Good morning, CoSo!
Although we like to believe in some invisible, intangible something that acts as a continuing thread between all the phases of our life, in reality the main thing joining infancy to childhood to youth to middle age to old age is a name (and often not even that). Looks, abilities, interests, likes and dislikes can change drastically over the span of c. 80 years (±20). Everyday, old memories fade and new thoughts and ideas are created. Like the Ship of Theseus, what is left?
To think about this too hard may make your head ache. It may seem to make any endeavor pointless. "What," you might ask, "is the point of accumulating a lot of stuff if it's just going to be enjoyed by someone who will essentially be a different person? Who maybe I wouldn't recognize or understand?" And that's not wrong.
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But there is also this: The fact that you're not tied to a single identity gives you freedom. You can evolve, change, and grow. You can do this in a good way or a bad way. The future is up to you; it's not set in stone by some pattern laid down in your genes or your childhood traumas.
And that can still be scary–it's a huge responsibility–but also liberating.
