by Zoos 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Our first child was 3 weeks old at the scheduled convention.
One hotel that was closer than the convention parking lots was never on the approved list.
But, despite the wife's protests, I booked the hotel anyways.
And always had a tinge of conscience thereafter (didn't tell "the friends" what heinous sin we committed).
Billy the Ex-Bethelite: And high heels that are and invitation to a fall...
Oh, I could SO rock that look!
I lucked out, my Regional (District) convention was in the city I lived in so I never had to drive a long way and book a room. Sounds like a nightmare! I feel bad for all the people who have to spend extra money on gas, lodging, and food for that. But yes, the best solution is to just stop going to them.
I remember I was sick once and missed the Circuit Assembly, OMG it felt SO GREAT! That following January I stopped going to meetings and then that next June I relaxed at home enjoying life knowing everyone else was stuck at the convention. Can't believe I used to go to Jehovah's Witnesses conventions, it seems so absurd now that I found freedom.
I think they get free rooms to use for bethel heavies.
They agree to a room rate for a block of rooms and get a few free.
So, the "discount" rate is not discounted for the room renters. The Org arranges to get so many free rooms instead of passing on the discount to the pubs actually renting the rooms.
GrreatTeacher, the stated reasoning behind the pack your own lunch directive was simplification. Eliminating food service would allow "the friends" to enjoy the full program uninterrupted. Also, we were told to pack simple, light lunches, so that we would have just what we liked and needed to be fully alert for the afternoon program.
There was a lot of emphasis on staying on the premises for lunch. We were supposed to ''enjoy fellowship with our brothers" by having our lunch in our seats at the DC or in the lunch room at the CA or SAD rather than going out to eat.
We were even counselled not to purchase food from vendors on the premises, which made absolutely no sense given their stated reasoning. I believed at the time it was because too many were leaving the premises and returning late for the program.
As a mom with two children, it was a real hardship to pack lunches for multiple days and store them in a cooler in the car. By the last day of the DC, everything was a warm soggy mess. Shopping for and packing lunches was the last thing I wanted to do in addition to all the necessary chores to get there on time properly dressed with fully stocked book bags, but alas, I was the good dub. I even felt guilty when I bought a cup of coffee from an on-site vendor just so I could stay awake for the afternoon session. Sigh.
I had my first panic attack at a DC. Enough said.
How ridiculous. Maybe they weren't making enough money off of food service anymore. And if they weren't making money, then no one else was making money off of them either.
It's always about money. "Simplification" just means make do with less.
