Quotation in book - what are your thoughts

by Tallon 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Tallon

  Been away for a couple of months as I felt that I needed a break. During this period I completed reading a book (fiction), titled; Conclave - authored by Robert Harris

  There is a very interesting sentence in the book which got me thinking. Some people choose to lead a simplified life, and there is nothing wrong with it in itself. However, when it is "forced upon you" by the so called "recommendation" of the Org to be "no part of the world" and in effect denying yourself some of the many pleasures of life, then in my view it is an issue.

  With the above in mind, I was wondering what your thoughts are on this sentence / quote in the book - page 25.

  An excess of simplicity, after all, was just another form of ostentation, and pride in one's humility a sin.
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  scratchme1010

  Interesting thought. I agree to some extent, except for the sin part, but that's because I don't believe in the concept of sin as a noun or verb.

  I think that the intent a given person has is what makes it ostentatious or really simple. The entire concept of having a given set of moral standards and values based on arbitrary interpretations of life, regardless of whether they come from the bible or some other source, promotes such ostentation.

  My lifestyle is simple in some ways and complex and sophisticated in other ways. All of it is legitimate, comes from my own set of values and morals, and it's genuine. It is for the simple reason that I choose to have simplicity in certain aspects of my life. I can't care less about pleasing other people over it, including some "god". That legitimacy in my life choices, choosing to be a good peaceful person by myself and for myself, IMO, is what keeps a more restrained life. Not doing it to please "Jehovah", nor to show or proof myself to anyone that I am more right than righteous than anyone else is what make any set of values matter.
  
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  schnell

  I could choose to live in a tiny house with a 1964 Volkswagen and a garden that grows all the food I ever eat.

  I could make everyone in the world live in tiny houses with 1964 Volkswagens and maintain a garden with all the food they can ever eat.

  I happen to choose neither, but there is a clear difference between them.
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  Vidiot

  "...pride in one's humility..."

  How would that even work?
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  scratchme1010

  How would that even work?
  

  "Pride is one's humility" makes sense to me. People tend to confuse having pride and humility with showing off pride and humility. What you normally see in people's "pride" is bragging, being self righteous, cocky and show-off about how spiritual they are.
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  tiki

  I think it is an excellent observation. People denying themselves tend to develop a veneer of self righteousness...I see it as a defense mechanism because deep down they yearn for that which they have excluded from their life.
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  stillin

  
  
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  Bonnie_Clyde

  Back when Clyde and I were still attending, I remember after a WT study article about humility, that Clyde mentioned to one of the brothers, "I am so proud that I'm humble." I think he got the point.
  
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  DesirousOfChange

  The recommendation to "keep one's eye simple" is probably the thing that benefits many JWs (or anyone) the most IMHO. I constantly see low-income people with expensive cellphones and every new video, television, and electronic gizmo, cable TV with every movie channel (costing $200/mo) along with everything else that is being hawked out there by some good salesman.But they are always broke. A person really really does not need to have all that stuff. They just fall prey to everything marketed out there. JMHO.