Did anyone really enjoy assemblies? (page 4)

Iown Mylife

We progressed from enjoying the gatherings in the beginning, to coping with constant stress, pressure, criticism, guilt and constipation. The things we did enjoy were taken away as the authoritarian control was expanded more every year- like walking around talking to friends and being introduced to friends of friends, was replaced by many bosses insisting that we get in our seats even tho the show wasn’t starting for a long time. What was THAT about, jeez. They really didn’t want people visiting at conventions, did they!

If I stopped to talk to a sister sitting by a contribution box, some guy with the gestapo would tell me i had to get away because i was distracting her! He probably had orders to do that in case i wanted to grab the box of money and run.

So much of being watched with suspicion instead of feeling welcome and free. So much judging, complaining, negativity, gossip, discouragement, despair of ever being good enough. I do not miss being told that the WT was more important than my own family responsibilities.

LoveUniHateExams

Did I enjoy assemblies/conventions?

No I didn't - even when I was 'in'.

The moderate ones were typically as dull as dishwater.

And TBH, I didn't really get all the excitement over new releases. We already had The Truth (TM) so what was so great about another book?

One or two of the other assemblies were frankly disturbing ('we're sooo close to the end, and all not associated with True Worship will be destroyed by Jehovah very soon').

My Name is of No Consequence

When I was a kid, my favorite part of the assemblies/conventions was staying at the hotel and then lunchtime. When I got older, I liked being an attendant because it required me to be out of my seat and moving. Plus, everyone (including hot sisters) would see my attendant's badge.

careful

Journeyman,

Most of the comments so far have focused more on the camaraderie of working together, meeting other bros and sisters, group singing and other more social aspects

Spot on. This should tell us much about human needs. Sorry you didn't enjoy the dramas. One aspect of them I didn't like was all the over-gesturing. I found it unrealistic and it really turned me off. I understand that Ulysses Glass was the brainchild behind those early dramas. Evidently he demanded all the over-gesturing.

I suppose too that my knowing some of the local "actors" in the dramas made it more enjoyable for me. Every year the same congregation was used to supply the "actors" for them, and I was friends with some of those bros. and sisters.

All that said, they way they were produced, with the supposed actors not really speaking their own lines, but just mouthing them according to the recording, it created a ring of phoniness to the whole process. Real actors memorize and speak their own lines. That did not occur in these Bible dramas, so it added a degree of artificiality to the entire undertaking. Part of real acting is speaking one's own lines. As you put it, it was indeed miming.

titch

Something that I forgot to mention in my previous response. In 1986 I got my Amateur Radio license, and earlier that year, I found out that there were several Witnesses who also had their licenses. The last District Assembly that I attended was during the Summer of 1987. That time, I took with me a 2-meter h.t. (hand-held transceiver). So, during the intermission, I met up with, and had radio conversations with other Witnesses at the Assembly who were also "hams", on a simplex frequency. There was no point in using a nearby repeater frequency, since we were all located inside the stadium. So, that was rather enjoyable to use my Amateur Radio privileges to talk with my fellow Witnesses who were also licensed Amateurs. And, on most days, we would meet at a pre-arranged location inside the stadium, so that we could meet in person, instead of being a "disembodied" voice on the radio. Best Regards, Everyone---Titch.

WokenfromJWcult

My time at assemblaughs was a good time to catch up on sleep. It became a little more tolerable when laptops became acceptable and I could leave through surfing the web. I changed my ssid to TTATT-Thetruthaboutthetruth. Now I have empathy for those that have to fake this time in their lives.

punkofnice

Simes - some spotty faced brown-shirt-wannabe attendant trotted up to tell us that the chair was for attendants ONLY. He seemed quite shocked when I told him, very loudly, to Fuck Off!!

I had a bust up with one of these 'jobsworths'.

I was waiting in a queue for an ice cream and a 'jobsworth' attendant told me to keep moving.

'I'm in a queue, you twat.' I told him.

He was younger than me, fresh out of school. Probably the son of a PO who had been cosseted in home schooling and Elder approval all his sad life.

I was right. He was a twat. It shut him up though.

For our non UK friends who have not heard of a Jobsworth..... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobsworth

Did anyone really enjoy assemblies?