"You should never look for/expect happiness in this world"

ilikecheese

My JW boyfriend says this ALL THE TIME whenever I'm venting about life and some of its disappointments, career aspirations and how hard they are to make happen sometimes, problems with friends/family, or just random stuff that gets to me. I'm not a negative person or anything; I only get moody occasionally. I am a woman; it's kind of required. Like most young college grads, I do get upset at the difficulty in getting a real career going with this economy, but meh. If I'm at least working in my field and can pay the bills, it's all gravy. But we can't help getting a bit frustrated with life from time to time.

But it seems like every time I do, he HAS to say, "You won't find happiness in this world, and you shouldn't look for it." I'm a Christian myself, but I think that's hogwash and preachy-ness to an unnecessary degree. Every time he says it, I want to hit him in the brain to see if it changes anything. I guess I must be forgetting the verses in Matthew where Jesus talks about how we should just be miserable and only think about the afterlife 24/7. The idea that we can't do anything good in the world, that it's not necessary, and it's not something to aspire to makes me want to vomit. AND being in successful in this world can lead to the betterment of lives. It's not like everyone with lofty aspirations has those aspirations solely for self gain. People want to make a difference, want to change the world for the better, and what in the crap is wrong with that? And the more income you have, the more you can help! That's always been my main goal for success. To help other people.

Anyone else hear this statement enough that they'd prefer listening to David Hasselhoff CDs all the live long day? Usually he's a mostly sane and wonderful person to be with. When he starts on the JW speak, I usually try to zone out and just nod at what I think are the appropriate moments.

punkofnice

Gaw blimey, lawd luvva duck cheesey. What an annoying negative concept to have to hear.

Is he saying it as a thought stopper?

Is he genuinely trying to make you feel better about calamity?

Sounds like it pushes your buttons in a 'hench' way to prevent things from being 'all gravy'. (See I'm down with the youth!). Let's hope you kiss and make up and it'll be 'pif' or some other youthful expression my kids keep coming out with.

(((HUGS))) from Unky Punky.

ilikecheese

Haha thanks for the reply.

Honestly, I think part of him realizes it's nonsense, but part of him wants to believe it. He's one of those one parent got into it when he was a child, his other parent didn't, and he's never gotten baptized because he's not SURE. So when he says these things, it's half trying to make me feel better, a quarter believing it, and a quarter WANTING to believe it. The way he says it makes it seem like he thinks he should be saying it, but the other part of him is saying, "What am I going on about?"

punkofnice

Sounds like quadrophenia! LOL.

Hardly surprising he gets a little confizzled. It's probably the malware of 'mind cleansing' still hanging on.

"Minds must be cleansed" (Watchtower, June 1, 1953, p. 350 par. 24). 24 In these closing days of wickedness Jehovah’s people must demonstrate holiness. They must not foul their minds with the filthy mental food on the propaganda tables of this old world, but must feed on the feast of fat things Jehovah provides. (Isa. 25:6; 28:8) Minds must be cleansed and made over, mental circuits formed by old-world thinking and acting faded out and new ones put in according to new-world specifications. By privately studying regularly, by attending all meetings regularly, and by engaging in all features of the preaching work regularly mental circuits are deepened and such good activities become habitual, not at all the struggle they are when the mental circuits are weak and faint because used only occasionally. For ourselves and for others, make them strong!—1 Tim. 4:16.

ilikecheese

Quadrophrenia is about right. :P He's a kooky one.

That article explains it some. I just hope the part of him that realizes the nonsense wins over the part that's just devoid of thought and is mostly drooling. I feel like it will happen. Maybe it's just being idealistic! But one can hope.

punkofnice

What I've noticed is that some who were raised with the 'mind cleansing', possibly like me, will leave but still hold on to the tennets of the cult. I did this some years ago and still believed the JWs had the 'truth'(TM).

I did return, pioneered, MS then became an elder. Thanks to the internet I was able to join a community of people who were able to put into words those cloudy things that were echoing in my mind. I am now fully convinced beyond the point of return that the WBT$ is an antichrist pyramid business posing as a religion to gain cash and power.

Now I'm fully out!

It's very frustrating hearing loved ones that should frankly know better, churning out WBT$ rhetoric. (I shouldn't use big words they don't suit me).

Hopefully, in this information age he'll wake up! It took me until I was in my early 50's so there's hope for us all yet.

John 10:27!

punkofnice

Strewth...........I posted in stereo!

EDIT!!

sir82

"You won't find happiness in this world, and you shouldn't look for it."

Odd comment from one of the "happiest people on earth".

But unfortunately, it is the philosophy of the majority of JWs. And, in a self-fulflling prophecy, since they don't seek it, they don't find it, and are miserable most of the time.

DesirousOfChange

Maybe you should remind him of Jesus' words:

Happy are those who are conscious of their spiritual need.

DOC

outsmartthesystem

It is part of the JW mindset. They are taught to ignore the fact that people are living longer than ever. They are taught to ignore the fact that quality of life is higher than it has ever been. They are taught to ignore the fact that we live in a relative time of peace especially in comparison with the dark ages. They are taught to only focus on the bad that they see. By doing that.....it makes their fairytale story of living forever in paradise all the more important and all the more real.

"You should never look for/expect happiness in this world"

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