How JW's Spend Their Time

jgnat

March 9 WT Study, “ Remain in My Word” Page 8, February 1, 2003 Watchtower, “Can You Be Happy and Secure in Your Work?” (Direct WT quotes in Red.)

A quote from Stats Canada:

Time is precious and the decisions people make about dividing their time between work, family and leisure have implications for their own happiness and the welfare of others. Statistics Canada conducts its Time Use Survey with a particular interest in the time spent doing unpaid activities, such as child care, care for seniors, volunteering and household work.

From this 1998 data, I cobbled up a “time pie” on how the average Canadian spends their time.

The average Canadian spends 1.7% of their time on voluntary activity. I estimate that a good JW who attends all meetings, studies all WT materials and contributes 10 hours a month in pioneer service, is contributing about 9% of their time pie to Jehovah, or “voluntary activity“. That is five times as much time dedicated to voluntary activity as the average Canadian.

I made this time pie to see how easy it would be for a JW to fit all the WT approved activities in to their day. And indeed they can. About 25% of a Canadian’s day is taken up with leisure activities such as sports, watching TV, and socializing. If a witness redirects all his socializing and community work to the hall and eliminates other unproductive leisure activities such as sports and movies, such a lifestyle can be maintained.

I am worried, however, that a good JW is not getting enough rest. By comparison, Jehovah rested 1/7 of a week at the creation of the World, or 17% of His time. This gave him time to reflect on all He had created, and declare it good. We are His creation, and He specifically dedicated regular rest as Holy. I wonder if a good Witness, who completes all assignments as required, is doing long-term physical and mental damage by cramming his/her day full of activity? Does a Witness ever stop to rest and reflect on all the work they have done?

Now these good brothers and sisters are admonished to study the Bible more. para 8 When reading the Bible or Bible-based publications, we should not act as if we were hurried tourists who rush from one scenic spot to the next, filming everything but seeing little. Instead, when studying the Bible, we want to take time to stop and enjoy the scenery so to speak. (Aha, Blondie you were right. Absorbing the endless flood of printed WT material is a close second to Bible Study.) I think such an admonishment is unjust considering all the other commitments a JW is entrusted. Wouldn’t it be lovely if society members had enough time to could focus their energies on thorough independent study of Bible topics, in context?

Oops. That just might lead to some embarrassing questions....

acsot

hey there jgnat! I'm still attending meetings (about 1 per week, if that) in order to take my elderly mother. It's more of a social activity for her, and she's been seeing the "light" about this cult recently. Anyway, in response to what you wrote:

Wouldn’t it be lovely if society members had enough time to could focus their energies on thorough independent study of Bible topics, in context?

during a meeting last week, when I wasn't planning my grocery menu or the layout of my flower garden (if spring ever arrives in this part of the country), I would occasionally re-focus on the subject at hand. Now, my interest in what is said from the platform is practically non-existent right now, so I don't remember the verse being quoted. I looked it up, then started reading it in context. From the beginning of the chapter to the end. The JW was of course making some sort of application to what JWs should be doing nowadays, what they should be avoiding, etc. The whole 'shame-based' form of worship they are so expert at promoting. It took me all of maybe one minute (the time it took me to read the chapter) to understand that there was no way in h&ll they could apply that scripture in that way - it was about Jews still feeling the need for animal sacrifices and following the Law, and how they had to get over that way of thinking, since Jesus released us from those types of works. It was actually the opposite of what the WTS emphasized.

Amazing what happens when one puts one's brain into gear.

jgnat

Thanks, acsot, for being the first to reply to my post. I will be setting my overwintered geraniums in pots today. Right now they are shrivelled stems. But give them a little moisture and sun, and they will be sprouting green. Oh, how I miss the green of spring.

