The Blurring Line

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Fri Oct 12, 2001 6:51 pm

One to many visits to the 'shock' doctor or a tear in time it's self?

Have you ran into the 'Blurring Line' ?

Age:17, I read a book and dream.
Age:27, Parts of book seem to intrude in my life.

Could my memory just be trying to tie this events together?

C Elegans · Post by **C Elegans** » Fri Oct 12, 2001 7:12 pm

This reminds me of Borges, who once said something to the effect of "there is only two stories ever told by man". He was of course exaggregating, I think he meant that there are some common themes thhat repeat themselves over and over in different variations.

Also, the human mind is set to find patterns and generalize. That is part of our large learning ability. If you read a book with a certain story, your brain will store this pattern. Later, when something similar occur IRL, you might be inclined to experience and view this as even more similar to the book than in actually is, due to the pattern matching functions.

Does this make any sense to you?

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Fri Oct 12, 2001 7:32 pm

Originally posted by C Elegans:
This reminds me of Borges, who once said something to the effect of "there is only two stories ever told by man". He was of course exaggregating, I think he meant that there are some common themes thhat repeat themselves over and over in different variations.

Also, the human mind is set to find patterns and generalize. That is part of our large learning ability. If you read a book with a certain story, your brain will store this pattern. Later, when something similar occur IRL, you might be inclined to experience and view this as even more similar to the book than in actually is, due to the pattern matching functions.

Does this make any sense to you?

Yes!!!

I made my fancy name up..."Blurring Line", but this is what I mean. Do you think it's strange I can tell my mind tries this with me. Or is it I might be trying to make stuff fit?

(I spend too much time thinking.

and then rethinking

)

C Elegans · Post by **C Elegans** » Fri Oct 12, 2001 8:00 pm

Originally posted by Weasel:
Yes!!! I made my fancy name up..."Blurring Line", but this is what I mean. Do you think it's strange I can tell my mind tries this with me. Or is it I might be trying to make stuff fit?

(I spend too much time thinking. and then rethinking )

"Blurring line" is a good name, it sounds like the title of an exciting book or movie

I don't think it's strange, but I think it's very observant of you to notice this kind of thing. Most people tend not to analyze the causes for "blurring line" phenomena, they just buy the experience as "true" in an objective sense. This is often how prejudice works - pattern matching in combination with selective perception and voila! it looks and feels like the prejudice is true.

Btw, when I was younger, I used to write a lot - stories, poetry etc. Sometimes the stuff I wrote about actually happened to me later. This felt sort of eerie, but I realized after a while that it was an effect of interaction between me fulfilling my own "prophecies" and the post hoc, retroactive pattern matching.

Another phenomena in the same style was that when I wanted something particular to happen, it seemed to happen more often that could be expected by random chance. No wonder - if you want something very much to happen, you will consciously or unconsciously work for this to happen, so it isn't by chance.

Sorry if I make no sense - I can feel it's 5 m here...

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Fri Oct 12, 2001 10:25 pm

Originally posted by C Elegans:
"Blurring line" is a good name, it sounds like the title of an exciting book or movie

I will try and make a film one day based on this. I just wonder if you and me will be the only one's to get the meaning.

Sailor Saturn · Post by **Sailor Saturn** » Fri Oct 12, 2001 10:55 pm

Originally posted by Weasel:
 I will try and make a film one day based on this. I just wonder if you and me will be the only one's to get the meaning.

Wonder no longer, for I shall get the meaning, too.

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Sat Oct 13, 2001 12:11 pm

So you read say three little pigs and when a con man comes knocking you think its like that?

CM · Post by CM » Sat Oct 13, 2001 12:53 pm

Deja vu fits along the same lines don't you think.

I know points where i feel the exact scene has happened before, but thinking on it and talking to my friends about it, it usually a similar pattern of events.

Does anybody here believe in deja vu, i don't, but i do think the issue of patterns stored in memory do have an effect on them.

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Sat Oct 13, 2001 1:04 pm

Originally posted by craig:
So you read say three little pigs and when a con man comes knocking you think its like that?

Close, but different.

I like your sig.

Originally posted by Fas:
Deja vu fits along the same lines don't you think.

I know points where i feel the exact scene has happened before, but thinking on it and talking to my friends about it, it usually a similar pattern of events.

Does anybody here believe in deja vu, i don't, but i do think the issue of patterns stored in memory do have an effect on them.

I have to agree with you. I don't believe in 'deja vu'. I believe it is tied to the mind.

CM · Post by CM » Sat Oct 13, 2001 1:07 pm

Originally posted by Weasel:
I have to agree with you. I don't believe in 'deja vu'. I believe it is tied to the mind.

Doesn't agreement just kill a conversation?

Anyway there is spam!

Sailor Saturn · Post by **Sailor Saturn** » Sat Oct 13, 2001 11:47 pm

This reminds me of a poem by Edgar Allen Poe.

A Dream Within A Dream

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow---
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand---
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers tot he deep,
While I weep---While I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Sun Oct 14, 2001 12:49 pm

Ok whats wrong with my idea /explination? is it more like Seeing the matrix and gett parnoid because you think IT IS true

Shadow Sandrock · Post by **Shadow Sandrock** » Tue Oct 16, 2001 4:18 am

I don't believe in deja vu. And yet, somehow, you find yourself doing something or saying something you think that you have said before.

More than likely you were thinking about that person earlier and what you want to say to him/her, then you say it and you think you've said it before. But of course, I'm probably one of the few people here with prophetic dreams... now THOSE are FREAKY!!!