What's the difference between imaginative writing and writing a pack of lies?

A lie is a false account; imaginative writing is making things up...so it's a lie, right? Or wrong?...

...Well, both are certainly creative but one is an issue of morality the other an art...but art can be immoral too.

So a lie is a pervasion of the truth whilst imagination is a pervasion of reality.
Yet a lie (although seen as morally wrong and thus worse) is closer to the truth than imaginations but imaginations don't seek to imitate or substitute the truth. Imaginations suspends disbelief and doesn't necessarily aim to alter one's real perception.
Therefore the purpose and intent often differ but what if at times the purpose is identical? i.e. the purpose could be for: entertainment, escapism or even to please.

Can all of us always tell the difference? If one cannot tell the difference does that collapse the borders at that specific moment? Can both terms interchange? If there can be "white lies" and "black lies" does imagination cover the grey areas?


Mum asked little Sarah why she used up all her make up.

"Mickey Mouse made me do it", Sarah replied.


Imagination or a lie?


Hmmn...but what if big brother Nelson assumed the role of "Mickey Mouse"?

emöfine2: What's the difference between imaginative writing and writing a pack of lies?

A lie is a false account; imaginative writing is making things up...so it's a lie, right? Or wrong?...

...Well, both are certainly creative but one is an issue of morality the other an art...but art can be immoral too.

So a lie is a pervasion of the truth whilst imagination is a pervasion of reality.
Yet a lie (although seen as morally wrong and thus worse) is closer to the truth than imaginations but imaginations don't seek to imitate or substitute the truth. Imaginations suspends disbelief and doesn't necessarily aim to alter one's real perception.
Therefore the purpose and intent often differ but what if at times the purpose is identical? i.e. the purpose could be for: entertainment, escapism or even to please.

Can all of us always tell the difference? If one cannot tell the difference does that collapse the borders at that specific moment? Can both terms interchange? If there can be "white lies" and "black lies" does imagination cover the grey areas?


Mum asked little Sarah why she used up all her make up.

"Mickey Mouse made me do it", Sarah replied.


Imagination or a lie?


Hmmn...but what if big brother Nelson assumed the role of "Mickey Mouse"?

...then sarah is creative:-D

ATMC: ...then sarah is creative:-D

Maybe or maybe not. Vivid imagination or lying mind games?... or perhaps she’s just innocently relaying the truth as she perceived.

I forgot to mention that little Sarah is only 4 years old.

And to little Sarah “Mickey Mouse” is as real as the character “Santa Claus” played stupendously by Dad.
If Sarah’s young neighbour (who also falls under the same age bracket as Sarah) asked her what she got for Christmas and little Sarah excitedly revealed, “Santa Claus got me a bicycle” ... is that a lie?
Is Santa Claus and his fantastical colleague, Mickey Mouse a figment of Sarah’s imagination or a lie?

What if I summarised a particular account as a farfetched lie but you declared that same account as the works of a lively imagination?

If a lie and fantasy manipulate and are deviations from the truth/reality what makes one harmful and the other harmless? What makes one appalling and the other accepted? What makes one morally wrong and the other literature worthy?

emöfine2:

Maybe or maybe not. Vivid imagination or lying mind games?... or perhaps she’s just innocently relaying the truth as she perceived.

I forgot to mention that little Sarah is only 4 years old.

And to little Sarah “Mickey Mouse” is as real as the character “Santa Claus” played stupendously by Dad.
If Sarah’s young neighbour (who also falls under the same age bracket as Sarah) asked her what she got for Christmas and little Sarah excitedly revealed, “Santa Claus got me a bicycle” ... is that a lie?
Is Santa Claus and his fantastical colleague, Mickey Mouse a figment of Sarah’s imagination or a lie?

What if I summarised a particular account as a farfetched lie but you declared that same account as the works of a lively imagination?