It took me all of maybe one minute (the time it took me to read the chapter) to understand that there was no way in h&ll they could apply that scripture in that way

I would call that a productive use of your time! Perhaps "independent bible study" is not so difficult after all!

acsot

maybe I should post under "gardening tips" or whatever, but this year is my first garden (I just bought my house last summer). I put in some geraniums during the summer, and they did fine, but when I brought them in they shrivelled up and I thought they had died. What do you do with them, keep watering them over the winter? I also want to put in some begonias - they need partial shade, right? Sigh, so much to do ... so little time ... just imagine how frustrating it would be if I was wandering around trying to sell magazines during the weekends!

jgnat

Yay! I love to talk about gardening! Yes, begonias like shade. I have more success looking for plants suited for my garden, than trying to get my garden to suit my favorite plants. I have a north-facing shade garden, so I am always on the hunt for new varieties. I pick shade loving and super-hardy plants (even sun-loving super-hardies can look great). I split perennials that aren't doing as well and plant them in different spots in the yard, hoping that a different location will make all the difference. In deep shade, I have found that variegated leaves and white flowers show off best. Deeper colours tend to get lost in the shadows.

I use the paper bag method of overwintering geraniums. This will be my second year giving it a try. I do hope the deep fuscia pink geranium I snagged from my sister makes it.

A bit of my garden last year. *sigh*

jgnat

What that little bit of garden looks like right now. *sigh*

jgnat

Of course, Sphere! Why didn't I think of that? All we have to do is sleep less.

Similarly, at this late hour, when in a spiritual sense the world around us sleeps soundly, we might face our greatest struggle to stay awake. WT January 1, 2003 page 19, para 6.

acsot

jgnat: sorry but this is another gardening post! Your back yard looks like mine! I mean the fence, the width of the plot, and of course, now, the g&&damn snow! Thanks for the link re the geraniums. You can e-mail me at [email protected]. When I figure out how to use my scanner I'll post pics of my garden (if it looks half-decent this spring )

blondie

Christians need to be good gardeners. Doesn't the Bible have a lot of metaphors about gardening.

I have some shriveled dahlia bulbs that I wonder if I should just toss.

Back on topic, I heard once from the platform that "Jehovah keeps up busy so we don't get in trouble." I wonder if he meant, kept us so busy we didn't notice that what the WTS teaches is not in the Bible. So many people here on JWD said they saw the light when they started really reading their Bible scriptures in context. The WTS just wants to keep JWs busy studying WT publications. I have had people answer my Bible questions by handing me a xeroxed copy of a WT article rather than sitting down and discussing the scriptures. Obviously, I had access to the same article and still had my question after reading it. It led me to believe that they did not know the answer themselves and/or had not taken the time to research, assuming they knew how to do that in the first place.

Many JWs have lazy minds. I am always appalled at the lack of intellect. Lack of schooling is not the problem alone. I know people at work who have astounding thinking abilities who only have a high school diploma. But they read and study and take classes at the vocational and university schools. I have had people at the KH say they don't read the articles in the Awake that are scientific or historical (not they are necessary good articles). They find them too difficult to understand. There goes the theory that you can gain the knowledge as if attending the university for 4 years by reading the magazines.

Blondie

acsot

Sigh... well I guess I'll get back on topic (although I did check out that overwintering geraniums link jgnat - thanks!).

I remember when I first took a university class at night, smugly thinking to myself that this would be easy, I mean, didn't the WTS always tells us that we already had the equivalent of a university education just by reading those silly magazines? Well, just imagine my surprise (heavy sarcasm voice) when all these 20-somethings were talking about this reference work and that web-site and on and on and on and I'm going "Oh my God! What the h&ll are they talking about?" Let me tell you, those little Awake articles are pretty vacuous compared with even entry-level university students' papers.

(sphere: yeah, last year I had so many green tomatoes I couldn't give them away, there are still bags of the frozen things in my freezer. I'm so sick of tomatoes I couldn't look at another plant - in my garden - for a long while still.)

How JW's Spend Their Time

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