If You Were Raised In "The Truth" Did This Happen to You?

by XJW4EVR 23 Replies latest jw friends

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  XJW4EVR

  Last night I was reminiscing about my teenage years, and this came up.

  In the congregation I was raised in there were a number of contractors. I knew that college was out of the question, and I didn't want to run the family busines (though I ended up running it for a time). So I asked a number of these Elder contractors if they were willing to appentice me in their trades. I never heard back,and I knew that a couple of them were needing people for work, so again I asked, and got no reply. SO I asked my dad (P.O. at the congregation) why I was being avoided, and he said that these brothers had come to him and told him that though they thought my attempts were admirable, they felt that since my family ran a food service business, they felt that I should stay there, and leave construction to the brothers that "needed to feed their families."

  Now on the surface, this appeared admirable. However, I looked into it deeper, and discovered that these brothers had a nice monoply on work in that community. Afterall, who else are more honest than JW's? So they were afraid that I would learn the trade, and eventually start my own business and compete against them.

  Anyone ever run across this also?
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  garybuss

  I had Witnesses work with and for me. I ended up staying nights and working weekends to keep commitments because THEY left before the promised work was done so they could go to meetings and talk about being honest and dependable workers.
  
  
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  kittyeatzjdubs

  Not that exactly, but the mention of college reminded me of something I experienced.

  From the time I started Jr. High, I KNEW that I wanted to be a psychologist. I loved and still love the human mind in all it's workings. I checked out every book in the library on mental diseas and psychiatry. I even found an old college text book someone had donated to the library, and I read every chapter and did all of the question and answer studies....anyway. Of course my jw mother was fully against this, and she gave me the hardest time about it. So one day I was out in service w/ some highly respected elderette, and she just so happened to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. So I took a deep breath, and said, ''I would like to be a psychologist.'' She smiled at me and said that it sounded like a very noble endeavor and that they could always use doctors and such at Bethel. I was elated! Finally! Someone of honor and prestige in the congregation to back me up. So I went home that day and proudly told my mother what the elderette had said. So then my mother calls me a liar, and says that Sister So-n-so would NEVER say anything so stupid! I kept insisting this was true, so my mother then proceeds to call the elderette at home to ask her herself...

  THAT FREAKING BITCH TOLD MY MOTHER SHE NEVER SAID SUCH A THING!!!!!!

  I was completely dumbfounded!!!! I stood there in shock for at least 10 minutes! So then the elderette's husband (PO) and another elder arranged to meet with me to discuss my problem with lying and to try to convince me to drop the whole college thing.

  It took me forever to be able to trust ANYONE in the congregation after that.

  ~luv, jojo

  edited to add: sorry this is so long...not trying to hijack, but i just had to get that out!
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  XJW4EVR

  That's cool, kitty. I used to do the same thing, that is check out books on professions and not trades.
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  144001

  So they were afraid that I would learn the trade, and eventually start my own business and compete against them.

  A bit presumptuous, aren't you? Could it be that they found you to be undesirable for other reasons? It's possible that your personality was undesirable to these individuals (e.g., aggressive personality -- the incident with the "liberal" mom at a fast food restaurant, and confrontations with other users of this forum).

  Jehovah's Witnesses with monopolies on work in the community? There must be a high rate of unemployment there, given the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses account for a very insignificant percentage of the general population.
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  XJW4EVR

  So they were afraid that I would learn the trade, and eventually start my own business and compete against them.

  A bit presumptuous, aren't you? Could it be that they found you to be undesirable for other reasons? It's possible that your personality was undesirable to these individuals (e.g., aggressive personality -- the incident with the "liberal" mom at a fast food restaurant, and confrontations with other users of this forum).

  Jehovah's Witnesses with monopolies on work in the community? There must be a high rate of unemployment there, given the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses account for a very insignificant percentage of the general population

  Please keep your amatuer psycho-analysis to yourself.
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  daystar

  kitty

  Follow your passions. I know someone who used to work with people who were struggling and needed assistance with job placement, careers, etc. He had this one woman in his office and when he asked her what she would really like to do, she told him that she wanted to be a psychologist, though she was not in college at the time. Being smart, he asked her what she had done to prepare herself for this. What books had she read, etc. She said she had not read one thing, no Freud or Jung even. She had just read some article about it and decided that was what she wanted to do.

  He noted that had she pursued that path, she would not likely have ben very successful as she had no passion for it, and tried to convince her to consider other option.

  If you have a passion for something, you have a duty to yourself to follow that passion.
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  144001

  You are a dick.

  Indeed, the truth hurts. But your response only corroborates my opinion that you were passed up for these opportunities because of your personality.
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  144001

  Please keep your amatuer psycho-analysis to yourself.

  How dishonest of you to edit your original response to this! Your original response was:

  You are a dick.

  My "psychoanalysis" of you was very accurate, and you offered further support for that "psychoanalysis" by resorting to hostility instead of responding to the substance of my comments. It's very clear to me, based on the things you've posted in other threads as well as this one, that you are a person who could benefit from anger management counseling. I bet those elders who passed you up for the job opportunities observed the same aspects of your personality that I have noticed and commented on.

  The truth can in fact be painful, but ignoring it will likely serve only to hold you back in life.
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  Finally-Free

  There were a few JWs that dominated the window cleaning business here, and tried to prevent some people from getting into it. I recall one elder who left bethel and wanted to get into the business. I just happened to be selling my business at the same time, and he was enraged when I refused to sell it to him. But the elders had just turned down my pioneer application for no good reason, and I was a bit pissed, so I made it clear I'd sooner give my business away to a "worldly" guy for free than sell it to an elder.

  There were also a few JWs who owned window cleaning businesses who tried to set themselves up as some kind of authority who could decide which "areas" others could or could not expand their businesses in to. Many of the brothers put up with it. I didn't.

  I eventually decided the whole situation resembled a bunch of flies fighting over a pile of shit, and I got myself into a real career.

  W