by truthseeker 24 Replies latest jw friends
After being in my congregation for 4 years, I pretty much learned the reason people were 'blanking' me. My hours were low, about 6 or 7 a month and I was irregular at meetings due to health issues, etc.
People would literally blank me, wouldn't even look at me. Even now, people don't give me the time of day.
But what, really, is there to talk about unless you want to discuss what WT publications have had to say about current events. Who has time (or will admit to having time) for concerts, movies, plays, etc. (If you have time for that, why aren't you going door to door more.) You can ask after each other's families, the job, your garden--but, really, what CAN you talk about?
I remember being at the meeting once feeling really down & depressed.
An elder came up and said "Hiya, how's things?" but of course was off before I had a chance to open my mouth.
People talk a lot before and after meetings but don't really communicate that much.
?My bunions are acting up, but I know I shouldn?t complain.?
?Isn?t it a sad state of affairs our world is in??
?The Hi-Liter® Glidestik? Fluorescent Highlighter Extra smooth won?t bleed through.?
?Where are you from??
?I meant, what congregation are you from??
Stacy on the way in: You sure we need to go
Stacy post meeting: Let's get going
It depended on who I was speaking to. If it was someone I wasn't very close to it was pretty much one two three the uncomfortable trying to end the conversation and run. As I got older we had a little crew that I was the leader of and we'd make plans to cut school and hang out, drink beer, and just do teenage witness stuff.
In my last year of meetings of was constantly having talks with Elders about something or another. The Bethel elders in my KH were checking up on my discipline I was receiving at Bethel, and the local elders were checking with me about weekend projects, cleaning the hall, repairs, etc.
Before the meeting:Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
After the meeting:Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha .
Conversations with most people that weren't close friends were just the "3 sentance" variety. Most halls that I was associated with were very clicky/cliquey(?).
Having grown up as a JW in the halls around my home town, I knew a lot of people and had several friends. Our conversations before and after the meetings were never theocratic, we talked sports, music and movies mostly. Our "clique" was based on age and being single. The meetings were the best place to plan our non-theocratic activities. We even used the hall parking lot as a meeting place for out-of-town adventures.
Of course there were always the ultra-conservative types that frowned on everything that we pursued. Eventually we went underground and started meeting at each other's houses and started keeping our conversations quiet and low-key at the meetings so no one would get bent out of shape about anything.
If I remember everyone talked about anything but the meeting.
Also the thing that puzzled me was when we had JW brothers/sisters round for a meal etc. The WT said have a "spiritual" converstation. But you could never do it brothers/sister would talk about anything, but "spiritual" things. There was none of this "Have you read the latest Watchtower article/ point in meeting/ book study etc, on such and such." as the WT said we should. I would be hard pressed to get even an Elder to talk. Now after leaving I realise that they were probably afraid to say anything that may be wrong or be "reported" back to the Elders if they disagreed on something.
Many times we were given (and I gave) counsel from the platfor m --DO NOT DISCUSS BUSINESS MATTERS AT THE HALL. The net result of course that the conversation by and large was rather banal and boring.
