Egophoricity: An introduction

After a long journey, Nasrudin found himself amid the milling throng in Baghdad. This was the biggest place he had ever seen, and the people pouring through the streets confused him. 'I wonder how people manage to keep track of themselves, who they are, in a place like this,' he mused. Then he thought, 'I must remember myself well, otherwise I might lose myself.' He rushed into a caravenserai. A wag was sitting on his bed, next to the one which Nasrudin was allotted. Nasrudin thought he would have a siesta, but he had a problem: how to find himself again when he woke up. He confided in his neighbour. 'Simple,' said the joker. 'Here is an inflated bladder. Tie it around your leg and go to sleep. When you wake up, look for the man with the balloon, and that will be you.' 'Excellent idea,' said Nasrudin. A couple of hours later, Mulla awoke. He looked for the bladder, and found it tied to the leg of the wag. 'Yes, that is me,' he thought. Then, in a frenzy of fear he started pummelling the other man: 'Wake up! Something has happened, as I thought it would! Your idea was no good!' The man woke up and asked him what the trouble was. Nasrudin pointed to the bladder. 'I can tell by the bladder that you are me. But if you are me - who, for the love of goodness, am I?' From The exploits of the incomparable Mulla Nasrudin by Idries Shah, 1983, Octagon Press.