Counting Time... Is It Part Of The Rot?

ballistic

How many here have pioneered?
Be honest, what was predominantly on your mind, telling people this wonderfull good news or was it counting time?
An elder once said to me, "you know, it's strange how when pioneers quit pioneering, they're hours don't stay the same, they don't gradually diminish and they don't even drop by half... they drop practically to nothing."
I suppose he was asking "what is 'the pioneer spirit' when the only commitment is THE HOURS".
Another elder said to me "Don't count time but make your time count." Now, if you read that quick, it sounds like good advice from an elder, but the context of what he was saying was to make a call before setting out on your journey in order to be able to count the whole morning.
I think this selfish and cold method of "building up treasures in heaven" is not only the rot at the core of the Witnesses' preaching but permeates their whole attitude to service to God.
I was a pioneer, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who would admit to this sickening statistical sacrilliage.

closer2fine

The hall I was had a tradition of sorts. As a young single sister fresh out of high school - you had two choices. You either pioneered or married. I had no plans to settle down with any of the pathetic, spineless, weak-minded yahoos in my area, so I pioneered until I was old enough to move out on my own.

Funny thing was that I didn't care what the elders thought (my PO father included) so while I pioneered to support myself (I had to pay rent after high school) I bartended full-time at night. It provided me the freedom I desired from the dubs.

So to answer your question, yes I just counted the hours, all 90 per month.

closer

Mean People Produce
Little Mean People

blondie

That's because pioneers "run the race" like it is a 100 yard dash (the end is soon) instead of the marathon (26.2 miles) it really is.

Hebrews 12:1 ***
let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

It's an endurance race and everyone who finishes wins. Instead, it can become a competition, and people decide to pioneer with the view that the end is only a few years away (like a 100-yard dash) rather than the lifelong commitment serving God really is (like a 26.2 mile marathon).

Runners train differently for a 100-yard dash than for a marathon. Too many pioneers are training for a short race and their strength gives out after a few years and all their energy is gone...so it's 70 (was 100) hours to nothing.

(I hope I haven't mixed my metaphors)

Simon

It always amazed me how people thought they could 'cheat god' by the silly time-rules. I imagined him in heaven saying "doh, they called at a house before chatting to each other for ages so I have to allocate them an hour"...

The proble of salvation through works (aka WT) as opposed to salvation through faith (aka bible).

Sarucees and Phaducees - God! I've been out so long I can't even remember how they are spelt... either that or it's the Stella Artois (I can still spell that )

Doc_jedd

i find it rather funny that when youre putting in the recomended hours everybody luvs ya but if youre not ......... well nobody wants to have anything to do with ya yep im gettin tired of playin this game thanx jedd

blondie

Simon, I guess that is one way of seeing if people are serving humans who can be fooled and God who cannot be fooled. It's an organization of men pleasers.

Ephesians 6:5-7
5 YOU slaves, be obedient to those who are [YOUR] masters in a fleshly sense, with fear and trembling in the sincerity of YOUR hearts, as to the Christ, 6 not by way of eye-service as men pleasers, but as Christ’s slaves, doing the will of God whole-souled. 7 Be slaves with good inclinations, as to Jehovah, and not to men,

Colossians 3:22-23
22 YOU slaves, be obedient in everything to those who are [your] masters in a fleshly sense, not with acts of eye-service, as men pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, with fear of Jehovah. 23 Whatever YOU are doing, work at it whole-souled as to Jehovah, and
not to men,

Ezekiel 8:12
12 And he proceeded to say to me: “Have you seen, O son of man, what the elderly ones of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each one in the inner rooms of his showpiece? For they are saying, ‘Jehovah is not seeing us. Jehovah has left the land.’”

Farkel

: How many here have pioneered?

I pioneered for a number of years @100/hours per month.

: Be honest, what was predominantly on your mind,

The next coffee and doughnut break.

:.. telling people this wonderfull good news or was it counting time?

The next coffee and doughtnut break.

: An elder once said to me, "you know, it's strange how when pioneers quit pioneering, they're hours don't stay the same, they don't gradually diminish and they don't even drop by half... they drop practically to nothing."

That's what happens, alright. The society doesn't give a rat, either. There are always new fools to replace the fools who finally wise up. Pioneers are a great source of revenue for the society's useless rags and books, you know.

Farkel

"When in doubt, duck!"

Pathofthorns

I think most people at least innitially had their hearts in the right place. It's just the whole concept of 'reporting time' and the emphasis placed on 'hours' eventually distracts most from their primary goal.

The system is not geared toward pioneering being a 'career'. It is just not feasible for 95% of people long term. Burnout and depression and the downward spiral of hours to nearly nothing result when one has to go off 'the list'.

I think it is this cold, uncaring attitude that causes many former and forgotten pioneers to wake up and re-examine just where the Society's priorities lie, and what is the point of it all in the end?

Path

Ranchette

Ballistic,
I regular Aux. pioneered before I married then auxiliary pioneered once a year after that. I also regular pioneered for a year and a half when my daughter was between 3 & 5 yrs old.
I always had a problem with the time counting thing though! Counting time was not scriptural and WT used to put down other religions for having classes and titles. I used to wonder why we had names like pioneer, elder and ministerial servant.
I never really bought into the titles or time thing like others did because I didn’t believe in it. I had a rule that I would never discuss my time with anyone. When others in the cong. would ask me how my time was coming along I would tell them it was fine and that I didn’t dwell on my time because if I did I would be robbed of my joy.
I believed that you should just do your best, the rest was man made and didn’t matter to Jah anyway.
Some of the most disgusting people I knew had titles or pioneered. As a result, I was never impressed with any of it.
Ranchette

r51785

I also pioneered back in the days of 100 hours per month. I'm with Farkel on the coffee/donut break. It was a regular part of our pioneer day and the best part (except for working in Mission Beach in the summer time!). Our favorite place was a little shop called Linda's Donuts in Pacific Beach. I wonder if it's still there?

Looking back, pioneering was mostly drudgery. I was deleted for failing to make my hours. I was averaging about 90 per month when I was deleted, six weeks later at the district assembly they announced that they were lowering the requirement to 90 per month. I like to think I helped contribute to that change!

Counting Time... Is It Part Of The Rot?

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