Some of the events in this story are true, others, have been changed.
Eighteen months ago I quit my job. I had worked for this company for nearly a decade and had a signed contract. They taught me much, they taught me to teach others and I had grown and matured in the organization to become a highly respected senior representative. I had moved to “serve where the need was great”. I had learned the “pure language” and could “speak” the languages needed for the compiler. At least twice a year I attended assemblies of the organization and heard presentations about the bright future we had, as prepared by the senior leaders. After each assembly we went away feeling refreshed and recharged ready to work harder. Periodically, we had “new light”. Either changes in the structure of the organization would be announced or, a new version of our main product would be released. We worked hard at making sure that all we dealt with were acquainted with the new changes and were helped to see the benefits.
After eight years I felt the future offered was looking less bright. Many people had been forcefully removed from their positions and many others, discontent, had simply left the organization. I began to feel the same way. I examined the ethics of the organization, the way it treated its own members and looked at the future it was promising but the promises looked empty. I quit, I decided to go somewhere else and several other organizations were quite keen to have me as a member.
I had already expressed my doubts to my immediate superior. This person was well aware of the struggle I having. However, the higher up people were simply disgusted that I would choose to leave the organization, after all the assistance and instruction I had been given. Some said Thirdson was unappreciative of the work of the leaders. Some said I was proud and resentful of other people senior to me. Some said I felt some of the work to be demeaning. Still others said I had grown impatient and wanted to enjoy the temporary rewards of another organization.
As a result my former colleagues shunned me. They felt that by joining another organization I had turned my back on them and they felt I no longer qualified to be treated with dignity and respect. Even now when I am shopping in the supermarket I occasionally run in to an ex-colleague but they simply look through me as if I didn’t exist. Even my own nephew refuses to have anything to do with me now.
Is my story shocking? Why would reasonable, intelligent people treat me like this? How manipulated by the senior management were these employees to go far as treating me as if I was dead?
The shunning part of the story isn’t true, nearly everything else is. (I was never resentful of others so I guess no one said I was, but who knows?) Actually, I meet, eat and drink with my former colleagues.
However, the story isn’t much different to the JW who leaves the congregation and joins another church. It doesn’t matter that churches aren’t rivals but seeking a common goal. To JWs, for a member to join an another church is so serious as to have that one publicly announced as having disassociated from the congregation. All the congregation members should then shun the DA’d member. Any JW found associating with a DA’d person is liable to be forcefully removed from the congregation and disfellowshipped.
Why is the religious practice of JWs acceptable while the supposed practice of my colleagues is a disgrace?
Thirdson