Billions of wasted lives

expatbrit

The thread started by Mr Moe http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=15635&site=3 has occupied my thoughts for a considerable while today. Fortunately, I'm off sick, so have the luxury of some free time!

For some reason, that subject really got to me. Here's why, I think.

It is a fact that, while the world is better now than ever before, billions of people basically live a miserable life on this planet, before dying of starvation, disease, or war. Humanity is starting to deal with these problems, but realistically, there is a long way to go.

One of the best things about being a JW was the thought that all these lives were not wasted. The resurrection hope, in other words.
Even though all these people, each of whom had hopes, loved their families, felt all the feelings and emotions we do, and wanted to live in warmth and comfort and happiness as much as we do, even though they had wasted miserable lives, there was eternity for them in the new system.

I admit that that did provide me comfort and solace. It allowed me to turn the other cheek, as it were, to their suffering, and not feel bad about it. Sure I donated to charity, but did nothing to disturb my comfortable lifestyle to help these people out.

Now of course, I do not have that resurrection hope to salve my conscience. Now all those lives really are wasted, their only chance in this universe flushed down the toilet. Now when I really try to imagine myself in their situation, I perhaps just begin to understand their anger and frustration and despair at all us complacent Westerners, who go about our comparatively carefree lives with scarcely a thought of our suffering fellow humans.

And you know what? I give a bit more to charity than I did as a JW, but I still don't do anything to inconvenience my comfy life. So I suppose when I see images of those people suffering, it twinges my conscience.

I've been out a year, yet haven't really confronted this yet, obviously. All those people suffering, and now I have no excuse to hide behind.

Expatbrit

zerubberballz

miserable wasted lives? i don't get it?

sure, plenty of people live in drudgery and plenty more choose it but for the vast majority of us it isn't that way. I'd go out on a limb and say the happiness rate is higher in India than America and Ethiopians struggling in the Tigran hills have more fullfilling lives than Londoners.

Does a redneck sucking in beers and nitro fumes at the rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert feel lifes joyful pulse more strongly than a buddhist monk begging rice high up in a Tibetan marketplace? Does my daughter rattling off to work at 7am for a long day shuffling paper have a better life than an Indonesian girl heading out to plant rice for the day?

unclebruce unplugged (almost)

expatbrit

Unclebruce:

Not all non-Westerners live miserable lives, and quite a lot of Westerners do.

Wherever though, there are a hell of a lot of people who are born, live hard and unhappy lives, and die in their twenties never having known peace or contentment.

And (plopping the idealistic pink glasses on my nose), isn't one too many?

Expatbrit

Unclepenn1

Interesting post Expat, I would like to comment on a few things.

>I admit that that did provide me comfort and solace. It allowed me to turn the other cheek, as it were, to their suffering, and not feel bad about it.

Yes, the WT can actually get you to NOT help people in need, when Jesus said the opposite.

>Now of course, I do not have that resurrection hope to salve my conscience

Why not? Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead because the WTBTS is a false religion?! I fail to see the reasoning! Why disregard everything just because of some liars? If there is no God and no resurrection, then those of us who beleive are to be pitied more than those who are starving to death. Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. Do you really think that this highly complex system of life has no answers and no direction? I assure you it does and they are all found in Christ.

Penn

Mohammed- 'My teachings lead to the attainment of truth'
Buddha- 'The truth has been revealed to me'
Jesus- 'I am the truth'

Celtic

I agree with Penn to the extent that thats cool here in a westernised approach to life, but little comfort when you have not eaten for 2 months or more.

If anyone would like to receive training in humanitarian assistance abroad, the RedR's provide cutting edge training on short, very intensive courses.

It twinges me often too, very much actually, but relief aid was one of my biggest ambitions as a kid, besides the WT upbringing, perhaps I should just grab the horns so to speak and do it.

For up to date reporting on relief matters see www.reliefweb.org

peace

celtic

zerubberballz

g'day expat,

here, give me those glasses for a sec will ya .. snatch .. :) .. wow .. now i see the spiritual dimension we've so far failed to mention ..

