@ berrygerry,
That quote:
JW's have standards now as set out by the GB to praise God. It won't be any different in the "new world". There will always be standards of conduct, dress and grooming, and where and how to live passed on to the survivors forever through appointed men.
Really creeps me out. Can you imagine a "paradise" with a bunch of little fascists walking around, dictating every matter of personal taste?
When I was about 14, I was visiting my old congregation in Orange California (Orange East). Large bow-ties were in fashion, at the time, along with wide lapels (think Jim Lang's wardrobe from his stint hosting "The Dating Game"). I'm glad I haven't retained any photos of myself from that fashion epoch.
So, I'm wearing my wide lapels, platform sadle-oxfords, and big-bow-tie and the smartass kid of a dorky elder says; "bow-tie huh? Well, that's the fad". I wanted to smack him around a little.
Anyway, I digress. When I was young (sixties), paradise was described (at least in my understanding) as a place where we could approach Jehovah directly and we were on a somewhat level-playing-field. Since then, it has "progressed" in the literature into a place where elders and such that pass through the GT will be living as "Chieftains" and the resurrected worthies will be ruling as "Princes Among Men". The description of this future paradise has grown less and less appetizing with each retelling.
I have come to think of it as a sort of global North Korea with a bigger petting zoo.
While not a direct analogy, this future, totalitarian paradise reminds me of a Twilight Zone with the late Sebastian Cabot titled, "A Nice Place to Visit".
Synopsis:
When bad guy Henry Francis Valentine dies in a shootout with police, he wakes up in the next world where his every wish is granted forever, and ever. In this world, he has the nicest appartent/suite, picks out the nicest clothes, cars, etc. Gets all of the best babes, wins all games-of-chance. However, eventually he becomes bored with all of it going perfectly his way. He whines to Sebastian Cabot that it's no fun to win if he can't lose. So, Cabot says that he can arrange it so that he loses from time to time and he responds that this wouldn't be any good because he'd know that it was staged.
Finally:
Henry Francis 'Rocky' Valentine: If I gotta stay here another day, I'm gonna go nuts! Look, look. I don't belong in heaven - see? I wanna go to the other place.
Pip (Sebastian Cabot): Heaven? Whatever gave you the idea you were in Heaven, Mr. Valentine? This *is* the other place! [laughs malevolently as Valentine tries to get out of the room, to no avail]