what if...

[mellowtigger]

What if someone (an enterprising terrorist, say) created a virus that affected neurons (sort of like herpes or toxoplasmosis) but specific kinds of neurons. What if this virus caused infected cells to produce chemicals that inhibited the ability to lie. Or, even better, what if lying caused neurons to create a toxic byproduct so that habitual lying or complex lying would eventually kill the person doing it? Wouldn't that change politics and war and religion in profound ways? Would it make for a better world?

What if people with disability pensions (a permanent 'trickle' income) banded together in a community to create a special kind of co-op. This co-op could provide a kind of nature sanctuary where people could hold classes for the public on mental health and relaxation. This co-op could provide a permanent home to disabled pets as well. (Like Home For Life does for deaf Blueberry, blind Celeste and Ben, or incontinent Speedy.) It could experiment with teaching self-help skills, sharing with the public what techniques it found productive.  It could be what I imagine a religious sanctuary should be, but this would be without the overt religious involvement.

Comments

[joshuwain.livejournal.com]

I think that you should write a story with these ideas as premise. They are fascinating to contemplate and, really, you have a good insight into them.

[mellowtigger]

I think it would be fun. I do want, though, to write my screenplay (sci-fi story) first when it comes time to focus on creative writing.

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

Only problem with that premise is that most of those people you name believe the untruths they propagate.

[mellowtigger]

Yes, my hypothetical virus would require an intent to deceive. I wonder, though, if study of mythomania (pathological lying) will eventually show that lying-to-others might share some biological similarities with the process of self-deception. Maybe it'll turn out instead that only lying-to-others has the social component, the complex weighing of costs to social standing of any proposed action. Lying-to-self might be a completely different process.

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

We all deceive ourselves, life would be impossible without it. And so necessarily we deceive others.

[khrysso.livejournal.com]

...which speaks to why I am so fascinated with the Johari Window:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_Window

[mellowtigger]

Why is it necessary to deceive self in order to survive?

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

- when something is too painful to fully acknowledge
- when something is too dangerous to acknowledge
- when the work it takes to discover the truth would suck up resources needed for survival activities
- when constantly looking the truth in the face would paralyze you

for instance.

[mellowtigger]

*ponder* I never went through a phase where I tried to be straight in order to convince myself that I wasn't gay. That's the only situation I can think of in my life that might be similar to these scenarios. I did act in ways that would minimize the need to address sexuality, but that of course was done with my intellectual awareness, weighing the cost of actions. (In condition #2, as my father was an admitted fag basher.)

My first attempt at dating was with someone who I came to understand later was a compulsive liar. Even when someone told me "I think he has a problem with telling the truth", I still didn't understand what that meant as something that I could act upon. Seeming like condition #1, but I honestly didn't understand the concept of lying to produce whole life stories out of thin air. Or is that what self-deception does?

I understand wanting to act as though things were different, but that's different from (what I think is) self-deception.