As a JW were you really willing to make sacrifices, great and small, for the "truth" or did you feel deep down that it wasn't worth it? When did you decidedly say no to being self denying for the sake of the WTS?
Self denial for the sake of the WTS?
by greendawn 11 Replies latest jw friends
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Golden Girl
Well..I did feel that way..it seems like your family suffers because of it also. I spent many late hours doing housework so I could have my work done for the next day ...so I could pioneer.
Stayed up late working on talks I had to give..often only getting a few hours sleep. The family had a grouchy woman on their hands.
And it seemed like someone always needed my help..so I would help them in the daytime..and do my work when everyone was sleeping..
Nobody could understand why I was always so tired..
I should have learned the NO word a long time ago...
As a witness you are taught to always put the other person first though!
Now I know better..have a more balanced view..and I can say NO!
Snoozy...who NO'S better now!....
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tetrapod.sapien
i admit, with much shame, that there was a time when i would have died or killed for the WTS. it's scary, really scary. they could have decided to create their own armaegedon, and pulled a "jones town", and i would have been right there getting gased in the kingdomhall. it's been about a year and a half since i no longer considered it worthwhile to die for.
and then there's the other sacrifices. school, work, love, brains. -
Seeker4
Tetra wrote: .and then there's the other sacrifices. school, work, love, brains
Exactly. No college, years working cleaning jobs that I hated, getting bullshit for not picking up a paperclip from someone that had half my ability. Even with no college education, after deciding 10 years ago that I was going to pursue my passion for writing, I'm now the editor of the second largest weekly newspaper in my state, with thousands of published articles and photographs under my belt. Last year we won the New England Press Association's first prize for Niche Publications.
I'll certainly make the best of my life, but one wonders if, 35 years ago, instead of pioneering I'd gone to college and pursued the writing career I longed for, where I'd have gone.
That is the story of hundreds of thousands of talented young people who have given their lives to the WTS.
S4
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ithinkisee
I saw many young and middle-aged elders burning out - or their children growing up resenting being a JW - yet they were "expected" to be a JW just because their parents were elders.
I saw many pioneer sisters start out zealous and then crash into depression - almost as if they had depression beforehand, but some loving elder probably told them to try pioneering and they would never be happier.
I saw many prominent elders step into a role of pioneering to "be an example" - nothing more. Then after a year or two they got bored with it and got some other BIG responsibility that either (a) necessitated not being a pioneer, or (b) (and even better) a BIG responsibility where they could ALSO count most of their pioneer service time towards. Two birds with one stone. Then he could go on the platform at the next District Convention and the speaker would list his credentials, "father, husband, owns his own business, elder, WT Study conductor, KH Construction Overseer AND a regular pioneer"
Oops ... now I digress ... just go with the first two paragraphs. I don't mean to hijack.
-ithinkisee
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ithinkisee
... and to finish my though ... so yeah ... once I began noticing a recurring pattern - as well as acknowledged the blatant hypocrisy my dad always spoke of, I began scaling back my amount of self-sacrifice to please elders and gain prominence or - at the very least - "exemplary" status.
-ithinkisee
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Fatfreek
Even with no college education, after deciding 10 years ago that I was going to pursue my passion for writing, I'm now the editor of the second largest weekly newspaper in my state, with thousands of published articles and photographs under my belt.
Aha, S4. I wondered if you didn't have some editor by your side as I read your great letter to the body of elders earlier. I was right! You are that editor!
Yes, the huge pool of talent that has shriveled because of the WT counsel to skip higher education.
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Ticker
No doubt S4 no doubt.
Its sad to think about all the wasted time one put into forwarding a corporate organization instead of bettering ourselves. Even though indoctrinated witnesses would call that selfish reasoning it is absolutely disgusting on the organizations part in their selfishness, to devour lives only to further their physical gain. How can they deny this fact because if your not making the quota you get brushed aside real fast, same with any df or da, just streamlining and trimming the loose threads. How is that loving or God inspired and get this the benefit plan is assuming that you arnt first df'd after thirty years of service or fall behind in your numbers is "Brothers and Sisters! You can still do more, the tendency is to become lax!" Just sounds like heavy loads bound up on shoulders with them not budging a finger to lighten the burden. These ones after giving their lives can be tossed to the wayside if they dont measure up to a non biblical scale of policies, I just dont see the love in that. Pardon me if im blind but I still dont see how the org equates these measures with love.
Ticker
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Honesty
As a JW were you really willing to make sacrifices, great and small, for the "truth" or did you feel deep down that it wasn't worth it? When did you decidedly say no to being self denying for the sake of the WTS?
I would have done anything for the 'Truth' until... I realised that truth does not have to be prodded out of a person if it really is the truth. In other words, faith results in good works. In the JW cult good works (Field Service and meeting attendance) is supposed to build your faith. I didn't comprehend this for years, though.
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LongHairGal
Not much, really. But I regret that I didn't save more money and get a better education.
I never really believed in self-denial anyway. Besides, I used to look at those who were telling everybody else to deny themselves and saw that they didn't deny themselves anything. Classic case of do as I say, not as I do.
But what really got me was when certain older women in the hall who were married at least twice and were grandmothers were telling some young girl she should stay single and pioneer with her menial job. The nerve of them!!!
These people had everything, did and saw everything twice (and expected to do it AGAIN in the new system no doubt) but yet they had the audacity to tell some young unsuspecting girl she should put her life on hold.
I am convinced they wanted young single drudges around to do favors for selfish old bags in the hall.
!!!