Funny how witnoids used to preach that they currently lived in "spiritual paradise". Yea! If you realy stop and think about it, witnoids are under MORE pressure and stress (dealing with real life and witnoid life) than those who are "worldly". Yet, they preach that they are the happest people on earth, sound like disney, oops fantasy land to me. I remember when I regular pionered that the stress of working and making 90 hrs a month was hell. Then paying for unexpected incidences in life with the meger part time job I had. All the while having the freakin elders riding my ass because I would always come up a few hours short. Then preparing for all the meetings, taking impromptus, book study conductor, etc. If that ain't stress I don't know what is. As I look back now I feel 1000% percent better knowing that those BURDENS have been taken away.
Stress and witoid life
by sinis 13 Replies latest jw experiences
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carla
Have they dropped the 'happiest people on earth' routine? My jw claims he never heard that one. Of course he ignores the wt's which claim that as 'old'.
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fullofdoubtnow
I was reasonably happy as a jw for a lot of the time, but it was a stressful life, especially when I was a pioneer. Nowadays, I am much happier, no need to worry about anyone questioning me if my hours are down, no talks to prepare, meetings or assemblies to go to. Whay a relief!
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poppers
With true freedom there is nothing to carry around anymore. Carrying around a lot of do's and don'ts from any religion can only create stress. I'm glad that you have released the burden which was imposed upon you.
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happy1975
The stress is what finally got me out. I was so sick of the pressure of never feeling like I was doing enough - study, field service, personal study. Oh, and I also DREADED Tuesdays, Thursdays because those were my meeting nights. There's nothing quite like rushing home from work, wolfing down some food, running through the shower, getting dressed up and then sitting around for two hours getting told that you're not doing QUITE enough....
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Finally-Free
The greatest source of stress for me as a JW was the effort it took for me to restrain myself from giving some of the elders a sound asskicking in retaliation for some of the stupid things they said and did.
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restrangled
My parents were miserable most of their lives, all the while it was being pounded in from the platform that these were the happiest human beings on the planet. My mother has been telling me my whole life (up until she shunned me a month ago) she is so miserable, there is no point to this life and she is waiting to die.
My father was diagnosed with bi polar disease 10 years before he died. Extreme depression and then euphoric highs.
Both were the most depressed, unhappy people I have ever come across. Of course being raised under this duo has done wonders for my own outlook.
I came to the conclusion if you can't find any happiness now, you won't have it in the new order either. God did not intend you to be suicidal your whole life on this planet.
r.
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Gopher
As pointed out before, the source of stress is not the "world's" problems but more so the demands placed on the Witnesses by their leadership.
To quote Matthew 23:4,
Watchtower leaders "bind up heavy loads and put them on the shoulders of men [and women and children], but they themselves are not willing to budge them with their finger".
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Poztate
All the while having the freakin elders riding my ass because I would always come up a few hours short. Then preparing for all the meetings, taking impromptus, book study conductor, etc. If that ain't stress I don't know what is.
It's amazing to me that even when you are a pioneer and are doing a WHOLE bunch of extra duties they will still ride you if you come up a few hours short. The only cheap thrill you got from being a pioneer was the announcement from the platform and maybe a round of applause (do they still do that?) It wasn't exactly a paid position. You can never do enough for them can you??
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Honesty
The appearance of a flock of sheep can be determined by examining one of them. It is so obvious when the entire flock is sick that when a person sees one of them all by its lonesome you can't help but wonder just how bad the shepherd misuses his authority over them that their countenance appears so deathly.
Yesterday, I went to see a friend in the hospital and in 'walks' a RN to check some of his vital signs.
She looked like death warmed over... She had such a sad and dejected look on her face. She wasn't really 'walking', more like shuffling along. Her hair looked absolutely awful. The style was modern and artfully cut but her hair looked 'dead' if you know what I mean. I immediately thought to myself, "This poor woman is being abused by someone she loves."
Finally, it dawned on me who this dejected and worn-out shell of a human being was. Her husband's brother and I had been best of friends for almost 30 years. Her husband, step-son and I used to hike the mountains on weekends together while she worked at the hospital. I had not seen her since my father-in-law died in 1999 and his body was transported to the Emergency Room where she was a head trauma nurse.
This woman had aged at least 50 years in less than 10.
It also became clear to me why she has aged so much in less than 10 years. She is trapped in the same mind-numbing, death proclaiming, destructive and abusive cult that the Lord saved me out of in 2004.