoke weed.

....maybe that's the problem?  

[EruptedCarcassBloat]

And by the way I think I figured out a different way of simplifying the question. You know, a lot of people say that you were one lucky sperm out of a ton of sperm that didn't make it. You could have just as easily been the egg, which would make it a lot easier to imagine the possibility of you being born. However, what is the possibility of the egg giving birth to you? It's strange because there's all these people around me who are not me they were all born from an egg too. If, goodness forbid, my mom died before I was born, then I would have essentially never existed. This is one way to look at it, but then you have to wonder, there must have been other factors that determine whether or not a person was born. A woman goes through her period producing a different egg every month. So that seems like it further slims the chance of you actually being born, not to mention the fact that every time there's a new egg, there's a new child that could be born, all the children from a mother are different unless they're identical twins. This seems to make me think that the possibility of being born is actually very slim.

---

This sounds like a good idea for a vsauce video.

[FatAndFaithless]

Again, if you're just talking about the potential combinations of your parents' genes, that's something we can work with, because that's a quantifiable number.

But saying "You could have just as easily been the egg" doesn't make any sense still. You're not now nor were you ever an egg or a sperm.

[EruptedCarcassBloat]

Again, if you're just talking about the potential combinations of your parents' genes, that's something we can work with, because that's a quantifiable number.  

But saying "You could have just as easily been the egg" doesn't make any sense still.  You're not now nor were you ever an egg or a sperm.

I think the question still remains though. Because there's so many possibilities of other people being born from the same mother, it seems improbable that you specifically were born from that mother, or anyone for that matter. That's not even to take into account the billions of years of evolution leading up to you being born. I just can't fathom how improbable my birth actually is.

[Thumpalumpacus]

"Why are we here?
Because we're here.
Roll the bones."

[The Grand Nudger]

And by the way I think I figured out a different way of simplifying the question. You know, a lot of people say that you were one lucky sperm out of a ton of sperm that didn't make it. You could have just as easily been the egg, which would make it a lot easier to imagine the possibility of you being born.

All of us, in that sense, are both the egg and the sperm.

GIGO.

However, what is the possibility of the egg giving birth to you?

-again, 100%, it's an event known to have occurred, as inaccurately as you've framed it.

It's strange because there's all these people around me who are not me they were all born from an egg too.

But not the -same- egg, hence, "them"....vs "you".

If, goodness forbid, my mom died before I was born, then I would have essentially never existed.

Correct....finally, lol.  

This is one way to look at it, but then you have to wonder, there must have been other factors that determine whether or not a person was born. A woman goes through her period producing a different egg every month. So that seems like it further slims the chance of you actually being born,

Everyone born from every egg is "me" or "I" to them.

not to mention the fact that every time there's a new egg, there's a new child that could be born, all the children from a mother are different unless they're identical twins. This seems to make me think that the possibility of being born is actually very slim.

The chances of conception relative to intercourse are pretty low for any given "you" "I" "me" or "them"...and yet the world is full of all of the above.  Thankfully, even when the chance of something happening is low in any specific instance, the presence of billions of such instances playing out all day every day (people love to bump uglies) make an individual improbability a collective inevitability.

All that sex means that someone is going to be born...you are just such a someone, and in that, you're not improbable at all. In fact, I bet you were expected.

[EruptedCarcassBloat]

And by the way I think I figured out a different way of simplifying the question. You know, a lot of people say that you were one lucky sperm out of a ton of sperm that didn't make it. You could have just as easily been the egg, which would make it a lot easier to imagine the possibility of you being born.

All of us, in that sense, are both the egg and the sperm.

GIGO.

However, what is the possibility of the egg giving birth to you?

-again, 100%, it's an event known to have occurred, as inaccurately as you've framed it.

It's strange because there's all these people around me who are not me they were all born from an egg too.

But not the -same- egg, hence, "them"....vs "you".

