I remember once when I was an employment counselor for an employment agency going to classes to learn various skils which would
benefit my position. The class instructor pointed something out about people in general which has stayed with me over the years.
He said, in effect, 'People use their natural skills to disadvantage instead of developing other skills.'
Somebody raised their hand and asked him to clarify.
"A person good in math tries to solve every problem as though it were a number problem.
A physically gifted person tries to make it a strength issue. A good organizer will try to organize a problem to death.
A people person will use charm and persuasion to solve problems. Consequently, they miss solving their problems easily by applying
the wrong tools or approach. Different problems require different solutions. One-size-fits-all is a non-starter and creates endless
blind alleys and unintended consequences. We have to develop the skills WE DON'T naturally possess. We have to create NEW TOOLS for our job.'
I mention that to say this.
Jehovah's Witnesses are people who develop three important talents which make them great JW's:
1.Listen and follow directions without asking too many questions
2.Apply one solution: The Bible says to every problem
3.Staying busy and avoiding too much down time
These three important talents make them great JW's and it also cripples them to be anything worthwhile once they are NO LONGER JW'S.
Why?
1.They pick somebody or something ELSE to listen to and start following their directions without asking too many questions.
2.The still think the Bible is the solution to every problem.
3.They get busy being a new ___fill in the blank___and avoid too much down time.
INSTEAD OF DEVELOPING AND ENTIRELY NEW APPROACH TO LIFE!
Ex-JW's don't take the necessary time to develop as an INDIVIDUAL who thinks for themselves.
They don't root out all their false concepts and take the time to RE-DEFINE them with non-spiritual (i.e. rational) defintions.
They don't investigate the fact the bible as it exists today is based on nothing more than non-original alterations of errors of opinion in turn based on no original manuscripts (they don't exist anymore).
Ex-JW's waste the next ten to twenty years by keeping on-keeping on just as they did before.
They either turn into Lone Ranger christians (creating novel interpretations), mainstream christians (joining a church), rabid atheists (decrying God),
intellectual agnostics (vamping every other explanation) or become pure hedonists.
Why not just become a "person"? Why polarize? Why be a Gung Ho something or other?
Why not just relax and drop the whole "what does the bible mean when it says...blah blah blah?"
Who cares?
Relax, take it easy, read some good books, re-educate yourself and take a vacation.
Come back refreshed and start anew.
Avoid gurus, religionists, shaman, enlightened preachers, charismatic leaders and know-it-all authors.
Don't waste time arguing issues that don't amount to a hill of beans such as EVOLUTION.
It won't change one single thing in your life if you "believe" or don't believe. Life goes on and will pass you by if you waste your
precious time on silliness.
That is my two cents.
Your mileage may vary.
