Witnesses and laziness

by Enishi 25 Replies latest jw friends

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  Enishi

  Is it just me, or does the dub lifestyle encourage astounding degrees of laziness? We're expected to sit quietly at the meetings and be spoon feed repititious information without thinking for ourselves. Dubs are discouraged from making any decisions without the counsel or approval of the society. They're told not to set their sights on an long term goals outside of field service or bethel, discouraged from participating in sports, studying for college or devoting any significant amount of time to mental and artistic disciplines. Anything that takes time away from meetins and field service is automatically bad.

  Even though pioneering takes up incredible amounts of time, its usually not that hard, just repetitious, and doesn't require much creativity or constructive thinking. I've known young pioneers from some congregations who did little else except go out in field service and watch TV. Whenever you'd try to get their opinion on something like government or anything important, the response is always "why worry about it? Jehovah's kingdom will come soon and sort everything out."

  I know that for myself, growing up as a dub has made it difficult to focus, and whenever I try to devote time to work or study I find it hard to remain on task, almost as if some part of my mind is subtly discouraging me from trying too hard in 'non-theocratic work'. Its a habit I'm trying to break. Of course, this could just be me and the influence of western society, but still...
• 

  shamus

  They are lazy in regardds to physical activity, true. Doing they're pioneer walk does not burn a lot of calories. Driving from call to call does nothing, too.

  They have no time to be lazy. When they are lazy, they need to study for 3 meetings a week, and personal study, and family study, and watchtower study, and book study, and theocratic ministry study, and give talks in the theocratic ministry school, and prepare for service, and read the magazines, and read the latest yearbook, and read the newest book publication.

  It makes me sick to think about how they just go on and on with they're study. No wonder ppl get burnt out. It gets very very boring after a while.
• 

  morty

  I just find the whole studying thing very numbing.........it is so boreing.....yes it is a hard habit to get out of....after a few years( thats what it took me) things will all fall into place for you....
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  Pistoff

  How about being in your mid 40's and subconsciously you think you should not have to still be working and putting up with the boredom of the meetings because the NEW SYSTEM did not show up? OR.............how about waking up in your 40's to realize you allowed yourself to be badly duped by this corporation masquerading as a religion???
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  FlyingHighNow

  Dear Enishi,

  I was chronically ill and aux pioneered one month. I nearly killed myself and I have never been the same since. You must be blessed with an extraordinary amount of energy if you think keeping up the regular JW schedule isn't difficult much less the pioneer's schedule.

  Life in the JWs doesn't encourage diversity of interests. It encourages people to be uniform and to lose a lot of what makes them unique. Is this laziness? I can't fathom thinking the JW lifestyle encourages laziness. You are supposed to have the cleanest house and car. You are supposed to have the nicest yard. You are supposed to be always well groomed. I went to the Catholic church a few times in the last couple of years. They wear jeans to church. Dressing up to the nines for meetings and field service takes a lot more effort. I used to do a lot of ironing. Don't forget the trips to the drycleaners.

  Do you have allergies? Allergies can make it very hard to concentrate. They can make you lethargic. You don't necessarily have to have respiratory symptoms along with these. Check under your eyes for allergy shiners. Also, take note whether your lethargy accompanies seasonal changes, etc.You could be mildly depressed, too. Generally, if you want to do things but just don't have the energy to do them, there is often an emotional or phsyical cause behind your lack of motivation. It's not wise just to chalk it up to laziness. People are rarely just plain old lazy.

  Heather
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  sens

  well yep I agree...I know im incredibly lazy..
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  Sassy

  I have to admit that I am bitter about a lot of things because of being raised a JW. I dont happen to think, however, that anyone who is lazy that is a JW has the 'faith' to blame. I guess I don't consider study a sign of laziness either. Actually it takes exercise for some to keep up that schedule. I never managed to succeed in a good study program. Unless I am reading a vividly moving story, reading usually puts me to sleep. It is never something that comes easy to me. And honestly an active JW is usually very busy if he is a 'good one'. I've also known a lot of hard working JWs.

  I think if any of us are lazy, (and I sure have my moments so I am pointing the finger at me too), we have ourselves to blame.

  Now if we want to blame the religion for not letting us do certain activities, so we arent in the habit to do them, that I can agree with.
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  Country_Woman

  I do remember that "every witness should be like a visiting-card for the organisation" thus several witnesses worked a lot to clean the common entrance and surroundings of their houses or appartments.
  My mother was working whole days in the (back) garden to remove the stinging nettles because of this "card"
  
  So laziness has to be reserved for kind of mental laziness.
  And I guess that it is hard to stay interested in anything spiritual outside of the organisation since "they" are discouraging all those externe interests.
• 

  logansrun

  I don't think the Dubs are any lazier than anyone else. They're like mice on a treadmill, and many of them take their responsibilities very seriously. I did.

  B.
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  Enishi

  Hmm, I guess laziness isn't a very accurate word. Lack of interests is probably a better description.

  The thing is, I was never that terribly busy with the witness schedule, since I never studied for the meetings, only read bits and pieces of the literature at my own leisure, and was sporadic when it came to meeting attendance. I was always sort of halfway over the fence.