It's important to remember that we don't get to choose our brain, and we don't get to choose the environment we're born in to. There's so many things that are beyond our control and have a huge impact on our lives.

But as far as we know there's probably only one way to be a conscious, feeling, person. That at some level we're all essentially the same.

• The Egg is a fantastic short story that takes a really interesting look at this idea
• The Brain Box Earth goes in a different direction with the same idea and makes this point in a more concrete way