Imagination and Regression

[Mole]

We have the remarkable ability to respond to our imaginations in almost the same way we respond to reality.

We call this the suspension of disbelief and it is the basis of religion, art and science.

We are not born with the ability to suspend our disbelief, rather we learn it in play as children, as the purpose of play is to learn to distinguish between imagination and reality.

However the distinction between imagination and reality is a high level distinction, and some remain at a low level of learning, and so they confuse imagination and reality.

And those who confuse imagination and reality are vulgar. But worse, they are naive and vulgar, and they believe the what they see. And what they see is an impoverished view of life. And far too often they try to force their impoverished view of life onto the rest of us.

This impoverished view of life often takes the form of literalism. The literal interpretation of the Torah, the Bible, the Koran or the Bagavad Gita, or the literal interpretation of art or poetry or even music.

So it is the play of children that gives us religion, art and science but so many of us fail to learn the lesson of play and so we regress to literalism in religion, and in particular we regress to the literalism of Islam and the New Age in astrology or MBTI.

But even children know better, particularly children who are free to play, but children who are abused or controlled, regress.

 

[INTP]

no comprehende.

only way i could see this making sense is that if your definition for regression varies from the actual definition, but i cant quite figure out what sort of definition are you using for it, care to explain?

 

[FunnyDigestion]

But worse, they are naive and vulgar, and they believe the what they see.

Seems like they're believing what they hear rather than what they see.

Imagination & reality aren't diametrically opposed; rather, imagination is a way to make sense of reality & better understand what does exist by examining what could possibly exist. When it's used wisely, however, as you said.

 

[Little_Sticks]

Hi Victor. What else do you do when you're not trying to tell everyone how stupid they are?

 

[Octarine]

So it is the play of children that gives us religion, art and science but so many of us fail to learn the lesson of play and so we regress to literalism in religion, and in particular we regress to the literalism of Islam and the New Age in astrology or MBTI.

Or consipracy theories, as discussed in the "Qualitative Associations with Superior to Genius Level IQ" thread."

But even children know better, particularly children who are free to play, but children who are abused or controlled, regress.

What does this imply for adults in our society?

Imagination & reality aren't diametrically opposed; rather, imagination is a way to make sense of reality & better understand what does exist by examining what could possibly exist. When it's used wisely, however, as you said.

Right, however it is the wise who understand they are filling in the blanks with their imagination. They appreciate the uncertainty of this process. It is the naive who treat their opinion (faith) as undeniable truth.

 

[Little_Sticks]

Right, however it is the wise who understand they are filling in the blanks with their imagination. They appreciate the uncertainty of this process. It is the naive who treat their opinion (faith) as undeniable truth.

Unless they use their faith to destroy your existence, in which case it becomes undeniable truth because you can't exist to deny it anymore.

 

[Mole]

Pure Spirits

Hi Victor. What else do you do when you're not trying to tell everyone how stupid they are?

How tempting it is to tell everyone how stupid they are. But when I am not giving into temptation, I am looking into their lambent eyes, reaching out my hand, and floating with them in the nooshpere, riding the electrons at the speed of light. And at such an utimate speed, time is abolished, distance is abolished, and we are pure spirits communing together.

 

[Mole]

Regression

no comprehende.

only way i could see this making sense is that if your definition for regression varies from the actual definition, but i cant quite figure out what sort of definition are you using for it, care to explain?

We progress from the womb to childhood, and from childhood to adolescence, and from adolescence to grown up. And so once we have progressed to grown up, we may regress to childhood.

In psychotherapy it is called, regressing in the service of the ego.

So we might say there there are two types of regression - unconscious regression and conscious regression. And it is conscious regression that is in the service of the ego, and so in service of analysis, evaluation and integration.

Unconscious regression is in response to trauma, fear and abuse.