Cognitive dissonance... help!

by ele_lux 18 Replies latest jw experiences

• 

  GrandmaJones

  I don't know if things are getting worse, but I can give you some things to think about. I've been thinking about them.

  The worst plague that I know of was the Black Plague, which was in the 1300's, and killed about 75 million people, undoubtedly one of the worst natural disasters, and the worst earthquake was in China in the 1500's and killed an estimated eight hundred thousand people.

  As far a war deaths, World War 1 is ranked sixth, not first.

  The Watchtower makes assertions, then gives no citations, names, etc. to back up their statements. So we believe them when they say things are worse. In history, things get worse, then things get better, then they are worse, etc.etc.

  I was young, now I am old. Things are worse (so they seem) but much better in other, more concrete ways. Who can say?
• 

  jwfacts

  There have been apocalyptic cults for as long as history can be traced. They were all wrong, and will continue to be so for a long time to come.

  In order to get rid of these fears it is helpful to understand how the brain works. The brain is like a river. The more water that flows through a river, the larger it erodes to become. The brain is the same. The more you think a thought, the more entrenched that thought or memory becomes. Indoctrination works through repetition and is why the Watchtower constantly promotes regular meeting attendance. The longer you have been subject to Watchtower indoctrination, the harder it is to clear from your mind. However, the less you dwell on things the duller they will get over time.
• 

  nelly136

  sounds pretty normal to me, took a long time for the 'what ifs' to wear off

  as for the world being in such a shabby state, sometimes you have to remember that 'good news' doesnt make headlines very often.

  the media has long focused on all the crap stuff cos thats what sells. theres still a lot of nice out there it just doesnt get the air time.
• 

  Mad Sweeney

  Phobia indoctrination is common to ALL dangerous mind control cults, not just Jehovah's Witnesses. Another thing cult indoctrination does is convince members that their cult is unique and special and THE ONLY truth.

  When you read Combatting Cult Mind Control you will see that Jehovah's Witnesses are NOT AT ALL unique in their methods or even their doctrines. The book doesn't even mention JWs and yet when you read about what cults do, you see the Watchtower Society methods all throughout it.

  With that in mind, ask yourself, "If Armageddon is indeed imminent, how do I know that it isn't the Armageddon preached by some OTHER cult that is true?" Why wouldn't that be just as likely? Their faith and fear is every bit as strong as JWs.

  The point has been made in this thread that the Watchtower has been wrong, not most of the time, but EVERY SINGLE TIME. Think about that. They claim to be guided by God and yet they have NEVER GOTTEN ONE PROPHECY CORRECT in over 130 years of guessing.

  Fact is, the Armageddon predicted by cults isn't coming. It just isn't. None of them have any kind of track record worth trusting.

  It's a daunting task to study and discover all the ways the Watchtower Society has been wrong throughout the years. It may be more productive toward freeing your mind to forget doctrine for awhile and study indoctrination methods. When you find out how they manipulate people psychologically, you'll free yourself because you'll be disgusted that a group that claims to be from a loving God would do such things.
• 

  Mad Sweeney

  Just to add, what is happening to you is sometimes called "floating" by cult experts. It even happens to people who have been free for a long time.

  You can be in a store one day and the background music somehow recalls to your mind a "Kingdom Melody" and you find yourself singing it to yourself. Or you see a Christmas display and feel that old JW loathing you were indoctrinated with and thought you were over. Or you see a news story about a tragedy and you instantly think, "Armageddon is near," even though you know Armageddon is a fairy tale used to keep cult members in line.

  It happens less and less the longer you're free but it still can happen for a long long time.
• 

  Heaven

  ele_lux... as others have said, this is to be expected. You need to retrain the way your mind thinks. This will take time but it will happen. Perhaps read some books that help you accomplish this. Edward De Bono's "Teach Yourself To Think" may be a good start. Do some research on these kinds of books and pick one you like.

  Also, start creating some of your own plans for your life and begin putting them into action. There's nothing better for a person than to create a plan and them execute on the tasks necessary to accomplish goals.

  I found Stephen Covey's books "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and "First Things First" to be of help to me. To look at yourself and your life from the 4 human needs of Physical - To Live, Emotional - To Love, Mental - To Learn, and Spiritual - To Leave A Legacy can help you with the areas you need to work on to improve things and create the life you want.
• 

  TheListener

  ele_lux,

  Everytime there was a storm I just knew Jehovah was going to destroy me. I would wake up in the middle of the night and lay there just knowing armageddon was going to start and I wasn't going to make it. I was convinced that if I would just read the WT and AW more and study better for the meetings that I would get my mind right. But, at the same time I had studied the doctrines and the history and knew it was all wrong. The fear kept at me like that for a very long time. I knew I was really free once the fear dropped away.

  You're going to do just fine. I wish you the best of luck.
• 

  MMXIV

  Hi ele_lux,

  You've raised some really good reasonable questions. I was thinking about the situation you raised in mexico. That's pretty saddening and sorry that's the environment you have to live in or hear about in the news.

  For my own experience I luckily live in a fairly safe place - I don't ever worry about violence. In terms of things getting worse I think back to my childhood:

  I look around my environment now and there are parks with lots of children's play areas - that didn't exist when I was a child. The quality of housing is far better than when I was young - I now want for nothing. The quality of health care has improved so much - in fact life is so good there are economic issues due to people living a lot longer. My JW relatives say life was so much better 100 years ago. When I ask if they would like to live with outdoor toilets, without electricity or modern medicine they quickly retract their statements.

  mmxiv
• 

  ele_lux

  All of your comments have really eased my mind. Thx everyone :)

  And mmxiv, that is so great. I'm seriously thinking of moving to another country.....