Local Needs tonight

by metaspy 34 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  JK666

  They always told me that going out in the ministry more would cure depression. That is like putting out fire with gasoline.

  JK
• 

  oompa

  Just pull yourselves up by the bootstraps you pussies (of the cat kind of course)!!!

  move on...could be another .org...........oompa
• 

  wha happened?

  Some years back the brothers were trying to deal with some publishers who were truly going through some moderate-severe depression. These people really needed medical help, not a watchtower article to read. One publisher got thr meds and she's ok now. The other one didn't and her life really turned upside down. She was df'd. Still out as far as I know. Elders are not Dr's, what they hell do they know.

  Does anyone remember the family book study about how older loved ones pass away and how to cope. If I remember correctly one of the suggestions was to move on. Anyone remember this?
• 

  WTWizard

  Here are some things that can cause depression:

  (1) Chemical imbalances, usually from a past drug addiction. These cannot be cured with more service. If you have a chemical imbalance, better nutrition is often the answer (and the Pioneer Diet of Big Macs every day is not going to give you that!). If the problem is a former drug habit, you are likely to need medication because, chances are, the drugs you took before ruined your brain.

  (2) Having emotional needs not fulfilled. How common is this in the Tower? Children are never allowed to play, especially with worldly people (to which they are constantly exposed in school). They are denied real fun during vacations; instead, they have to go to all the meetings and out in field circus. Dating is made needlesly cumbersome lest fornication happen. I have news for them--going out in field circus is not going to make it any better. In this case, the obvious cure is to supply the missing ingredient.

  (3) Emotional abuse. This is very common in the Tower. Children are supposed to sit still at meetings, and not play while out in field circus. The field circus goes on interminably for children--what seems like two hours to an adult can seem like forever for a 4-year-old child. The Tower beats everyone to get ever more out of them. People sign up to auxiliary pioneer, just barely make it, and then get hounded to do it all the time as they have shown Jehovah that they can do it. And they get hounded to regular pioneer. Rules that keep changing against them do not help this condition, either.

  (4) That "shut up about it" reply. This seems to be all too common. Of course, they want people to keep going out in field circus all the more to "forget" it. And that is not very helpful. Prayers will not work if they keep not getting answered or if only the Jehovah's name/Jehovah's Kingdom/Jehovah's Will part ever gets answered and they get told that they should be happier because the "higher" items got fulfilled. That is only going to make it worse: Jehovah doesn't give a damn about you but He cares about fulfilling His damn fat self.

  The real cure is very complex, yet so simple. If you treat depression as a disease, you can find many possible cures including medication that will not work. If, however, you view it as a symptom and find the real cause, then aggressively going after the root cause is going to cure the depression. Provided you do not have an underlying medical problem like a brain tumor or a past drug habit that ruined your brain, ongoing courses of medication should not be needed. Usually, all it takes is to find the missing items that are needed (usually in the form of love) and supply it generously. Often it takes deprogramming, which is more difficult, and is more likely in cases where emotional abuse is a large factor.

  And, that "staying busy" only works when you are doing something that creates value while allowing you to learn and explore something. If that "staying busy" is in something that produces stagnation, then it's going to worsen depression and can even be a root cause for new depression. If you find something that is meaningful, is going to advance your quest for ongoing truth, and all your regular emotional needs are fulfilled in full, depression is not likely to be a major problem. If it still is, then it's probably either a medical problem or a symptom of severe emotional abuse. Note that field circus does NOT fit this criterium because it is rote, it produces nothing of value, and you are spreading the same lies and not advancing truth or prosperity for yourself or others.
• 

  wednesday

  that is one seriously scary man. I recall a sis telling me that I did not have God's spirit b/c i did not have "joy". BS I'll show her who's got joy. I have tons of joy.

  freaking nitwits.
• 

  ESTEE

  I've heard many jw ideas about dealing with depression:

  1. Read your bible more. Like I never read enough?

  2. Go in service more. My heart was nowhere near there.

  3. Pray more. Like I never prayed?

  4. Don't look behind the plough or else you aren't suited for the kingdom. (Which is what therapy might be --- Looking at the root causes for one's depression.) These are words I was told when dealing with depression as a jw. Very encouraging . . . not.

  5. Usual words from the platform: "Jebooger's Happy People" --- The implication being that JWs "should" not be depressed, unless they are hiding a "secret" sin. As if Judgment is any comfort.
  Does being toldfrom the platform that we are happy --- automatically make us happy? Not!

  Sure does not create confidence in anyone at the Kingdumb Hell.

  Now I figure the reason I got depressed as a dub was because there was nothing in that religion for me. It was time to leave.

  Glad I did. 'Cuz now I'm not depressed!

  ESTEE
• 

  horrible life

  Do you think the GB discussed the problem with Tom Cruise, and the Scientologists?

  Are the elders libel, if Sister Jones, quits her antidepressants, because of this "talk", and shoots her husband, because she can't take him leaving his dirty underwear in the bathroom any more?
• 

  JWdaughter

  You guys are so funny. . .JWD is probably the cause of the local needs talk (though NOT the reason for their insensitivity to the truly depressed)

  Just think, number one piece of advice to a fader. . . 'going through some depression'. Elders probably think there is a massive epidemic of depression! Its keeping their numbers down, they are losing their best elders and MS. . .the ladies no longer pioneer like they used to-everyone is stepping down and stepping back due to depression. I don't think anyone will be getting 'over it' real soon, do you?
• 

  The-Borg

  Witnesses are great for encouragement. When I re-married after my divorce a sister came up to me and said 'congratulations on your wedding, if it doesn't work out this time we know your bad after all'

  Another classic was - 'your being used by satan' - gee thanks.

  My personal favourite was related to me by a close friend who had been suffering from severe depression for some time, he also lived on a main road so everyone could see when he was at home because his car was still parked. Obviously he didn't work much during this period. One observant sister on seeing his car was there a lot worked out the reason for his depression, she duly paid him a visit and told him the reason he was so depressed was because he was a lazy scumbag. He actually sees the funny side of it now.
• 

  yknot

  Really, because if you counted all the pills the sisters are taking in my congo for depression you could start a pharmacy (I think Viagra for their husbands would work far better). Depression has been rampant for years (husbands to busy with "assignments")some even visiting their Aunt Sally Humphries (code word for State Hospital). You would think the Borg would be more encouraging of popping a happy pill and getting your depressed butts back in FS.