JWD support and comfort for those in need

by restrangled 37 Replies latest jw friends

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  PEC

  ((((((((r.)))))))) Thanks again, you are the greatest.

  Philip
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  BizzyBee

  OK, here is my new favorite piece of writing - with apologies if you have seen it before - it is bound to be new to someone.

  The Witnesses' Internet wars might, at first glance, seem like nothing but battles of spy vs. spy, of polarized and mutually parodic ideologues — the "atheists" vs. the "Society men." Closer inspection showed "a continuous spectrum of opinion" (as one H2O participant put it), the kind of spectrum that appears in any large community of talkers and listeners. H2O and its sibling sites presented Jehovah's Witnesses with their first opportunity to become that kind of community, and the experiment was well worth watching — not just as a test of the Witnesses' reactions but also as a test of postmodern ideas.

  Contrary to the assumptions and hopes of postmodernists who looked to cyberspace for the long-promised transvaluation of all values, the revolution of the Internet turned out to be the revolution of a type of normalcy. It continually reinstituted the "spontaneous order" that Friedrich Hayek considered the significant achievement of a free society. Even H2O was not just so many anonymous people presenting diverse points of view. It was a social order characterized by a division of labor.

  On any board as popular as H2O, the "lurkers" or observers outnumber the active posters. On H2O, the posters were further divided by ideology. But that's not the only important thing. Regular posters developed specialized roles. Some were demagogues, provocateurs, advocates for the intellectually handicapped, or professional cynics and victims. Others took on the practical job of telling other people how to handle their software and maintain their websites. Still others became historians canvassing the records of the Witness movement for absurd or instructive facts, sociologists analyzing the behavior of Witness subgroups, lawyers providing advice about the complicated procedures of the Watchtower "judicial" system, psychologists picking up the pieces that the lawyers left behind, salesmen promoting some great new notion or some great new link, dramatists, story-tellers, satirists, and comedians turning the Witness experience into works of literary art. Every social role represented someone's attempt to earn the currency of the Internet — the attention and respect of other people. Together, these roles approximated the patterning of a real community.

  The virtual community was almost entirely anonymous, but it's clear that some of its members were a lot better known to one another than they were to their Witness families and friends. The obsessive privacy of modern communities is often regarded as the enemy of public life. At H2O, however, one could see that privacy creates the margin of safety that individuals need if they are to discover any life at all. The plastic computer case signified both privacy and power.

  "[I]n 1995 when I bought my first computer (Mac 8100) I realized what I had been associated with [in the Watchtower]. . . . It was then that a big part of myself was freed. The Internet did indeed save my 'soul.'

  It was more than a question of discovering the facts about the Watchtower movement. People on the net discovered talents that they never knew they had, and they got a chance to cultivate them. Many began their involvement as naive lurkers and loyalists, only to be drawn into dialogue and develop a role as thinkers and writers — often, I would add, acute and forceful thinkers, and writers of charm and wit.

  Here is the link and I encourage you to read the rest of the article: http://libertyunbound.com/archive/2003_10/cox-truth.html

  My personal thoughts: we are a community in the truest sense. Mr B and I have contributed heavily to the tsunami and Katrina disasters in the past few years. I would love to contribute on a more personal level. But I don't want to do all the homework! I have worked in the non-profit sector and I now understand the attraction of being able to contribute and have it evaluated and managed by a benevolent oversight. I know, I know - that's how we got sucked into the WTS. But I really sometimes wish that we had a full-time, compensated board, and activists who could devote themselves to what we all want - the downfall of the WTS and the material support of those who have been harmed by it.
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  PEC

  bttt.
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  LeslieV

  What I have found in helping others, especially ex JW's is knowledge. When we all leave the cult, most of us have no idea what is out in the "world" to help us. There are alot of financial, emotional, and spiritual help if you know where to go. I have worked for a not-for-profit for 14 years, and helped many ex jws with whatever they needed. Not only do ex jws not know the system, but many are reluctant to use it.

  I have to agree when it comes to aiding with money, one-on-one is the best. I also work with a few individuals that help ex jws in our community. We have set up what we call a "Needy assistance fund" none of us have alot of money, but we add to the pot when we can. That is the fund that we use in giving a financial donation to the person. What you have to do is make sure the request is valid. Is it possible that you could be hoodwinked....sure it is, but you did what you thought was the best decision at the time. I have to tell you it is very rare that that would happen.

  Leslie
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  PEC

  bttt
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  PEC

  bttt.
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  PEC

  BTTT.

  Philip
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  eclipse

  That is a great idea!

  thank you for bttt'ing this thread to the front.

  I did not see it.