h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ooh...

I wanna play!

My favorite childhood books were:
- Homer Price
- The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books
- The Encyclopedia Brown books

In order of appearance:

Mr Men
Secret Seven
Famous Five

There was a book I really, really loved but I can't for the life of me remember what it was.

'There was a book I really, really loved but I can't for the life of me remember what it was. '

I've got one of those too Roy, ooppsss not doing what I started the thread over am I

Someone may recognise the very vague description.

This book was presented to me for regular attendance at Sunday School, (I'm now an atheist) so it probably had a moral theme to it, though I think most kids did back in the 60s/70s and still do now.

Anyway, my very vague memories of it, which may or may not be accurate are:

There's boy and a girl, a rabbit, a garden they're not allowed in, that the rabbit keeps going into, and a miserable, bad tempered old man... that's the sum of my actual memories of this book, other than the feeling that I enjoyed reading it.

Emmily

Sounds like The Secret Garden to me ...

I think compulsive liars are best thought of as fantasists - at least the three who I've known fell into that category. Two of them told a lot of stories about what they'd done in the past that were believable enough in themselves, but which didn't make sense when you put them together - i.e. a 23 year old could not possibly have a legal qualification, have been an top class chef, run a successful karaoke/DJ business for several years, been travelling for eighteen months, and so on and so forth.

I think when they're in the moment, they're telling stories to impress and to try to earn the respect of others (as some other people have already said), but often they're also telling a story about how they'd like things to have been, something they would like to have done. So I think the psychology is one of fantasising out loud, rather than knowingly and deliberately lying.

I think everyone exaggerates to a certain extent. How many of haven't changed or exaggerated something that happened in order for it to be a better anecdote or story - included that brilliant comeback you didn't think of until afterwards, made the dog twice as big, reduced the role of other people in your success etc etc etc. These are smaller lies, but I'd imagine the psychology of normal people telling those isn't dissimilar except in scale to that of the compulsive liar or one-upmanship-er.

I went through a period from the ages of 14-19 when I would lie about things I'd done (or hadn't done, to be slightly more accurate) in order to sound more 'cool'. I didn't automatically assume others were lying, it's just that everyone else of my age seemed to have had a much more interesting and far less sheltered life than I had and I was scared that if I *didn't* embellish things everyone would just laugh at me.

This is it, I know people whom I am perfectly aware I must take with a pinch of salt at all times... I dont think any less of them, however I dont rely on their information. I enjoy passing the time with them. Their stories, anecdotes and conversations are fascinating and enjoyable, so why not? Although I do try to draw the line at encouraging fantasies and will give the odd look when I know what I'm being told is total rubbish... It's a 'Steady! I'll go with it, but you and I both know you're going too far!'... Because feeding delusions isn't a nice thing to do either!

But liars, those who tell lies to cover themselves etc. usually end up hurting others in the short term and only lying to themselves in the long term... And I have no time for them whatsoever.

But are compulsive truth-tellers to be trusted? These are people, remember, whose world is so tightly screwed down and framed in rationality that they insist on a clear delineation between fact and falsehood, and admit no ground in between.

I rather think that nearly everything is neither one thing nor the other. If you let your imagination wander round something long enough, you'll usually find that you've managed to turn it into what it might have been. It's no use trying to change it back, either. You now think of it in a different way, and more tangential observation will only create something different again.

The fantasy-proponents here have it most nearly right, IMO. In fact, there are maybe three corners to this system. If you deal in fact and believe your own conclusions, then you are what your peers deem truthful. If you deal in fact but declare something different, you are properly a liar. If you deal in perception and don't really understand the world's obsession with fact, then you are probably more normal than you realise.

never trust anyone 100% not even the sweet old lady nextdoor everyone has dark side.

I do not!

Secret Garden didn't have a rabbit in it. No clue what the book would be, though.

possibly one of the beatrix potter stories.

could be the wind in the willows .

Sounds a bit like Peter Rabbit if it includes lots of baby rabbits eating lettuce and falling asleep to be discovered by the farmer and only just getting away in time or something like that?

But there weren't many human characters in Beatrix Potter stories.

I'd agree that it sounds like the Secret Garden - Dickon always had an animal about his person, it's possible there's mention of a rabbit. The robin redbreast plays a more significant part though.

Do politicians lie? I am sick of all of them.

Hmm. If politicians do lie, then I can understand you being sick of them.

If, on the other hand, they don't lie, why are you sick of them? For some other reason?

Seems to me you already think you know the answer to your own question.

So, what is the question you really want an answer to?

RF

The meaning of life.

- a visitor to planet earth-

you too?

I am the Baron Von Munchausen, recently arrived by chronosynclastic infundibulum. And if you don't believe that, then it's obviously because your own habitual lying won't allow you to believe any one else.