Yesterday, UK Home Secretary David Blunkett stirred the patriotic pot by announcing that it was high time that Britain’s Asian community adopted a more British life style by at least learning to speak the language of their adopted country.
Be that as it may, it has certainly got the media a-buzzing. But an interesting point came out on today’s Jimmy Young show on Radio 2 that could equally apply to Jehovah’s witnesses who put up mental blocks to reasoned thinking.
A female MP – Member of Parliament – spoke at great length about foreign minority groups who shut themselves away from the outside world. They have, she said, their own language, their own customs and their own people around them all the time. They keep themselves separated from those who have a different religion. They have their own little world that they live in and perceive the outside world to be a threatening place.
Is this ringing any bells?
She went on to say that these people need to be encouraged to mix with ordinary folk, that they were depriving themselves and their children of a proper and fulfilling life. They needed to be more accepting of the world that they lived in and stop isolating themselves.They needed to have the courage to turn their backs on their COMFORT GHETTO’S!
Now although this lady was talking about Asians who isolate themselves from their surroundings, to me there is an incredibly clear comparison here with the JW way of life. However it also gave me some insight as to why JW’s find it so very difficult to walk out on their religion, even when it is plain that it is just so much hogwash.
The key words were ‘Comfort Ghetto’. Isn’t that precisely the world that JW’s inhabit? Isn’t that why so many dubs cling on to their shunning routine, even though all their natural instincts are crying out to hug the son or daughter that has been DF’d?
IMO, the problem that most JW’s have is one of familiarity, a “Better the devil that you know” sort of mentality. How you cure someone of holding on to worn-out beliefs I really don’t know, I suppose when people realise that the World isn’t all bad is a good place to start.
Is this time for Desiderata again?
Englishman.
Bring on the dancing girls!