Here are some additional perspectives:
don't any of you get afraid??
by nowisee 52 Replies latest watchtower bible
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nowisee
heathen -- i agree that no matter whatever else happens, the wts is not the anwer. hey blondie! -- how are you, my friend? i try every day and ask myself all the time if i am part of the problem or of the solution. the little bits i am able to do never seem to be enough and i always hope that added to the efforts of others, somehow they will matter. fmz -- i totally relate to your answer. i feel most times that i only know three things in total: 1) Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, 2) we must love God and each other and 3) the wts is not the fds. joe -- thx for your perspective jgnat -- thanks. yes, many of our fears disappear with the passing of time. somehow, no matter how rational or irrational, where we are now seems different to me. i often feel that this is one of the worst legacies of the wts for me, that armageddon seems imminent at any scary time, and it is so hard to be objective. it is very very difficult for me to take each moment as it arrives.
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SixofNine
facts in my mind still seem to show us hurtling toward destruction. one way or another. wts or otherwise
No, definetly not wts. We may indeed die tomorrow, but if we do, it won't have jack, nor shit, to do with the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. That said, humans aren't facing anything now that we haven't faced many times before, except for the specter of global warming. And while that is indeed scary, the good news is that we have the technology to deal with it. All we need is political will, and fear provides that (actually fear is a suckass, low-rent method for generating political will, but we'll have to take what we can get).
Aside from that, imagine how you'd feel if you'd lived your life in the middle east.
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mkr32208
all of this stuff happening in the Mideast
The same things that have been happening for the last 4000+ years?
....with al gore's "an inconvenient truth" and scientists backing him up.
Al gore is an ass clown, no serious scientist are backing up his pseudoscience
..with korea..
Is N Korea less stable than Pakistan?
..with "christian" rhetoric..
Um yeah that's new right?
..with pornography taking over the minds of our men...
What? Porn is new too?
..bird flu....debt up to the eyeballs....complacency....pacs.....Enron...corruption...serial killers in phoenix.....shrinking dollar....economy being sold to overseas.....etc. etc.
NONE OF THIS IS NEW STUFF! Here's the reassurance! Less people die from war, disease, animal attack, natural disaster etc now than at ANY point in recorded history!
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mamochan13
Michael Moore does a good job of pointing out how the media tries to scare us in his movies.
Last year I read an article that showed that there are actually fewer wars and fewer per capita instances of violence now than there were a century ago. Can't recall the source, but this article wasn't the only one.
Humans in North America are enjoying an increased life span and better quality of life.
There are plenty of good news stories if you look for them. As JW's we are used to only seeing the bad ones, and the media is quite happy to help that notion along. In fact, government benefits from keeping citizens in fear (again I refer to Michael Moore).
Look at the amazing advancements in medicine, science, technology. I read today about a paralyzed man who can now communicate via his brain waves. I'm no longer afraid of the future, I'm excited, and eagerly awaiting the many new things we have yet to learn and experience.
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PaulMarshall
God morning from a beautiful and sunny London. Thank you for posting your thoughts and I hope that the shear connection you are having from the people that have taken the time and written back to you, will in itself demonstrate something to you to. If you strip away all the scientific and intellectual banter we are so able and readily available to indulge ourselves in, the simple truth remains. You, me and everyone else who is reading this, have the capacity to not be afraid. Like any phobia, which presents itself as a fear, you can overcome it and actually thrive on the now and like many phobias, it’s learnt behaviour. http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/mentalhealthproblems/anxietyphobias/anxietyphobias.aspx
The now when you think about it IS the future. As a tiny example, by the time you have read this, you are already in the future and so by projecting yourself in the right direction, you are steering very personal experience. If you have not been blown up by a bomb or have lost your way through illness be it physical or mental, you are capable of controlling your perception and how you view world events… If only you will allow yourself. It is like learning to swim. The panic of not being able to swim will ultimately bring about your demise in deep water. If you are incapable of getting your head around what is physically happening to you at the time, you risk drowning! Relax, breath and you’ll float naturally! I grew up afraid. Afraid of the present and certainly afraid of the future. The anxiety I felt was debilitating. I know what I am talking about.
