There was no one more self rightious then me. After four years of looking for love or even brotherly concern in N.Y. bethel I found out no one really cared. I was not unusual for a bethel overseer never to ask how a worker under his control was doing, I had 4 overseers in 4 years over me, no one ever ask about me personly. At the time 90% of the guys couldn't wait to to get out of there, they counted their time my years an months{3 an 2 left}. The average stay at the time was 5 months on a 4 year commitment.
The dinning room table I set on, was the first one you come to in the upper dinner in the 124, it was what we called a dead table. The table head was "doc" Dickson a real pompous ass. It was the custom to pass the food from left to right one week, and right to left the next week, this is so the food could be divided evenly. Since the "docs" wife set to his right the food always went right. It was not unusual for the plate to be passed 3 times, and still the guys at the end of the table would have nothing.
Another fun story about the "doc". A friend of mine had bleeding ulcers {he didn't know it at the time}, the "doc" said that what his real problem was that he was wiping his ass to hard when he went to the can. Months later after begging for help, they spent some moneyand did some test.
Then there was the famous "ear muff talk". At the time we were using rottary presses that made alot of noise. Some of the Guys went out an bought ear muffs with their own money. Some bethel tours noted that some of the brothers had muffs and most didn't. They talked to "max" about it, was the noise causing damage to the brothers hearing? "Max" called the "doc" up and guess what? Next fire drill we all got the talk, Dickson told us the harmfulness of using ear muffs, and that they can cause ear infections. It was the cheapest way to get out of this proplem, I have earing loss to this day.
Anyway back to the "docs" table, seating next to sister Dickson was the wicked witch of the west Ester Lopez, she was 70 then, never married, and Sister Knorr best friend. We hated each other from the first moment. "Where are you from" she asked "Califorina" I said "well It figures!" she said. "Well you can sure tell theres alot of love, at this table" I said "Well" she said "love is correcting your brothers when they need correcting". "I think I'll yet the BROTHERS do that SISTER Lopez" thats how it went. A week before I left bethel, we were eating lunch and no one talking at our dead table. Ester looked at me and said "you better eat EVERTHING on your plate, because when you get out of here you are going to STARVE to death" I looked at her and thought, I'd rather starve to death out there with my brothers then eat one more meal with you, you self rightious bitch. 25 years later on my first return to the big house, I looked her up, and had her paged to the farm lobby. She didn't have any idea who I was, I took her hand placed it on my fat belly, "you where wrong" I said. "I didn't starve"
The bottom line most of the people back there just where not happy people.
Most of the people in the org. just are not happy people also.
Stand at the back of your local KH and look around they're tired and unhappy people.