If a lie and fantasy manipulate and are deviations from the truth/reality what makes one harmful and the other harmless? What makes one appalling and the other accepted? What makes one morally wrong and the other literature worthy?

double standard!

Ha ha

It appears so but is it actually so? Maybe when Sarah is 12 she’ll finally discover that Santa Claus and Mickey Mouse et al were mere charades and was only ever meant to be temporary or exist as long as the individual (or the powers that be) maintains investment in that fantasy. But lies too exist until the final revelation.

How does the revelation of a fantasy being fiction differ to finding out you've been lied to?

In our reality lying is wrong but perhaps in an alternate reality (fantasy-land) lying may not be a taboo.

(Just thinking out loud)

@emofine, with ur imagination, are u sure u dont believe in santa claus

the difference btw lies and imagination is in the impact to the livelihood of ur neighbor[fellow human]
i dont have the strength to explain unless u ask me specifically where u dont understand

E-Engineer:
@emofine, with ur imagination, are u sure u dont believe in santa claus

the difference btw lies and imagination is in the impact to the livelihood of ur neighbor[fellow human]
i dont have the strength to explain unless u ask me specifically where u dont understand

a lie is dt which opposes truth. If u say a lie is d perversion of truth...dt will be a lie because truth cannot be perverted for truth is. But there can be a perversion from d truth, in this case truth remains but d person refuses to acknowledge truth. D difference btw a lie nd an imagination does not completely lie on d impact on our neighbour, this is because a lie can impact positively just as imagination...when u tell our 4yr old sarah to work hard so santa will give her a doll, she does so nd at d end succeeds nd earns a doll...d lie encouraged her to work hard, does it make d lie reality, of course no. This then proves dt a lie is relative just as imagination is as well. This leaves them on the same side for both can be used to achieve d same end. Therefore this proves dt the difference is basically related to d motive than d action nd impact. A negative imagination or lie can sometimes have a positive outcome/impact.

ATM.
You're too much.

E-Engineer:
the difference btw lies and imagination is in the impact to the livelihood of ur neighbor[fellow human]

But doesn’t that depend on the magnitude of the lie?
If white lies are supposedly harmless and therefore has less impact how does that still differ largely from a fabricated tale?
White lies protect ones feelings, imaginations preserves ones innocence so truth is still made redundant but the aim may be considered as noble.

@emofine, with ur imagination, are u sure u dont believe in santa claus

Ha ha there’s no chimney in my house

But if I was to adopt this fantasy wouldn’t I be lying to my hypothetical child?

It’s quite ironic. Adults (at least what we profess to know or have the privilege of knowing) understand all these charades as “false”. So what is essentially “fake” to us, some of us feed that “falsity” as truth/reality to “our” children. Why? To preserve their innocence or to manipulate them or both?

i.e. if Sarah’s a good little girl and does not tell lies all month (ok, imagine or I’ll just lie we’re in the month December) she will be given a bicycle for Christmas by Santa Claus.

Now Mum and Dad want Sarah to be good and not to lie. But haven’t they directed her towards such behaviour by lying themselves?

i dont have the strength to explain unless u ask me specifically where u dont understand

Actually I do understand I just want to hear your take .

ATMC: a lie is dt which opposes truth. If u say a lie is d perversion of truth...dt will be a lie because truth cannot be perverted for truth is. But there can be a perversion from d truth, in this case truth remains but d person refuses to acknowledge truth.

In that case I stand corrected

...or is shielded from the truth

This then proves dt a lie is relative just as imagination is as well. This leaves them on the same side for both can be used to achieve d same end. Therefore this proves dt the difference is basically related to d motive than d action nd impact. A negative imagination or lie can sometimes have a positive outcome/impact.

Intéressant ATMC .

emöfine2:

In that case I stand corrected

...or is shielded from the truth



Intéressant ATMC .

merci, ur post is quite interesting!

