on identity

Let's say my friend makes a decision that I think is really stupid. Maybe he stole a car, or forgot to do his homework. I hear that he did this and I am really mad at him for doing so. The next time I see him, I say "if I were you, I wouldn't have done that. That was the stupidest thing you could've done." But does it make any sense to say this? If I was my friend, I would have made the same decision because, well, that's the decision my friend would make. I am my friend and so therefore I must make every decision the same way he would. I think that how you make your decisions is a fairly important part of what makes you who you are.

Sometimes I wish I could be another person for a while, and not because I'm dissatisfied with who I am. It's hard to explain, but every night I go to sleep and I always think there might be a chance that I'll wake up a different person the next day. But I never do; and it seems almost possible that I should, because when I'm asleep and I'm not dreaming, I have no sense of self, so how do I become me every morning instead of someone else?

I wonder if it will ever be possible for us to be able to think like another person. Philosophically, it seems impossible, because in order for me to think like another person, I myself have to observe how that person is thinking while simultaneously thinking freely exactly as that person would think. But it is impossible for that person to think freely while being effected by my own thoughts of introspection. Please leave comments. ;(