Do You Possess The "flag" In Your Life?

by silentlambs 9 Replies latest jw friends

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  silentlambs

  I recently watched a movie about a struggle for survival. The story was set in a military prison where a recently incarcerated general led an uprising against a cruel and murderous colonel who happened to be the warden of the prison. The general on newly arriving wanted nothing to do with dissidents saying he had fought all the wars he wanted to. Yet when a young lad he had befriended was killed in cold blood, it moved him to take a stand. He informed the warden he had 24 hours to tender his resignation, as he was unfit to command. This of course led to a confrontation in which an object to designate who won the confrontation, all boiled down to who possessed the “flag” of the compound.

  I personally related this story to the struggle between the WT organization and silentlambs. In my opinion, the actions of leadership, by choosing to allow children to be hurt when informed of proper action, has resulted in them being unfit to command or direct people in the name of God. The voices of the many who have been molested are the uprising that has steadily grown to such an extent that now around the world JW’s are being recognized as another religion with serious child molestation problems. In addition, lawsuits will expose the uprising yet further and then you have Dateline, which will no doubt pound the proverbial nails into the coffin, especially if WT chooses to try and stonewall their way through this one. This time it will not work. The roaring of the lambs is the walking papers for WT leadership and they are to stupid to see it coming, much like the warden in the story.

  The question remains, what does the flag stand for? I began to think about this, as it really becomes the crux of the entire story. It is no doubt a symbol of who has control, but I think it goes deeper than just that. It is a symbol of something that the party who is in the wrong can no longer possess. Due to poor strategy and unjust acts they are stripped of the right to possess the symbolic “flag.” The “flag” in my opinion stands for honor and integrity. These qualities have been lost by the WT and by doing so they have thus lost the right to provide leadership. It is honor and integrity the organization attacks whenever you get crossways with anything the WT tries to force you to do. They strip you of all self-respect and make you feel you are worthless without them. Yet the honor you have as a person and the integrity you exhibit toward all you come in contact with in life show you to be beyond WT control. When you keep your honor and integrity, in effect you win the battle, you win control of your life.

  So I ask a question, are you in possession of the “flag” in your life? If not then WT will always have the upper hand and will beat you down with self-destructive behavior. You have to break free of the programming, seize the real truth that you are what you think. What you think of yourself, your family and how you interact with others will show whether you possess in your character the honor and integrity WT has tried to destroy. If you feel at loss with this, do what ever it takes to get it back, use therapy, medication, or perhaps a little patience and time to heal. In the end, to live your life with honor and integrity will make you proud of who you are and of great value to those that are part of your life.
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  Esmeralda

  In the end, to live your life with honor and integrity will make you proud of who you are and of great value to those that are part of your life.

  Excellent post, as ever, silentlambs.

  They can only win if we let them, one life at a time.

  You make us all proud.

  *hug*
  essie
  my new sign off:
  Your life belongs to you. Don't let them have one more day.
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  thinkers wife

  SL,
  

  You have to break free of the programming, seize the real truth that you are what you think. What you think of yourself, your family and how you interact with others will show whether you possess in your character the honor and integrity WT has tried to destroy. If you feel at loss with this, do what ever it takes to get it back, use therapy, medication, or perhaps a little patience and time to heal. In the end, to live your life with honor and integrity will make you proud of who you are and of great value to those that are part of your life

  
  All things the Society discourages, and things I chose to do anyway. And I am so glad I did. As usual SL you are dead on. Thank you for sharing this for those who are at the beginning of their journey.
  TW
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  Fredhall

  Bill Bowen

  Are you drunk?
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  OUTLAW

  Bill,good article.FRED HALL,funny as usual.
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  GinnyTosken

  Silentlambs,

  I like your analogy of the flag.

  The “flag” in my opinion stands for honor and integrity. . . . It is honor and integrity the organization attacks whenever you get crossways with anything the WT tries to force you to do. They strip you of all self-respect and make you feel you are worthless without them. Yet the honor you have as a person and the integrity you exhibit toward all you come in contact with in life show you to be beyond WT control. When you keep your honor and integrity, in effect you win the battle, you win control of your life.

  A quotation from Eleanor Roosevelt naturally leaps to mind:

  "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

  So I ask a question, are you in possession of the “flag” in your life? If not then WT will always have the upper hand and will beat you down with self-destructive behavior. You have to break free of the programming, seize the real truth that you are what you think. What you think of yourself, your family and how you interact with others will show whether you possess in your character the honor and integrity WT has tried to destroy. If you feel at loss with this, do what ever it takes to get it back, use therapy, medication, or perhaps a little patience and time to heal. In the end, to live your life with honor and integrity will make you proud of who you are and of great value to those that are part of your life.

