The Hedgehog

Sincere

Hi

Some may remember me (possibly not). I am a former elder of 10 years, all my family are still in ?the Truth? and all the males are elders in various levels of responsibility. I am not DA or DF and still have a relatively good relationship with most of my Witness friends and family.

I have been reading a book by Clem Sunter, a famous South African Scenario Planner (also a Director of Anglo American), called ?The Mind of a Fox?. In it he discusses ?Rules of the Game? of life, of business - it is brilliant. He contrasts the flexible thinking of a fox with the single-mindedness of a ?hedgehog?.

Here?s a quote from his book, which I think applies brilliantly to the WTS and many, many Witnesses who exist in cognitive dissonance (especially the piece about shoehorning facts to support the ideology):

?In brief, a hedgehog is a person? (or organization) ?who believes that life revolves around one big idea, one ultimate truth, and that if only we can get to that idea or truth, everything else will come right. Once programmed or hooked on an idea, or even worse an ideology, a hedgehog cannot shake it off. Alternatives are irrelevant. As opposed to searching for a hypothesis which most closely fits the facts, a hedgehog will shoehorn the facts into something which will support his ideology, however much the arguments have to be distorted.?

The question is, what is that one ultimate truth to the Organization ? I believe it is this ?This is God?s True Organization, the Truth, the only means by which we may attain salvation?.

Any comments?

Regards

Sincere

Room 215

Well done, Sincere. It's an apt comparison.

franklin J

Hi sincere,

Your hypothesis is interesting.

However, based on MY LIFE EXPERIENCES as a JW ( which profiles the one you described), and the experiences I had ( which were somewhat negative, to say the least) I have to disagree. As for the "one truth"....this seems to be the big human question....in retrospect , after examining many different faiths over the years, it has been my observation that the JWs are really not that much different from any other fundamentalist chiristian faith. Their doctrines and "dogma" may be different, and their view of higher education is very different, but in the end , they tend to have a "wolf pack" mentality; if you are not in agreement with teachings 100% ; or if you can thnk for yourself and reason, you are "outside" the pack. They make you give up friends and family to join their insulated group; insuring the groups survival. Once you give up that outside support network of friends and non believers, it is very difficult to leave. Some would call this Fascism. Others call it "protecting their spirituality". Fortunately, we live in a free society ( secular, that is) where one can REALLY choose what they want to believe.

Frank

Odrade

Sincere, my father is just like this. I keep thinking that if I could re-activate his scientific mind somehow, I might be able to get him to see the reality of the WTS. But he is so attached to his "one big truth" that I am reluctant to even try.

O

dolphman

I thought this was a thread about Ron Jeremy, nicknamed the "Hedgehog". He is a famous porn star. He's cool, but not my favorite male porn star. That would be Peter North. And by the way, it's ok for a hetero male to have a favorite male porn star.

Sincere

Hi Odrade

I know exactly what you are saying - sadly, when even tvery intelligent men allow themselves to be subjected to the legalistic thinking of the Society there is very little one can do to change that. They have allowed their identity to become inexorably linked with that of the WTS and they have a definite fear of relinquishing it, of saying they were wrong.

I know, I was like that and it devastated me to find much I had based my persona on was a sham..

My view is not to threaten your loved ones - just love them and keep the relationship going

Sincere

HI dolphman

Honestly, this had nothing to do with porn ;-). Fortunately I have no idea who ths guy is. But I won't argue you with you if you have your favourite pornstars - whatever gets you through the night

Sincere

jayhawk1

I am glad this post has nothing to do with this man.

Ron Jeremy the Hedgehog

jayhawk1

Seriously though, I don't know a thing about Hedgehogs, but if the idea is hedgehogs get single minded and the fox has the ability to pick and choose, then sure the Watchtower can be considered that way. Sure the Watchtower Society believes they are right and always right and even if they are wrong, New Light will make them right. So based on New Light, the Old Light was right at that moment, but the New Light is righter than the less right Old Light.

My question for consideration is; If the Watchtower is like a hedgehog and single minded, what religious orginization is like a fox? Are they not all hedgehogs?

Gopher

Your post made me think of the "Sweat Hogs" -- the classroom full of unruly kids on TV's classic "Welcome Back Kotter". (That's the one where John Travolta got his start....)

Anyway I agree with what has been stated elsewhere on this board, that the JW's have one ultimate "truth" that they will never change: The faithful and discreet slave exclusively represents God (Jehovah) here on earth, and as such they have ultimate authority. (Of course by faithful and discreet slave, they mean the anointed "leaders" of their doomsday religion -- the ones who help run the show in New York.)

The Hedgehog

Share this