ignorance is bliss

by teejay 15 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  joelbear

  This is a great thread.

  I too just have to know something is true. Truth is more important to be than bliss.

  Am I happier now than when I was a Jehovah's Witness? At times yes, at times no. The outside real world can be harsher than the sheltered JW world and many people like Kevin are very happy to live in a place where there are still ups and downs but the fluctuations are not as steep as they can be out there in reality.

  I know my parents could not exist out here in reality. They would be eaten alive.

  As you see in most of the things I write, I don't see it as Watchtower = evil. Any other line of thought = good. I think the most important thing is to be on a path that allows you to find a measure of inner satisfaction. This satisfaction is what then allows you to show love to others and help them on their path.

  In my experience, I did not know many witnesses, if any, who had found true inner satisfaction. But perhaps I was just projecting my own unsatisfacton onto them.

  hugs

  Joel
• 

  LDH

  Teejay,

  The Emperor was happier, too, when he believed he was wearing clothing.

  The 'happiness' most JW have is a scientific phenomenon based on blocking off the part of the brain used for critical thinking, personal growth, and artistic expression.

  Give me reality any day.

  Lisa
• 

  Gopher

  Teejay,

  You asked,

  Sometimes I wonder about us ex-JWs that post here (me included). Why are we still here? Why do we post so much? These two questions can be asked of those who never post but visit the site regularly to read what others write. Why do we do this? Is this type of behavior normal or ab-?

  I don't believe we can give one answer that fits all posters here. I can say this is a great place for learning and sharing different viewpoints, and gaining support to see that one isn't a horrible person just for leaving the JW organization, and there indeed can be satisfaction on the outside!

  Some people come out here and behave abnormally, that goes without saying. But others come out here to share, and to help others. I think that not only is normal, but WONDERFUL! This place has helped me "get on with my life", while facing up to the realities of the outside world that have been alluded to earlier in this thread.

  Joelbear, you said:

  In my experience, I did not know many witnesses, if any, who had found true inner satisfaction. But perhaps I was just projecting my own unsatisfacton onto them.

  Your experience rings true with most posters on this board. I don't think this was just your "projecting" an idea. The unsettled feeling was really there, just submerged because people want to cling to the organization, the people, and the faint hope it offers.

  Gopher
• 

  teejay

  Joelbear

  Am I happier now than when I was a Jehovah's Witness? At times yes, at times
  no. The outside real world can be harsher than the sheltered JW world and many
  people like Kevin are very happy to live in a place where there are still ups and
  downs but the fluctuations are not as steep as they can be out there in reality.
  I know my parents could not exist out here in reality. They would be eaten alive.

  I think you have understood the point of my post. Some people experience
  genuine satisfaction in being a Witness. It has very real advantages for some
  people. Your parents sound a lot like my mom… a lot like Kevin. She was and
  still is "a believer." I'd never even try to clue her in. If I were successful,
  I think it would kill her, and if it didn't kill her, the remaining years of her life
  would be very miserable. I think I'll do the right thing and let her keep on sleeping.

  I did not know many witnesses, if any, who had found true inner satisfaction.
  But perhaps I was just projecting my own unsatisfacton onto them.

  Ahhh, but that can be said about the whole world, can't it?

  People who have never been and will never be JWs, who have had every
  opportunity to reach their full potential, admit to not having found true
  inner peace and contentment. The JW religion isn't part of the equation.
  Unhappiness is not a reality exclusively experienced by JWs. On the other
  hand, as with people like Kevin, your parents, and my mother, the opposite
  IS true: happiness is being a Jehovah's Witness, and what gives anyone the
  right to tell them otherwise?

  peace and a handshake, Joel
• 

  Loki

  Ah, but doesn't everybody live in their own reality? We just have to find the best place to experience that reality.
• 

  DannyBear

  todd,

  Enjoyed your comments regarding Kevin. It seems that all of us ponder the very same feelings about 'bliss' and reality.

  That is what makes the 'religon' so incidious and vile. It saps the living juices outa you. It befuddels the mind with a huge amount of 'guilt trips' and 'gotta dos'...which one can really never be free of.

  Always enjoy your writing. As Uncle Bruce said...your essay regarding your little daughter's expressions of love, was pricless. You should take his advice and repost that gem.

  Regards to you.

  Danny