Comment by sparker72678
5 years ago
This isn't a lie in the way we'd typically talk about lies. It isn't meant to deceive. It's a myth.
As a child grows and discovers that there isn't really a monster in the sea, are they going to resent their parents when they understand the explanation?
I think that's the difference here.
Perhaps these kinds of magical ideas that we teach our kids makes them more susceptible to believing various religions/cults are real. That would be a downside.
unless, to quote the late Terry Pratchett[0], we _need_ to learn the little lies so we can believe the big ones. Justice, Mercy, Duty, that sort of thing. :)
[0] https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/583655-hogfather
When you stigmatize suspension of disbelief (myths, stories), you setup the child to chronically suspend belief. You get a person who can only value what can be pointed to and measured. A gullible person is bad, but the other extreme is no better.
Do you have a citation for that last claim?
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Reminds me of Luke and Obi Wan. What the parents are saying is true, from a certain point of view.