by bikerchic 25 Replies latest jw friends
Little Toe
I knew that's what you were trying to say and I didn't think you were being inept, either. I think it's very difficult to say because it goes against our most basic cultural assumptions about good and bad. I spent an hour on that post, and I still don't think I got it right. Maybe that's why the Zen masters don't give answers, just riddles.
Okay lets make this simple and direct. Whatever the belief is which leads to feeling unworthy, just honestly ask the question: Is it true? Do you really know this standard of judgement is true, or is it just something you've learned somewhere along the line and accepted for whatever reason? If you don't know it's true and really acknowledge that, it neutralizes the unworthiness. No, this doesn't go to the other extreme of the Stuart Smalley school of thought "I'm good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me!" But is that really what you want? Do you want to feel good about yourself, or do you want the truth? We're bound to run into bad feelings or unworthiness when we just blindly seek "the positive", but the truth is just how things are, without coloring it in any way. So for that matter lets take the first part of the statement, WHO is not worthy? Do you even know that? If you're not even sure who you are then how can you say you are worthy or not? Can we produce a single set of criteria agreed upon as reasonable for judging someone to be "worthy," whatever the hell that is supposed to measure?
Thanks for sharing!!! That was very interesting!!!
For a little reverse psychology, recall the mantra from Wayne's World: "We're not worthy! We're not worthy! We're dumb, we suck.."
Come on, has NOBODY else thought of this?
This thread is one of the best I've seen for a long time. It has stimulated a flood of thoughts for me. I only have time to give you a few sips from that flood.
In Jesus day, the scribes and pharisees considered the common people as unworthy, rejected by God. They called the lowly ones, unlearned, unlettered uneducated and sinners under the law. Can anything good come out of Galilee, they asked?
Jesus came and said they were precious in God's eyes. The blind, the lame, the lepers were considered by the scribes and pharisees as rejected by God, unworthy, because they had these ailments. Jesus healed them, many of these healings took place on the Sabboth, a no-no in the eyes of the priests.
By healing the these people, the meek and lowly who had "unworthiness" drummed into them by the so-call spokesmen for God for years, Jesus gave them validation and life. The result was an explosion of energy amongst "the unworthy" that has continued down to our day.
If negative thoughts originated only in our own minds then we can rise above them, especially if our environment through love and consideration works to contradict those negative thoughts.
But if the whole community we participate in inundates us with doctrine that invalidates us, brainwashing us that it comes straight from the Creator of heavens and earth, it is not an easy task to be true to our own self.
When the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses threw the newly- born-questioning me outside their gates along with my afterbirth it is very difficult to survive, terribly alone and isolated. They label you unclean, unworthy, bird poop, demonized, ungreeted, unackowledged as a human being. and all the other designations of unworthiness. How does one rise above their condemnations? In primitive societies if the witch doctor put the curse on you, what can the cursed one do but go out and die.
The brainwashed prisoners of war in Korea comes to mind. Many of them succumbed to the brainwashing and destroyed all their values with invalidation.
With me, my validation came from the scriptures.
God is love.
belbab
Hi Kate
Excellent article you posted there.
Yup, that little vulture bird of put downs can take a permanent roost on one's shoulder. the little Twit..I'd like to get my hands around his scrawny little neck sometimes...Grrr.
I especially liked the comparisons with our world now and that of Beethoven and Motzart... The mass media, T.V. radio.. etc.
I remember listening to my great grandma telling me how on a summer evening after the work was done they'd all sit on the front porch and sing and play their instruments and they thought they were such good singers and players. They didn't have a T.V. or radio to listen to nor did they see the best of the best so they thought they were just awesome singers.
My other grandparents built a little dance floor out by the road in front of their farm. On Friday nights the neighbours would come from up and down the road and they would have a dance. Bet they were pretty darn good dancers in their small community and never had all those fancy dance lessons either. Everything was fun..until Grampie got caught bootleggin (true). It was hard times, the depression..big families and trying to get his family through.
Great topic post, kate
Negativity can really eat you up, can't it?
Special K
