"That's nonsense," says the shaman. "You're right there! I'm seeing you, not an image of you! Now I ask you again, on your honor: Do we Hu'wha still have our souls since you came among us, or not?"

"Have you never seen yourself or someone else reflected into a poll of water or something? We've found out that something similar happens in your eyes."

John starts to look worried. "I was hoping for a simple 'Yes', there. Am I made of the same atoms as before, or not?"

"Well, according to quantum mechanics, all atoms of the same type are “the same” anyway, and even if that weren't the case, your body wasn't the same atoms when you were 18 as when you were 17, as you ate/drunk/inhaled lots of atoms and pissed/shitten/exhaled/puked lots of other atoms." "Whatever. Is my body still made of cells with my DNA? Is my brain still made of neurons?"