Yakoob on 22/2/2015 at 06:50
The religion thread and talking about early childhood beliefs made me think - when we grow up we make up all sorts of ideas about how things work or what is really lurking in the closet to make sense of the world. What's some of your weirdest or most interesting?
I think my most interesting pseudo-philosophical idea was: what if we are all the same person, just reincarnated over and over as different people? If I die, I might be reborn as an 13th century viking. Then, as a space-age Mars inhabitant. On the next one, I could be henke. On and on until I've played every humans role. But on the whole it's all just one person that ever exists but never realizes because their memory gets reset each time. Makes Karma all that more interesting.
On a more silly note, I used to believe that whatever monsters were lurking in the closet could not get me at night... if I covered my whole self with my blanket. If my head would stick out I was done for, but as long as I was completely under I was safe.
Ok your turn!
Sulphur on 22/2/2015 at 07:09
We still could be souls reincarnated from earlier bodies, who knows, that could still be true. I don't know about time hopping though.
One of the things I believed when I was a kid was that, as you aged, your perception of beauty changed appropriately to match your age. That was why grandma and grandpa were still married to each other, because as kid I just thought they were gross wrinkly white-haired people with loose skin all over their bodies, but they looked at each other as beautiful, since their minds were that much older.
In an ideal world, I guess it could still be true.
faetal on 22/2/2015 at 11:11
My sister successfully convinced me that I was from Mars and adopted. I was probably one of the few 4 year olds who sat watching the sky before bed wondering if my real parents were coming for me in a spaceship. I also thought that all men went bald at a certain age because my dad was bald.
Kolya on 22/2/2015 at 11:43
Quote Posted by Sulphur
as you aged, your perception of beauty changed appropriately to match your age
That would justify a thread of it's own I guess. Let me just say that it hinges on your definition of beauty, whether it's purely physical or attractiveness of a person. The fact that you placed it in this thread indicates that you're operating on the former definition, while your grandparents probably knew the latter.
Anyway, childhood theories: That the world governments would have to agree on a computer game in which to fight their wars. All real world weapons would be destroyed and borders would be aligned peacefully with the game's current outcome. Can you tell I was a cold war kid?
Sulphur on 22/2/2015 at 12:45
Quote Posted by Kolya
That would justify a thread of it's own I guess. Let me just say that it hinges on your definition of beauty, whether it's purely physical or attractiveness of a person. The fact that you placed it in this thread indicates that you're operating on the former definition, while your grandparents probably knew the latter.
To an 8-year old it was all about physical beauty, of course. It was something that has changed quite radically since then, naturally. My 8-year old viewpoint was that each person would find everyone their own age equally beautiful throughout time. Reality is, of course, funny when you reorient your perspective as you grow up, and then compare it with your younger way of looking at things. That's part of the fun of this thread, no?
Quote:
Anyway, childhood theories: That the world governments would have to agree on a computer game in which to fight their wars. All real world weapons would be destroyed and borders would be aligned peacefully with the game's current outcome. Can you tell I was a cold war kid?
That's probably going to be the future at some point when we replace everything with drones, isn't it.
faetal on 22/2/2015 at 14:19
I always wondered why leaders didn't just settle their differences with e.g. chess or paintball. As I got older, it occurred to me that this would be problematic as it would give small nations a chance against the big ones and no one could dominate.
Azaran on 22/2/2015 at 16:41
I had a fascination with dinosaurs, and I became convinced that they still existed (the world is so big I thought, there's enough room for them to hide), I was 5 or 6. I was quite upset to finally learn the truth.
When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said "retired". I saw my grandparents at home, doing what they wanted, and I knew that was the life for me
When my parents said they were broke, I told them "just go to the bank machine and get more money". Made perfect sense to me at the time, a machine that gives free cash
bjack on 22/2/2015 at 18:56
Azaran,
#1 The dinosaurs are still around, but the bug eyed aliens from the belt of Orion hide them from us in their underwater caves at the bottom of Loch Ness. The Greek guy with the freaky air on Ancient Aliens told me this telepathically while I was downing a Vodka and soda last week.
#2 I said rich instead of retired, but similar idea.
#3 I told my mother to go to the check out girl at the supermarket and just get change. This was before ATMs.
But for me, the weird idea I had was my parents could take my batteries out. I was about 3 years old and acting up as a 3 year old would do. My dad threatened me with, "I'll take your batteries out!" This terrified me, since they would do this with the loud annoying toys my brothers and I had.
And Yakoob? Those covers did save you. They will not save you from a human who mean you harm, but monsters cannot penetrate covers. There is something magical about covers. :joke:
Thor on 22/2/2015 at 20:00
Quote Posted by Yakoob
I think my most interesting pseudo-philosophical idea was: what if we are all the same person, just reincarnated over and over as different people? If I die, I might be reborn as an 13th century viking. Then, as a space-age Mars inhabitant. On the next one, I could be henke. On and on until I've played every humans role. But on the whole it's all just one person that ever exists but never realizes because their memory gets reset each time. Makes Karma all that more interesting.
Oh, I think I read something like that on the internet a few years ago! I think it had the added feature of each next reincarnation having to do with you gaining more wisdom. So your last reincarnation might be Morgan Freeman or something, haha.
I probably had lots of strange ideas as that is what I've spent most of my life doing, but one that I remember on the spot is of my more paranoid side: what it everyone is secretly conspired and teamed up against me? Like every person I know is just out to somehow hurt or humiliate me or just simply mess with me. Something I trusted with to one person actually wasn't a secret and everyone I know knows it, but nobody tells it to me and they're all just playing along their roles, messing with me for unclear motives. I never gave much into this idea and it didn't stand the critique of logic and reason very well, but sometimes it was a feeling I had for at least brief moments when I was younger.
Well, that's what your story made me think of anyway. I might post more if I remember something else.
Nicker on 22/2/2015 at 23:21
Around about age 7 to 9, I suspected that I was in a Truman Show style simulation (decades before the movie was made). I think this was as a result of our immigration from England to Canada, which involved over 20 hours of continuous travel with no exposure to the exterior world.
When we finally emerged, under the prairie sky, it was so surreal I think it distorted my reality at a very fundamental level.
As for monsters, I knew that blankets were powerless against them but it was safe to fall asleep when the furnace blower kicked in.