But doesn’t that depend on the magnitude of the lie?
If white lies are supposedly harmless and therefore has less impact how does that still differ largely from a fabricated tale?
White lies protect ones feelings, imaginations preserves ones innocence so truth is still made redundant but the aim may be considered as noble.

actually, there is no such thing as a white lie, that is what people dont get
the aim may be considered noble but just like every living organism, lies are living things that grow and they definitely want to survive

now what do i mean by " they want to survive" i mean that lies whether white lies or black are part of the darkness of the universe and darkness wants to thrive just like a small spark that seems harmless but burns a forest down

for example, lying to a little child about santa claus might seem noble and necessary but that is just in the short run because in the long run it would be better for one to make this child know the fact that the world isnt so nice, that makes one accept it easier and since it is the truth it will shine like a light on that childs path

literally, lies mean darkness, telling someone what doesnt exist is different from keeping someone away from what is bad, telling someone what doesnt exist might seem expedient but nothing wld be better than knowledge of reality which serves as alight for that person

and lets be honest, we humans are more inclined to self preservation, when we tell a lie or so called white lie it is actually for the express purpose of reducing judgement on ourselves e.g im coming, gimme 5 minutes, traffic is so bad [white lie told inorder to excuse us from wrath]

u can ask more questions,

^^
I don't believe in "white lies" either or fantasies for that matter

But to tell a child that the world isn't so nice...couldn't that impact on the carefree nature of a child?

u can ask more questions

Look above

But to tell a child that the world isn't so nice...couldn't that impact on the carefree nature of a child?
[i][/i]

i didnt say telling a child some of the most ugly truths of the world when the child is still young and cant handle it. what u are to do in a situation where the child is still so soft is simply focus on the good things of life in order not to traumatize a child with the painful bitter pill of the truth

but there is a time to tell the truth, do you know when that time is? simple, when curiosity starts getting out of hand, just the same way u know when to urinate according to your feeling of being pressed which in essence is nature's call

when a child is getting curious about something, its simply because the child notices so many things pertaining to it in his/her immediate environment and that is as a result of becoming more mature in comprehending facts, so will a child have the understanding of a language, also have the eyes to watch TV that mummy and daddy provided, have the ears to listen to a conversation and still not have the authority or maturity to accept the conclusion of the matter[ truth]

and another thing u should keep in mind, is that truth is never destructive, it all depends on ones perception, truth is like light that shines ones path, the manner in which u say it will determine the effect on that child

i have so much to say but u have to ask me the right questions

did u get my mail dear

Lol so have I been asking the wrong questions?

Mail? Nope. I haven't received your mail.

No actually u r askin gud questions. I meant like more questions so i cud give more answers. I sent u a mail 4 lyk 3 wks now, hw come u didnt get it. Am expectin a reply

Well that’s weird as I haven’t received any mail from you and I’m pretty sure I’m not imagining things.
If you sent me a mail via NL I honestly don’t have faith in their PM feature because quite a number of people have been left confused as to the mails supposedly sent and received.
If you’re okay with it, can you drop me your email and I’ll get back to you.

okay then

Got it. Feel free to edit your post and check your mail.

ATMC: a lie is dt which opposes truth. If u say a lie is d perversion of truth...dt will be a lie because truth cannot be perverted for truth is. But there can be a perversion from d truth, in this case truth remains but d person refuses to acknowledge truth. D difference btw a lie nd an imagination does not completely lie on d impact on our neighbour, this is because a lie can impact positively just as imagination...when u tell our 4yr old sarah to work hard so santa will give her a doll, she does so nd at d end succeeds nd earns a doll...d lie encouraged her to work hard, does it make d lie reality, of course no. This then proves dt a lie is relative just as imagination is as well. This leaves them on the same side for both can be used to achieve d same end. Therefore this proves dt the difference is basically related to d motive than d action nd impact. A negative imagination or lie can sometimes have a positive outcome/impact.

great logic behind that comment...beautiful mind!