Squandering/Burying Talents JW Style

by Room 215 7 Replies latest jw friends

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  Room 215

  Hi all,

  Once morning while on a business trip to South Africa, I turned on the television in my hotel room to catch up on the local news while I prepared for my day. Instead I hit upon one of the most mesmerising,thought-provoking sermons I've ever heard. Delivered by a young black preacher it focused on Jesus' parable of the talents (Matt: 25) and its lesson for us all.

  ``What's the most valuable piece of earth in all the world'?'' is the question that began his sermon. ``Is it any of the oilfields of Saudi Arabia? Or perhaps our diamondmines here?'' Good guesses, he told his audience, but all wrong. ``It's the local cemetary!''

  ``Think about how many undeveloped talents are buried beneath those headstones; how many unwritten symphonies and great novels, how many undiscovered cures for man's illiness, how many Mozarts, Einsteins and Gandhis lie there, having misspent their whole exstence without a glimmer of personal discovery of their unique gifts, that caprices of time, chance an place of birth prevented from coming to the fore. The tragedy of unfulfilled potential is one of our greatest losses''

  I could'nt help but contrast this inspiring vision of the true meaning of Jesus' lesson to the WT's shallow, narrow-minded application of the talents as applying knocking on doors with their worthless ``join us or die" message.' We've all known JWs of marvelous personal gifts and talents, in many cases near-genius, who squandered their opportunities to enrich and annoble the lives of so many, in favor of a pointless existence centerd on door-knocking, meeting attendance and mindless servility.

  It also occured to me that when Jesus urged those who would be his disciples to ``let your light shine,'' he meant exactly that: ``Let YOUR light shine (not mine; I can take care of that myself!)
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  ozziepost

  Oh yes, how true!

  To take just one facet of human endeavor - music. Look how the Borg dumbs down any appreciation of good music, and as for learning music, well forget it! There's never going to be an opportunity to play it, so why learn it? How often we've heard those words, or similar, uttered by those supposedly leading the 'sheep'.

  How many frustrated talents for music have been stifled by the borg's bureaucrats?

  BTW nice to see you're leeting YOUR light shine, Roomie!

  Cheers, Ozzie

  Keep music live!
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  SpiceItUp

  So much talent indeed and so little of it tapped...truly a shame.
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  Cath

  Hi R 215,

  How true your analogy is. Due to the policy of the WTBTS of discouraging education and careers because 1975 was just around the corner my own talent was "buried" and now I lack the confidence young age and strength required of the two things I always wanted to do. Sickos!

  Cath
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  Undecided

  Hi Ozzie,

  I remember being at the assembly at Kansas City, back in the sixties, and there was a young sister who was playing the piano in the orchestra for the assembly, who at break time was playing classical music on the piano. Several of us were standing near the piano listening to her play, she was really great. Everyone by the piano was really impressed by her talent. I think she was studying music at college. Times sure change in the org.

  Ken P.
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  larc

  What you say is very true. I am, however, encouraged and gratified when I read stories here about those who have gone on to pursue their dreams later in life. I once started a thread about college education and a very large number here wrote about their personal accomplishments. One example is a friend of mine who did not begin college until he was 40. He eventually obtained a master's degree and now has a responsible administrative position at a college.
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  BeautifulGarbage

  My Uncle, who is now in his 70's was a superb violin player. He was offered a full music school scholarship after high school. His JW Mother, my grandmother, said NO WAY, you can't accept it. He had many struggles financially in his early adult years, eventually left the JWs, and became a very successful business man. He didn't play for many years after having to give up his dream of a music career. He is now retired and living in Hawaii. Still, when that period of his life is spoken of, the fierce resentment still remains.

  Andee
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  SYN

  Imagine how many Einsteins and Hawkings have died of starvation under the harsh light of the African Sun.