by minimus 21 Replies latest jw friends
Oh jeez, I dunno. I was the 'goody-goody' with a part on every assembly and convention....
I prolly would've been too busy taking notes and controlling my 'fleshly desires' to talk to anyone. :)
Point is, we're all here now..............and isn't that much better than meeting at the convention?
I believe that our 'friendship' here with each other is based on information that we could or would not have been privy to in the venue you suggest.
The info-super-highway has allowed us to interact freely, openly, or closedly [as we chose], and rapidly to become aware of intellecual or moral traits that drew us to certain ones more than others.
I do think, that if we all were found in the same place for the same amount of time as we have shared here, we might all have reacted basically as we have here - but it would not be over a short period of time that such relationships would have been built. Conversely, I assume that almost none of us 'resemble' the person we were as Jw's. We might believe we haven't changed - but we have. The change might have started before we left the org in some cases, but our honest selves have become known, even to ourselves, since we have begun to exercise personal freedom of thought and action. So in the 'circuit assembly' setting, we would not be able to be friends with the people here - the people here are not the same ones that would have been there.
Now - if we had an apostate circuit assembly, yep. I think we would get along just fine.
Jeff
I think we would have known each other and you might have had us over when hubbie visited to give a public talk...but friends...from the beginning of my hubbie's jw career, we distrusted individual jws and realized that friendship was location related.
Just move to a neighboring congregation and see how many people stay in touch.
Blondie
Oops! This post was intended for another thread...
Better say something now, um, err, yeah I would make a few friends...
There has been only one true friend in the same circuit that we were associated with. Even now, after my fade and move we still keep in contact and he has not given me up to the elders.
Being in the same circuit does not necessarily mean we would of been friends. The circuit assembly use to be a time when during the lunch break we would catch up on the lastest gossip about so and so. We would also put on the facade. Hi! How you doing? What's new? I'm pioneering, I'm this, I'm that. Yeah! I saw you on the stage, the platform, nice part you had.So and so got DF.there having their first baby, they just got married,we weren't invited to the shower, wedding, Etc.
After the circuit meeting and the rush to the doors and parking lot, we didn't see or hear from them again, until the next circuit. Even in the same congregation, as you know, there were clicks, good ole' boys club, elder's wives club etc. It was hi before the meeting time, then goodbye after the meeting time. People seem to be rushing to and fro to the hall. We got along with the rank and file and some elder's. But, we were never really what you would call friends.
Do I think that you and I would be friends if we were in the same circuit, probably not. I'm going by my past experience with the circuit I was in. It's only from being on here and sharing a couple of pm's that I would consider you as a friend and if we were to meet up as you suggested, I feel that we would make good friends.
Blueblades
friendship was location related.Just move to a neighboring congregation and see how many people stay in touch.
That's very true. I think younger ones try to keep up with friends if they move, but by and large once someone moved out of the congregation and circuit, they were pretty much out of our life forever.
Every now and then, real close friends would stay in touch and even visit but the average JW is conditioned to associate with those in the immediate congregation and with their busy schedule of Kingdom work, they don't have time to keep up with those that moved away or those that they left behind.
And I used to think, back when I was still active, that only JWs knew what real Christian friendship and love was. Since becoming inactive, I've made friends with "worldly" people to the extent that even though some of them have moved away because of their careers, we still keep in touch and visit at least once a year. That's something I never did as a JW. Ive learned that JWs really don't know what friendship is. Their idea of friendship is basically guilt by association.
You'd all be my friend cos I'm only an 'interested one'!
So anyone want to do a study with me?
Now - if we had an apostate circuit assembly, yep. I think we would get along just fine.
Jeff
You know this just might be the best idea I have heard.
Theres too many people here for us to all be friends.
And at what stage of our witnoid evolution would we have been in the same circuit?
If any of you knew me, you'd WANT to be my friend.
