by joelbear 10 Replies latest jw friends
Hi all,
Not counting your personal regrets, what was the greatest waste of life and talent you ran across in the organization.
I have 2:
1. A guy who was a brilliant grand master chess player who gave it up when he became a witness.
2. A beautiful young lady that I dated (the last I dated) who gave up a scholarship to Julliard School for Music to study Opera and who was working as a bank teller.
Can people be prosecuted for murdering dreams?
hugs
Joel
#1 My best friend in the Org as kid, 4th genneration JW....she learned to read when she was 2. She got straight "A's" all through school. She graduated with something like a 4.5 gpa. She is one of the smartest people I have ever met. An amazing mind. Every year in high school she was voted president of the Honor Society, but had to turn it down. When she graduated, she turned down full, 4 year scholarships to several schools, including MIT. She had not even applied for these scholarships...the schools came looking for her.
She became a pioneer after she graduated, and I think she still is.
---LisaBobeesa
My husband quit the University of Texas to be a dub. He is the most talented musician and could have gone far with music. Instead he is a plumber, albeit a very successful one, but he could have been so much more. He attended Interlochen in Michigan, a performing arts school with many now famous people. His mom (a dub at the time) was mad as hell that he quit school and never forgave the elder and his wife who encouraged him to quit. The elder, by the way, was an architect who was a very well known and extremely successful artist who did a lot of work for the borg. He went to college. Go figure.
My brother is incredibly smart but never attended college. I have always wondered what he would have become if he had. I'm sure he does too.
Princess
A fellow in my old hall who was did professional sailboat competitions. He was on the cover of magazines and the whole nine yards - very well known. Although, I must say, he seems very happy as a MS. As long as he is happy I suppose.
A girl who was offered by her school to attend gifted classes (there was only 1 other in her school and less than a handful in the surrounding 20 +/- schools. She also never went to college, seemed to be such a waste.
My own. I have been writing music since I was 4 years old, but the only ones who ever heard any of it were "the friends" at gatherings. I would always hear how wonderful I was, and wouldn't it be great if I could write a Kingdom Melody .... Now there is a body of work that I would like to be connected to ..... You do recognize sarcasm when you read it?
BobsGirl
Princess,
Was that architect elder who talked your brother out of college Peter Lett?
Dear Brother Lett has quite a history with my family.
Joel
I can add a bit to what Princess said. Yes, her eldest brother is extremely intelligent. He breezed through school, with A's, and rarely, if ever, brought homework home, and graduated near the top of his class. His closest friends in school were the guys who got math and science scholarships to the UW. In grade school, he was known as a mathematical wizard. While in High School, he tutored a brother in the congregation, who was testing for his electrician journeyman status. (hard math test is part of that) He was always a genius in science and math, and reads books, even now, that make me want to cry they are so BORING.....Quantum Physics, and books by Stephen Hawkings. He should have gone on to college and become a doctor or a professor or something like that. He is successful in his business, as a contractor, but it DOES seem like a waste of a fine mind. He has a wonderful family too.
Princess herself is extremely intelligent. I think she and her brother are the smartest of my four children, although they are all pretty damned smart. (brag brag) She was a gifted child (in my opinion) and learned to read at age 3, as did her elder brother. In 2nd grade, she almost won the school spelling bee, and came in 3rd or 4th, behind 6th graders. In middle school, she took gifted classes, and by her Senior year in HS, only had two classes a day because all the required ones were done. She won the State competition in DECA, and would have gone to the Nationals, but we had a long standing plan to go to Hawaii the same time, so she opted to come with us. Now she runs her husband's business, and does everything in her life with great skill, and talent. Her two children are also gifted, and both go to school (ages 3 and 5) because it would be a waste of their minds if they didn't. The 5 year old has been reading for about a year, and is seriously saying he is going to be a paleontologist when he grows up, and has been saying that for nearly 2 years. (or a plumber........just like his Dad...he is realistic too ) The little girl, 3, is just as smart, and learned to swim this year, and she loves school (twice a week only). With parents like theirs, they didn't have a chance.
So, was it a waste? Maybe they could have been more, but what they are, is pretty wonderful too!! But then, I am a proud Mom and grandma.
Joelbear: the architect/artist was another man. His initials are MA and he was in Austin Texas.
Marilyn (a.k.a. Mulan)
I think I know who that artist is. YES! I was awed by his work at first, but after the 32nd sailboat with full billowing sail on a glassy clear lake, the cognitave dissonance between the sail and the lake overtook me, and I got quite sick of his work. lol.
One can only take so much southwestern art. Of course, if it is making you literally millions, you will probably become a veritable SW art factory. Hence MA.
Princess, Mulan, have you heard the rest of the story on MA? Your going to be sick to think that this is the guy who discouraged college for you husband/SIL.
There was a singer/bass player in my school band (H.S.) who had an amazing voice.
So much was the case that we played (I played the Sax with the group, he sang) several times at the Apollo theatre in harlem NYC. After our 4th gig there, he was approached by a "scout" from A&R in Sony.
Although we were all excited, he was an aspiring young pioneer who had goals to become a bethelite, elder,C.O. and everything else in the success ladder in the WTBTS.
We were good friends, being that we were both witnesses and all. Although the rest of the group was highly upset at him and tried their damndest to convince him to take the contract, he would not budge.
I felt like telling him also to take the deal, but I was supposed to be the one to "stand by his side" being that I supposedly had the same goals.
Our music theory teacher, Mr. Benjamin was so upset that I don't know how he even continued talking to us.
Oh well, could have been in the "big league" but thanks to the Borg. , I had to settle for waking up at 6 on Sat. to go out and do "street work".
Damn,.... now you got me all upset.......
Mav-
