Sometimes we become a person we don't even recognize. A certain craving takes over and, as the Buddha says, craving leads to becoming. And what is becoming? It's the act of creating an identity in a certain world of experience or taking on an identity based on your desires. The identity here is either the 'you' who's going to enjoy the results of the desire, or the 'you' who's going to be able to produce those results. This is why the Buddha has us ask every day, "Days and nights fly past, fly past. What am I becoming right now?" Whatever you're becoming, it grows out of your desires and your cravings. And if you don't know them, then even what 'you are' flies out of your control...
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
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