by Markfromcali 5 Replies latest jw friends
This is a simple enough comparison, but I think it's a question worth asking with a thread of it's own, even if it's just for the sake of reminder.
Whether it's believing the JWs or anything, do we notice whether it is what's reasonable and makes sense, or is it just 'agreeable' because it's familiar and comfortable? Obviously the latter wouldn't be a wise choice.
I think most of us do this in many areas of life. How many people stay in horrible relationships, telling the other person they love them when it's not true, just familiar? I know I have.
Witness are well known for criticizing those who blindly follow their ancestors in religious belief. If we are fair however, many cultures are so emersed in their religious heritage that it has almost become the same thing. Think of the christian argument that the christmas holiday is a cultural event and should not be attacked by those opposed to teaching religion in public schools, when in fact it is a direct outgrowth of a doctrinal and theological tradition embraced to the point that they cannot see the forest for the trees. Anyone who has traveled to Muslim or Hindu countries is immediately struck by how much that heritage has colored those cultures.
It is hard to "break out" of those blinders especially when the clerics are the government and keep the people corraled by religious superstition and corrersion. We are richly blessed in this regard that our country is forced to see by our mass emigrations to face the reality of diversity in a relatively free society. The various cults of America represent what life could be like if we were subject to a non-secular government.
Being willing to set aside all our preconcieved culturally re-inforced notions about how to view the world is a difficult but rewarding task. Life outside the cave, however, can be challenging. The bright light exposes all kinds of unfamiliar ideas and may call for an entirely new paradigm..(there, I finally got that one in again).
carmel
In searching for answers as to why my ex would be enmeshed in such a high control religion I have come to believe that it is familiar and comfortable for him. His parents' love was very conditional as he was growing up-"don't come home if you don't cut your hair," you can't live here if you don't go to college, etc." So for him, being threatened with being kicked out if you don't toe the line is what he is used to. He sees it as "normal" because it was for him. His ex-wife was abussive both physically and emotionally to him. In other words, he might look okay from the outside, but he's really screwed up on the inside!
In my psychology class, this week we are focusing on different learning styles and stimulus. I was going to start a thread about this, but you beat me to the punch!
Learned Helplessness is a passive resignation to aversive conditions learned by REPEATED EXPOSURE (eg, meetings five times a week :)) to aversive events that are inescapable and unavoidable.
Then, they talk about an experiment , and the psychologist reasoned that humans who have sufferered painful experiences they could neither avoid nor escape may also experience learned helplessness. Then, having experienced this helplessness, they may simply give up and react to disappointment in life by becoming inactive, withdrawn, and depressed.
Sound familiar?
Hi Melba,
Of course when you think about it, from their perspective they may not see it as helplessness - the situation may be one that is considered quite appropriate. The actual dynamic is of course just stagnation - whether you think you are helpless or not you are just stuck in this little repeatitive cycle. This is why I think it's good to question, it is better to stir up that curiousity, kind of wake things up, rather than say something to the effect of such and such is not true. After all something can only get stagnant in such a way when you have some kind of unconscious assumption taken as a given.
