Gary Meadows Posted October 16, 2015 #1 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Be it God, aliens, ghosts, etc. Does believing make it real? The somewhat recent explosion of Slender Man stories made me wonder. Does enough of us believing in something pull an idea from the darkness of thought into reality? Are we with our infinite imagination the true creators? *mind explodes* Whoa! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Auntyseptic Posted October 16, 2015 Popular Post #2 Share Posted October 16, 2015 No. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Meadows Posted October 16, 2015 Author #3 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) No. Oh ok. Case closed. But a little more thought on the subject couldn't hurt. Edited October 16, 2015 by Jeffertonturner 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taun Posted October 16, 2015 #4 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) Millions of small children believe - freverently - in Santa Claus (or Father Christmas, etc)... Where is he then?... This is my thought on the subject... So ... No... it does make for a good sci-fi story premise though... Edited October 16, 2015 by Taun 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auntyseptic Posted October 16, 2015 #5 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) Oh ok. Case closed. But a little more thought on the subject couldn't hurt. But that's what I think. I have brown hair, will thinking it's ginger make it so? No. It's What I think, you can think what you want. Edited October 16, 2015 by Cat_From_Hell 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Meadows Posted October 16, 2015 Author #6 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) Millions of small children believe - freverently - in Santa Claus (or Father Christmas, etc)... Where is he then?... This is my thought on the subject... So ... No... it does make for a good sci-fi story premise though... But is it alive because of how many people believe? Count how many times you see his image in the coming months. Does that not make it somewhat real? In some sense.. Edited October 16, 2015 by Jeffertonturner 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Meadows Posted October 16, 2015 Author #7 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I'm not articulating this as well as I'd like but, Slender Man did not exist. Until one thought it up, then more believed, then multiple people kill others, and themselves for him. But he did not exist. But that belief made it so. That is what I'm driving at. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. K. Posted October 16, 2015 #8 Share Posted October 16, 2015 We definitely have powers of creation regarding our imaginations. Humanity has created many conceptual ideas, many of which are discussed on these board. As to the possibility that the concepts have been made material, I would say no. There is actually a subgroup of Christianity which believes that a creative force exists which we can access with our language and create stuff ourselves. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Meadows Posted October 16, 2015 Author #9 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I just find it interesting that, once we come up with an idea that catches on, it cannot be destroyed, even by logic. We are indeed powerful. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bendy Demon Posted October 16, 2015 #10 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Be it God, aliens, ghosts, etc. Does believing make it real? Does enough of us believing in something pull an idea from the darkness of thought into reality? ....No. Imaginary things are still imaginary things no matter how hard you wish it to be true. The number of people wishing it has no effect. I just find it interesting that, once we come up with an idea that catches on, it cannot be destroyed, even by logic. If an idea is false then logic will destroy it no matter how hard you wish it to be true In the end a belief is still just a belief. You can believe that the universe is run by a giant, fluffy purple cat but no amount of faith and belief will make it true. Just because you like or want something to be true doesn't make it so. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Meadows Posted October 16, 2015 Author #11 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Agreed, but the bigfoot, loch ness, ufo, ghost "proof" will never stop and will "live" longer than you and I. So where is the line? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. K. Posted October 16, 2015 #12 Share Posted October 16, 2015 If an idea is false then logic will destroy it no matter how hard you wish it to be true I think what he means is that the concept itself can't be destroyed. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likely Guy Posted October 16, 2015 #13 Share Posted October 16, 2015 It's only 'real' in the mind of the believer, but without physical evidence it will never be 'physically real', no matter how many people believe it to be true. It also doesn't matter when a possible logical explanation is provided. It will be immediately dismissed. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Cooper Merrin Posted October 16, 2015 #14 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Believing in something makes it real for the individual, billions hold complete belief in a few old books and scrolls that were fabricated by mere mortal humans with absolutely no evidence to back up anything that is written, but we call it religion and this world is ran by it! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freetoroam Posted October 16, 2015 #15 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Be it God, aliens, ghosts, etc. Does believing make it real? The somewhat recent explosion of Slender Man stories made me wonder. Does enough of us believing in something pull an idea from the darkness of thought into reality? Are we with our infinite imagination the true creators? *mind explodes* Whoa! Nope. Quantity does not equal quality either. Just because a load of people are either gullible enough to believe, or naïve enough to follow, still does not make it true. We certainly are creators for sure.... of our infinite imagination. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freetoroam Posted October 16, 2015 #16 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I just find it interesting that, once we come up with an idea that catches on, it cannot be destroyed, even by logic. We are indeed powerful. The idea may be powerful, but the rest is based on numerous things: gullibility naivety hope faith a sense of being a part of superstition belief in hearsay fantasies lack of education looking for excitement indoctrination peer pressure need I go on...but as mentioned, the quantity does not indicate the quality, because each person could have their own reason for believing. So if an idea can fall into the minds of all those on the list above, then we are looking at potentially....thousands, if not millions of believers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark One Posted October 16, 2015 #17 Share Posted October 16, 2015 If you believe and believe in something you eventually reshape your life to achieve it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bendy Demon Posted October 16, 2015 #18 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) If you believe and believe in something you eventually reshape your life to achieve it. When I was little, for a long time I wanted to be a werewolf and wished desperately to wake up one day in a new, wolf body but no matter how hard I wished for it and believed it would happen, it never did. So much for belief. Edited October 16, 2015 by Ryu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+and-then Posted October 16, 2015 #19 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Nope. Quantity does not equal quality either. Just because a load of people are either gullible enough to believe, or naïve enough to follow, still does not make it true. We certainly are creators for sure.... of our infinite imagination. I think of it as "wish fulfillment" it's the thing that creates millionaires out of people who can dream up a good, convincing story. Frodo is as alive today to a new Tolkien reader as he was the moment the first person was introduced to him in the pages of Fellowship... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilly Posted October 16, 2015 #20 Share Posted October 16, 2015 "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Philip K Dick 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbco196 Posted October 16, 2015 #21 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Do you want a scientific answer or a spiritual one? How about both? Everything that exists, began as a thought. Everything in nature was a thought in God's mind, simply spoken into existence. Everything made with human hands began as a thought as well, and I do believe we can be co-creators. Take matter down to the quantum level and things get strange. They have shown in laboratories that a particle is a wave up until the point of observation, at which time it 'chooses' it's destination as a particle. Everything we see and experience can go no further than what you have 'downloaded' through your lifetime or the thought forms given to us as children. My reality is very different from the average person. I have a very open mind and welcome new ideas. I've been given a brain that tends to crave the unknown and because of that, I see things most people can not. I never doubt the existence or validity of a person's reality. If they believe it to be real and define it, it can be created. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark One Posted October 16, 2015 #22 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) Believing in something makes it possible or Im-possible. Its all down to interest after this. Edited October 16, 2015 by Mark One Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark One Posted October 16, 2015 #23 Share Posted October 16, 2015 When I was little, for a long time I wanted to be a werewolf and wished desperately to wake up one day in a new, wolf body but no matter how hard I wished for it and believed it would happen, it never did. So much for belief. Yes but look at all that hair on your body Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XenoFish Posted October 16, 2015 #24 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Be it God, aliens, ghosts, etc. Does believing make it real? The somewhat recent explosion of Slender Man stories made me wonder. Does enough of us believing in something pull an idea from the darkness of thought into reality? Are we with our infinite imagination the true creators? *mind explodes* Whoa! It depends on how you look at it. From an internal perspective it's as real as you want it to be. From a creative perspective it can become real. Take a realistic perspective and it might be real, if there is evidence of it. Belief is nothing without action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbco196 Posted October 16, 2015 #25 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Believing in something makes it possible or Im-possible. Its all down to interest after this. Maybe because the majority of humanity believes they DON'T exist? Majority rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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