If I didn't exist before I was born and won't exist after I die, why do I exist now?

Q: If I didn't exist before I was born and won't exist after I die, why do I exist now?

Krishna: Because you have a physical body now. Some matter and energy in this universe came together and is arranged in a specific form at present.

Your body consists of a brain and its neurons which are arranged in a specific way.

You have 'your specific consciousness' because your neurons are arranged, wired and circuited in a particular way now. So you feel “ I, me and myself”.

According to science, "you" exist as a complex, self-aware observer because of an unbroken chain of physical, chemical, and evolutionary processes.

Cosmic and Evolutionary Fluke: Your existence relies on 13.8 billion years of cosmic history—from the origins of matter and energy to the formation of Earth and the evolution of life. You are here through a continuous, unguided process of natural selection and genetic adaptation.

The Physics of Organization: You are a highly complex, self-sustaining system of matter. The atoms in your body (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen) were forged in dying stars, organized by the laws of physics and chemistry.

Emergence of Consciousness: Your sense of "I" is a biological phenomenon—an emergent property of an incredibly complex human brain and a functioning nervous system.

The matter and energy in your body existed even before you existed ( were born) but in different forms and configurations - both living and non-living. They exist even after your death in other forms.

Only thing is that the same feeling of “I” may not be there. Because the arrangement and configurations of your (neural) matter was/will be different or inanimate. Or maybe they were/will be in a different state of “I”s in other several bodies.

You have 'your specific consciousness' because your neurons are arranged, wired and circuited in a particular way now. There is no way you can get the same configurations after your death or before your birth. Therefore your consciousness too disappears once you cease to exist. There never was and will never be this “I” anymore.

Image source: Shutterstock