Some quality words there, Sands.
I think it's fair to say I've thought the same thing for a while; just hadn't worded it quite that way.
Anyway, I think these words should be spread around more. It's definitely something people should think about, as it could certainly avoid many problems, for many people. That, and I don't really see any down-side to this point of view.
All of my agree. I couldn't have worded it better. People are always so worried and confused about parroting, while (especially if you take Fede's method into account)
it doesn't really matter. Even if you are parroting at first, as long as you keep consistently forcing, your tulpa
will eventually become sentient. And even if it were the case that tulpas aren't really sentient and are just people who train themselves to fake a second personality that's indistinguishable from a real person, then wouldn't that be the same as them being real? If your tulpa can surprise you, make you think about things, tell you off when you did something stupid and congratulate you when you did something wise, and most importantly
be there with you and for you, if they can do all those things, regardless of being truly conscious or not, does it really matter? Do we
really have to prove that our tulpa is conscious, even if their behavior makes it pretty damn clear that they are?
I feel as though proving the tulpa's sentience seems to be more of a point of focus of tulpaforcers than actually spending time with them and having fun, which is why we make them in the first place, right? If you're gonna treat them as some scientific experiment, you might as well not make them.
Tulpas are your friends, not lab rats. I don't disagree with a little experimentation to sate the curiosity, but your friendship with them should always come first, and all the other sciency crap second.
I'm glad you addressed this problem the way you did, I only wish more people would read this.