Adult Imaginations: Do some adults never grow up?

The sad truth is that the majority of adults never outgrow their imaginations and choose to retain a childlike mentality. The reason for this is the enablement and encouragement of the culture and society in which such an individual lives. There is an accepted double standard in regard to what is healthy to imagine and by what age a child should give up their imaginary friends or imagined events. A transition toward our "Accepted Reality" is made between the ages of 8 - 12 years, on average, for most children. If the transition is not made by a certain age a child's parents may begin to worry that there might be something terribly wrong with their child's ability to construct a model of reality that is acceptable to the standards of said society or culture.

The belief in concepts such as Santa Claus and Boogey Men are discouraged after a certain age and are dismissed as "imaginary", yet the belief in a personal god and all types of supernatural phenomena are acceptable at any age. This is a double standard and quite hypocritical when one steps back to view the situation using reason, logic and common sense. The undeniable truth is that there is no observable proof to substantiate the belief in the concept of a personal, anthropomorphic deity. There is no evidence for the belief in ghosts or aliens, angels or demons. These concepts are the product of an infantile mind employing the use of imagination to grasp and make sense of natural phenomenon.

Entire industries have evolved to cater to adult figments of the imagination. The belief in alien invasion originated from "Cold War" paranoia and sightings of top secret weapon projects. This particular concept has outgrown the original "Red Scare" and has evolved in such a way that the true origin has been lost completely or twisted into proof and justification for the belief that aliens visit us regularly. The acceptance of this concept allowed for further embellishment so that some individuals wholeheartedly believe aliens have abducted them or rule our society in the guise of our human elected officials.

How much imagination in an adult is too much? When does the belief in imaginary concepts become dangerous to the individual and society at large? Apparently there is no danger in sowing fear and paranoia if it is disguised and accepted as "hidden truth". The same questions can be applied to the belief in the three Abrahamic religions and their countless schismatic offshoots. Nope, no danger at all... That is, unless another culture or society's imaginary friend is different than our own. That, my friends, is how wars are started.