If, goodness forbid, my mom died before I was born, then I would have essentially never existed.

Correct....finally, lol.  

This is one way to look at it, but then you have to wonder, there must have been other factors that determine whether or not a person was born. A woman goes through her period producing a different egg every month. So that seems like it further slims the chance of you actually being born,

Everyone born from every egg is "me" or "I" to them.

not to mention the fact that every time there's a new egg, there's a new child that could be born, all the children from a mother are different unless they're identical twins. This seems to make me think that the possibility of being born is actually very slim.

The chances of conception relative to intercourse are pretty low for any given "you" "I" "me" or "them"...and yet the world is full of all of the above.  Thankfully, even when the chance of something happening is low in any specific instance, the presence of billions of such instances playing out all day every day (people love to bump uglies) make an individual improbability a collective inevitability.

All that sex means that someone is going to be born...you are just such a someone, and in that, you're not improbable at all.  In fact, I bet you were expected.

But isn't it just the same probability of a single droplet of rain landing on someone's face?

[FatAndFaithless]

Again, if you're just talking about the potential combinations of your parents' genes, that's something we can work with, because that's a quantifiable number.  

But saying "You could have just as easily been the egg" doesn't make any sense still.  You're not now nor were you ever an egg or a sperm.

I think the question still remains though. Because there's so many possibilities of other people being born from the same mother, it seems improbable that you specifically were born from that mother, or anyone for that matter. That's not even to take into account the billions of years of evolution leading up to you being born. I just can't fathom how improbable my birth actually is.

I'll ask again.  Is your question simply about the possible genetic combinations of your parents (and further ancestors)?  Because that could be conceivably quantified (if not practically, since we don't have access to the genetics of more than a generation or two back).

Yes, the specific combination of genes that is now "you" is one out of a gargantuan amount of other possibilities.  The odds that your parents gave birth to your particular genome is very tiny.  Not sure what the use of knowing the specific odds would be though.

[The Grand Nudger]

But isn't it just the same probability of a single droplet of rain landing on someone's face?

And yet many single droplets of rain land on many peoples faces. If you omit the conditions in which you arise it can seem like you're an improbability when you're -actually- about as a common as a cotton tshirt.

[EruptedCarcassBloat]

I think the question still remains though. Because there's so many possibilities of other people being born from the same mother, it seems improbable that you specifically were born from that mother, or anyone for that matter. That's not even to take into account the billions of years of evolution leading up to you being born. I just can't fathom how improbable my birth actually is.

I'll ask again.  Is your question simply about the possible genetic combinations of your parents (and further ancestors)?  Because that could be conceivably quantified (if not practically, since we don't have access to the genetics of more than a generation or two back).

Yes, the specific combination of genes that is now "you" is one out of a gargantuan amount of other possibilities.  The odds that your parents gave birth to your particular genome is very tiny.  Not sure what the use of knowing the specific odds would be though.

So you're saying that the chances of me existing, sitting on this computer right now, aware of my own existence and reasonable sure of your existence, is at an extremely small odds of happening? I think it's very good to know, because I think knowing how I got here would be very useful for putting things into perspective. I always thought if I had a clear picture of front to back of what my existence on this planet is, then maybe it would be less stressful to think about the fact that I exist. Take it from me, the fact that I exist on this planet, especially not born 200 years in the future when artificial super intelligence and travel to mars colonies is possible, and possibly the end of religion, is one of the most depressing things in my entire life. The fact that I was born into a body, which only exists once and then is no more, and I got such a small chance of even being born in the first place, sometimes just makes me want to lay down on the floor and let all the overwhelming thoughts of existence just flow through my head. Or alternatively just fall asleep and wake up not feeling such distress about existing. I'm basically asking this question because existing is intolerable for me sometimes.

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There actually could be a lot of other reasons for answering the question too, I think it's pretty equivocal. That's the reason for asking the question that I can think of right now though.