  This is so very true. I hate to mix movies, but it reminds me a bit of The Wizard of Oz. Each of us has "ruby slippers" and the ability to go "home" to honesty and integrity whenever we wish. Most of us did not know we had the power. For me personally it took two years of therapy and reading to rediscover my power and learn to be true to myself. Now I feel that I fly my flag more boldly than I ever have in my life.

  Thanks for a very thoughtful post.

  Ginny
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  ARoarer

  Bill, those of us who spoke out against the wickedness of the WTS's treatment of children and the lies that they hid behind, have been vilified, and demonized by the Society. The Watchtower Society has no regard for women and children, nor the good men who want to protect them. Thier agenda does not allow for it. Sexual abuse in the Watchtower Organization, in my opinion is unlike that of sexual abuse in many of the other religions that have dealt with this problem. And the reason is very simple. The Watchtower Society is a religious organization that does not have a paid hired clergy, educated from the outside, in seminaries. Instead, the leaders are "home grown" for the most part from families that are already Jehovah's Witnesses. OR, the leadership who have come from the outside, "marry in the lord" and produce generational leadership from within. What I am saying Bill is the unlike most religions with the problem of molestation in their clergy, the Watchtower Society, is rotten to the core. It's brand of sexual abuse is very much, Generational Incestuous in nature, and it is for this reason that people like you and others of us who spoke out against our incestuous leaders who want to hide their dirty little secret among themselves, and thier enabling JW family members, and congregation members, we have been ostricized as "apostates". In reality, we cried rape and they didn't want to hear it or let anyone else hear it, because their are a lot of elders, who are using thier positions to cover and hide the incest that is in the family. Incest is the issue here. Most all of the victims I am aware of have been victimized by family members in leadership position, or silenced by incestuous other witnesses who have passed this plaque generationally, NOT Genetically,. How, through learned behavior, secrecy, and imposed silence, enabled by co-dependant JW relatives, who themselves are "members in good standing" such as pioneers, ministerial servants, elders, CO's and DO's, and elder' wives, Bethelites. Most of whom are generational witnesses rather than newly converted. And even newly converted ones who bring thier disfunctional issues into the organization potentially spread the issue of sexual abuse over and over again among thier JW families intermarrying families who also hide sexual abuse, spousal abuse, physical and emotional abuse. Now, what is very scary about all this is the fact that it is nurtured and propogated by the Dogma of the Watchtower Society. Just take any picture from thier numerous publications of "beasts with teeth, and blood dripping out" or pictures of people being "destroyed" under toppling buildings, burning buildings, women holding lifeless children in the midst of all this while picutures of "smiling Jehovah" Witnesses" rejoicing over the carnage. Is it any wonder that sublimianlly the message of worthlessness of human life, especially children and women is conveyed?? Like the Rapist, the Pedophile, the Incestuous Perpetrator, the Watchtower Society has the same MO. The Power, the Ability to render feelings of Helpessness, Worthlessness,through Fear,Shame, Blame, and Abandonment. That is the MO of an Incestuous Sexual Molester. And that is what the difference is between the Watchtower Organizaiton brand of sexual molestation and it's attitude, in contrast to most other religions that experience sexual abuse. Yes there is the problem of sexual abuse in all religion. But a closed religous community run by families is a breeding ground for sexual abuse of the most hideous kind. Incestual sexual abuse. And this is the reason why the Organiztion will never carry the good "Flag" because it is too far gone at the core. And so those of us who's conscience could never allow such loyalty to these individuals claiming Divine direction, whilst covering such hideous behavior in the name of their god, will continue to be fought against, lied about and vilified to the Rank and File Witnesses not to protect the name of Jehovah, but to protect thier own names.
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  Ranchette

  up

  Ranchette
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  Fredhall

  down

  Fred Hall
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  celebrate

  SL,

  Thank you so very much for this wonderful message. Ultimatey, all of us fly our own flags. The worst decisions I have ever made in my life have been decisions made listening to JW. The core of those decisions was always that I was unworthy. Honor and integrity are two powerful forces that cause us to reach towards being better people. If we fly these flags as much as we can in our lives, we could then all pledge allegiance to the flag!