Pretend = you may be asking people to go along with you, but everybody knows it isn't real.
Lying = you are trying to convince people to go along with you, claiming it IS real.
Of course, there is also the option that the person actually believes it's real, when it isn't.
Of course, there are some things that are just so "grey" we don't know which it is. If someone tells us they were abducted by an extraterrestrial ... is it pretend or lying? We can't be sure, because we don't know (for a fact) if such beings exist or have visited Earth.
You can't judge a book by its cover. Things are not what they seem to be. The tip of the iceberg is not all there is. What shows is the least of it. A stitch in time saves nine. Go along to get along. Silence is golden.
I guess whom you are determines where you hang your hat and what you say on your shingle.
For me it is a constant evolution or metamorphosis...changeling..changing.
If you believe what you say than you are neither pretending nor a liar. You are just basing what you say on the lies of others. Unless you KNOW they are you are innocent.
Word to the wise. BE VERY CAREFUL whom you trust. Whom you believe. Other than that we do the best we can.
Stream of consciousness Walt. I just let loose with what was going on in my head. Whether it pertains to what you said or not is for you to decide. Thank you for your reply! :) It ain't easy being me.
This post was edited by RosieG at April 6, 2021 11:46 AM MDT
I was thinking along the lines of someone who believes a "falsehood" due to their own mental state ... hallucinations, paranoia, etc.
I don't think someone who passes on information just because someone else said it, is necessarily innocent. After all, they are engaged in gossip or rumor-mongering. The best I would say about them is that they are either naive or lazy.
If the person is a mental defect Walt they aren't really responsible. I mean the brain is not in their control and so if it is lacking something or diseased how can we blame them for thinking crap is real and good is bad and truth is evil? We can't in good conscience. I think many homo saps were born evil. hateful. Mean. Cruel. Revengeful. Jealous. Hostile. Sadly they are the ones who get elected to public office oftenly. Go figger! Thank you for your reply m'dear and Happy Friday to thee and thine! :)
Walt O'Reagun 