The interpretation of world events within the organisation is that, an interpretation. If you speak to a devout Buddhist, they will real off reams of doctrine dating back thousands of years that pertain to the time we are now in. Nostradamus, and practically every orchestrated religious theologian will be able to say we are heading for something. Of course we are! We are sucked into the future without any control over it. This in itself is scary. You are in control of where you are and who you are right now. While you are dealing with the angst of fear, you energies are not available to hold you up in order to float and enjoy the deep blue sky, the sun of your face and the sheer sensation of being.
Many are in a state of inertia through sheer confusion. Stop and listen to yourself. Really listen to yourself. Take control of the inner you and make yourself calm. Today is good, and so is tomorrow, if only you will let it. We are all going to pass on and die, and I for one don’t know anymore more than that, and nor should I. It is merely human arrogance to think we should. I know more need to know what is on the far side of the moon that I need to know, what the ultimate future holds for mankind. My responsibility to mankind and for myself is right now. It is here. It has taken me a while to get to this stage in my life and a lot of anguish, and personal journeying but I reckon I am OK. It is good to reat and take in the view of life as opposes to have my head down and dare not look up through fear.
What I am trying to say is this; Think about something really really simple for a moment, think about trees for example! Think about the way the trunk holds it up. In your minds eye, look up into the branches as the light dances amonsgts its leaves, and it gives way to the breeze. Its life cycle is so slow we miss it. Generally speaking, it lives far longer than us and it grows so slowly, we can simply miss it. We just see a tree, when what we need to see is a living organism in control, that has moved each leaf and branch, in order to gain optimum light and energy within it’s own unique space on this planet. it's a great life lesson for us to learn. It has just does things so slowly we cant see it within our own time continuum, even though we share the same space. Again like many trees, if you move them, they can simply wither away and die. It's like leaving the organisation, you need to realign your thoughts in order to gain insight. The bigger picture is no different, we can’t see the future, and we can only react to where we think we need to be to get the best from life’s light and energy. Think about it :O) Move your thoughts to where they best serve you. NOT the other way around. That way you can can think and see clearly. It is not a problem it is a challenge to coin a very cliched phrase.
Although I am confident I was brainwashed throughout my child and early adulthood. www.objectivethought.com/atheism/cult.html I am now confident I am free to make my own mind up about my identity and who I am and what I believe. Life is about change, and I am changing, and so should you. Dwell on the positives not the gloom of destruction, but the light and energy of living. That is the godliest thing you can do…for both the present and the future.
Your friend
Paul
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Crumpet
Nice and objective comments there Paul and welcome to the board - I missed saying hello when you joined here!
I am not afraid especially although perhaps if I had children of my own I'd be a bit more concerned about the general state of world affairs. For me leaving the borg has been an eye -widening experience as the world and teh people in it are just so much nicer and humane and normal than I was led to believe. I do believe the world as we know it will end eventually - probably through some sort of glacial meltdown. As Looking Glass said Change is Constant. Why waste time worrying about what you can't change - I don't.
And without wishing to be impertinent this did make me chuckle
....with pornography taking over the minds of our men
Just picturing lots of Dr Who type baddies with porn on the brain - LOL! -
jwfacts
I can not think of a better time to live in all history, can you?
Maybe the inquistion, the Roman times, or when the Assyrians were brutalising the world? How about those
NethenimNephilim?Try enjoying what you have, as fear of what may be is counterproductive. Didnt Jesus say something similar
(Matthew 6:34) 34
So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own badness. . . -
ozziepost
(Matthew 6:34) 34 So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own badness. .
And I could add: "Perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. the one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)
I think this is the thrust of what FMZ was saying too.
As far as the question: Don't you get afraid? I would answer No!
Mrs Ozzie and I have been in some difficult situations including being held up by terrorists brandishing AK-47s, and facing death many times but never have I felt afraid. What is there to be afraid of?
Afraid of death? But why? Death may be an "enemy' but it can also be a release.
Faith, hope and love are a great comfort and assurance.
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trevor
Why look at the negative things and then list them all together?
I have just returned from a walking holiday in Wales UK. The beautiful old village of Crickhowell is surrounded by green hills and mountains which lead down to the river Usk. To me heaven is a place on earth.
Not everyone is as privileged as those of us who live in the USA or the UK but there is so much beauty and good in the world if you seek it out.