Saturday Morning Musings ... (page 3)

poppers

By the way, how are the bruised ribs?

Still pretty sore - it makes sleeping difficult.

clarity

Yeah Syl ... complete waste of time and energy!

What sticks out most for me were those long line-ups outside the women's washroom!!! Omg, people were just dancing around trying to "hold it".

And then the solemn walk back to your seat ... trying to be quiet so's not to drown out even one holy word coming from the platform ... checking that the dress was pulled down enough and the neckline pulled up enough, knowing as you climb those stairs all eyes would be looking!

I can't believe we actually tortured ourselves doing that either. My poor kids!

clarity

snowbird

Honey chile, don't mention those restrooms.

The last assembly I attended, I became so ill from inhaling the noxious effluvia that I had to leave early.

It was simply awful!!!

Syl

Quendi

Hello Snowbird,

My convention experiences were different from what many have related here. My first district convention was in the memorable year 1975 at Huntsville, Alabama. I was not yet baptized, but I remember the tremendous excitement I had. In part this was due to attending my very first DC, and there was also the 1975 buzz which by then had reached a crescendo. The drive from Tuscaloosa to Huntsville was a pleasant one. We didn't stay in a hotel but a private home instead and had a wonderful time associating with the householder who was not a Witness but boarded us for a modest fee.

Thereafter I attended conventions in Tuscaloosa and never had to drive a long way even when I moved back to Birmingham. I still had plenty of friends in Tuscaloosa itself so I stayed with them during the conventions. The lone exception was the international convention in New Orleans in 1978. Like you, I remember the stifling heat and humidity more than anything else and how we were told that our business in the city was the convention only. That meant no sight-seeing, no shopping, no really enjoying the city that much. Our hotel was in the French Quarter, though, and so we did get a little taste of what New Orleans had to offer. The restaurants served marvelous food and drinks and I only wished we had taken the time to really enjoy ourselves.

From 1982 to 2005 all the DCs I attended were in Denver, Colorado and since I lived in Boulder, only 25 miles away, traveling to district conventions posed no real hardship. The chief concern we local Witnesses had was for the convention to be held as early as possible. Colorado summers are intense, but brief, and most of us wanted to enjoy camping, fishing, hiking, visiting the national parks, and other outdoor activities during the summer months. Getting the convention out of the way early would allow us to enjoy the rest of the summer without any "interruption".

But as the years went by I found myself enjoying the conventions less and less. Being single gave me an advantage in that I didn't have a family to take and the resultant logistical problems, but I still found the convention programs boring, especially the parts that dealt with family issues. I fell asleep frequently, refused to take notes, and could only get interested in talks that featured the introduction of some new publication. I also noticed that the control the organization sought to impose was getting tighter and that emphasis was being placed on obeying the 'faithful slave' on all points despite what we personally might think.

Now six years have passed since my last district convention and I have no wish to ever attend one again. A Witness friend has been sending me the releases since 2006, but this year I have told him not to bother. There is nothing in the Society's publications that interests me anymore, and I take that lack of interest as a sign that I have finally broken free of its influence.

GLORY, GLOR Y, HALLELUJAH!!

Quendi

man in black

In the Chicago area, ( at Hawthorn race track) if a brother was an attendant, or working somewhere we were counseled to come back and

sit through another assembly program. The reason for this was because while doing our assignment. ( parking lot, cleaning bathrooms, being an attendant, etc) we were actually missing the golden nuggets that were issuing forth from the platform)

So while taking the time to drive 2 hours in heavy city traffic each way for three days, ( 10 hours driving total) we were guilted into attending another assembly just to sit and listen.

My goodness, reading this actually is making my head spin,,,, why was I such a sucker for this man-made religion ?

crapola

The only part I enjoyed was the drive back home. I was always in such a fowl mood the day before and as each day was over my mood improved a little bit. By Sunday, I was on cloud 9. Now I just thank the Lord that it is over for me. What torture!

snowbird

Thanks for all the responses.

Quendi, I remember the 1978 convention in N'awlins. We chartered a bus to get there.

As usual, something made me violently ill; I was soooooo glad to get back home.

Man In Black, that is so demandin, insensitive, and controlling on the WT's part.

Crapola, Hallelujah, indeed!

Syl

Quendi

I remember one year I was asked to be part of the janitorial detail during a district convention in Denver. I turned down the assignment, telling the elder in charge that I worked as a janitor all year long and wasn't about to do it at a district convention. Little did I realize that refusal marked me as someone "uncooperative" and figured prominently in my never being appointed as a ministerial servant (although I was allowed to pioneer). The brothers said I had the reputation for having an "attitude", and so they were reluctant to give me any further privileges.

One year I stopped by the information desk and helped some. The brothers quickly found out that I could do the job of dispensing information about both convention and non-convention topics better than the ones actually assigned to the job. So for a couple of years I worked there, but was eventually relieved of the duties because I had not been officially "assigned". After that, I never worked at a district convention again.

I appreciated Man in Black's experience about working hard, not hearing all of the program, and then being told he should attend again (despite the expense as well as the wear and tear this would cause) just so he could get all the "spiritual food". The people I felt most sorry for were families with young children. I can't even begin to imagine the difficulties and problems they had to overcome first to attend and then to keep up with their children. For some families, I learned that the district convention was the only time off they took together for the entire year. That had to be a real downer: sitting in a place not designed to hold people for an entire day with children who didn't understand or want to be there and hardly ever hear any real encouragement. I'm glad I don't go anymore.

Quendi

Berengaria

I was one of those children Quendi. I did look forward to the assemblies, because it was the only time we every got to stay in a hotel, and that was our vacation. It was a hardship for sure, our family was poor, and it was a struggle. My grandmother would often make me a new dress though and that was pretty cool. I also got to eat strange food that I normally wouldn't. Like donuts and soda. The only part that wasn't pretty much torture, were the Drama's. Loved those. Otherwise, I would just draw and squirm. Until I got old enough to be interested in boys, then I spent as much time out of my seat walking around as I could get away with!

Saturday Morning Musings ...

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