I too see many heavy hearts toiling in human misery and unending pain. Especially Pakistanis sold into Saudi Arabian slavery and Indians trapped by caste and such but, being an eternal optomist, i don't see even thier lives as wasted any more than i see the jovial Australians who died in WW1 as such. I see them released at death to fly back from whence they came or something. I'm not denying that children born without brains or functioning bodies have a pityful existance and it may have been better if nature never had them arrive here in the first place but for the vast majority of us life has enough good going for it to excuse a lot of pain.

unclebruce who values life and doesn't believe in death of spirit.

Death is not the end

When you're sad and when you're lonely
And you haven't got a friend
Just remember that death is not the end

And all that you held sacred
Falls down and does not mend
Just remember that death is not the end

When you're standing on the crossroads
That you cannot comprehend
Just remember that death is not the end

And all your dreams have vanished
And you don't know what's up the bend
Just remember that death is not the end

When the storm clouds gather round you
And heavy rains descend
Just remember that death is not the end

And there's no-one there to comfort you
With a helping hand to lend
Just remember that death is not the end

For the tree of life is growing
Where the spirit never dies
And the bright light of salvation
Up in dark and empty skies
When the cities are on fire
With the burning flesh of men
Just remember that death is not the end

When you search in vain to find
Some law-abiding citizen
Just remember that death is not the end

Nick Cave. Murder Ballads

zerubberballz

Jesus unclepenn,

you're not ... a christian! ...yaaarrrk! Why do you born again jehovahites think that exjws just ditch jesus out with the bethelite bathwater?

I have found very few exjws do that. Most look long and hard into the true origins of Judeo/christian religion before seeing Paul for the scheming anti-jesus Roman he truly was.

unclebruce

Mohammed- 'My teachings lead to the attainment of truth'
Buddha- 'The truth has been revealed to me'
Jesus- 'I am the truth'
Lao tzu- 'be'

Unclepenn1

>Jesus unclepenn

No, it's just Unclepenn thank you :)

>Why do you born again jehovahites think that exjws just ditch jesus out with the bethelite bathwater?

Perhaps I made a hasty generalization about JW's, but there are a gaggle of them in my neighborhood (yes that's right...gaggle) and there are a lot on certain corners every morning and never once have I seen them share these 'truths' with the hundreds of homeless that are in that area. I have also talked to exjw's that were told not to waste their time on people like that.

>Most look long and hard into the true origins of Judeo/christian religion before seeing Paul for the scheming anti-jesus Roman he truly was.

Hmm, that one doesn't even deserve a response.

Penn

Mohammed- 'My teachings lead to the attainment of truth'
Buddha- 'The truth has been revealed to me'
Jesus- 'I am the truth'

zerubberballz

unclepenn,

I read your original post too quick - obviously real samaritans amoungst JWs are rare and thier behaviour is not encouraged.

As for Paul, what I said is true. In that one little sentence I condensed down the entire issue of christianities ongoing fraud. If you think i was being flipant or without a mountain of evidence to back up what i say you're sorely mistaken. Most public libraries have books about the life and times of judeo/christian thought. I have written long boring articles about this subject but christians either have a paulian epithany or disappear up thier own dogma quicker than a bloke can cry out 'oh lord why have you foresaken me'.

Nothing personal but I can't help but wonder what you're afraid of. Closed mind never won the heart of fair argument. True history is only hidden from those too lazy or psycologically impared to look.

unclebruce

expatbrit

Hi Unclepenn:

When I was investigating and finding out for myself the real truth about the WT, a part of that process involved some research on the veracity of the bible.

From what I read, I reached the conclusion that the bible's (including the new testament) claim to be the inspired and infallible word of God simply cannot stand against the evidence.

I now have an agnostic view towards the existence of God. If there are answers and direction to the universal system (and there may well be), I don't think they have been revealed to us as yet.

I realise that this is a viewpoint we will not agree upon. However, if your faith provides you with a sense of purpose and fulfillment, I am happy for you. It seems to, since you are one of the happier and more balanced born-agains on the forum!

Expatbrit

Billions of wasted lives

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