(March 4, 2019 at 8:13 pm)fredd bear Wrote: "This is also, of course, operating under the assumption that we are willing to take people's words at face value."
Of course everyone lies, it's just a matter of degree.
Simplest explanation is that most people are reasonably honest in what they report. EG , I suspect that at least some alien abductees believe they were abducted by aliens. I also think human beings are gullible, hence the stunning saturation of various religious beliefs, containing the most fatuous nonsense. You don't need to look further than this forum and its resident Christian dills.
The simplest explanation is not necessarily that people are being honest in what they report when specific reports are insanely extraordinary compared to every day reality. I mean, we're not talking about flipping a coin and watching it land on its side; saying a dining room table split in half in a violent burst is a pretty outrageous claim. I have no reason to believe that the "simple explanation" is that this person is being honest in reporting this. It could be that they're honest and truly believe what they're saying, or it could very simply be an attempt to get attention... or they could have financial motivations. Who knows?
When your claims are far outside of what normal reality shows us, I have no reason to believe that the "simplest explanation" is that they're being honest. It doesn't mean I have real reason to believe they're lying, either, but it's an option. Much more so than if Cathy tells me she saw Cindy at the grocery store 20 years ago on the same day at the same time in the same aisle, or some other mundane coincidence.
If you told me you saw a lion on the highway on the way home from work, I'm not likely to say, "Where is your evidence so I can verify this experience?!" - because even though this is an odd occurrence, it's known to happen. But if you tell me something happened that I've NEVER heard of before, there's nothing saying I have to just take your word for it - you could just be full of shit!
(March 4, 2019 at 8:13 pm)fredd bear Wrote: I have no idea of Jung's motivations. From reading his autobiography, he seemed to be sincere, but deluded about some things.
The magician Houdini spent years exposing fake mediums .( he desperately wanted to contact his mum.) We even see 'real' psychics on TV. As I said, people are gullible. They want to believe the woo; reality is often far less interesting, and, at base far more frightening .EG Life after death, and paradise is far more comforting (for many) than the notion that death is the end of personal existence. The comparison is often made with a dreamless sleep. That sounds fine to me; death is not an experience. However, dying often is, and I admit to being terrified of THAT.
I go to a mens group. Ages range from late 50's to 85. This week, we lost another member .Our friend was 81, had a stroke at home, with his family, around, and died. A very likeable guy, we will all miss him. A common comment after expressing sorrow, was "the lucky bastard!"--not for him the slow physical decline and death by inches of dementia, in a strange place. (nursing home) I should be so lucky.
Sorry to hear about your friend.
(March 4, 2019 at 8:54 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote: I have, at times, questioned the reality of my own memories. I had undiagnosed (unspoken of, really) psychiatric issues during my formative years, and there is a small part of me that wonders if I was hallucinating. I had experienced two instances of auditory hallucinations during those years, and once, a delusion. I don’t think it’s likely that both instances were full-on hallucinations, but I suppose I can never effectively rule it out.
The fact that you're even willing to consider that maybe your perception was altered or flawed by some sort of momentary mental deficiency or defect tells me a lot about your adherence to logic and rational thought - versus that of someone who claims their senses are SPOT ON! There's NO WAY I was dreaming when I saw that ghost! There's ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I was asleep when I got abducted by aliens!
Those are the people I'm intensely skeptical of - even if they really do believe what they're saying, when they're SO rock solid that there is no way they could be off or wrong, I'm very skeptical of their stories and probably MORE likely to believe they didn't actually happen.
If you're frightened of dying, and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the Earth.
