Being judgemental is not something that a person "is", but rather is a "point of view" that flows through the identity structure one has constructed for oneself, which is dependent upon the conditioning one has received in growing up - the values one has adopted through family/societal/educational/and religious influence, among others. Ask yourself, "What is it that recognizes that I have been judgemental?" Which seems more "you", being judgemental or that which recognizes the judgement? And just what is this "thing" that does the recognizing of anything? What would life be like if one remained in "that which recognizes" everything which happens - in short, what would life be like without an identity structure? It's the identity structure (what I call ego) that keeps people in separation from one another. It's the ego which gets its dander up when its assumptions and beliefs are challenged. The ego sees threats hiding behind every tree and is ready to defend itself at the drop of a hat. And its the ego that will do everything/anything possible to ensure its survival. And the ego exists not only on an individual level but at all levels of society, including all religions as well as nations. You have asked an important question - how to overcome it. And you have found the answer, though you may not realize it yet. The answer is basically very simple: just become alert to the arising of judgement of ANY kind. Once there is that recognition/awareness of judgement it is easy to simply drop it all together, knowing that it is part of the "story of me" that has been believed to be true. Judgement is an echo of the past rearing its head. Stay out of the past and remain with "what is". But be gentle with yourself in this process, and don't become hard on yourself when you fail, for that will be judgement coming in the back door. All there is is now, so why not stay there? Peace
poppers
JoinedPosts by poppers
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9
I've discovered something..........
by desib77 inabout myself...... i think i'm a very judgemental person and that really bothers me.
it's only in regard to religon though..... for example, yesterday, after my husband and i had watched the passion, i was all pumped up about religon, so thankful that jesus had died for me and and ready to start trying to better myself.
that evening my husband got really ticked off at someone who had pulled out in front of us almost causing an accident and cussed them out.
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DO YOU BELIEVE ARMAGEDDON WILL EVER COME?
by Mary insometimes i look at the world and i think "man, how much longer can it go on?
" sometimes i think perhaps armageddon will come in my life-time.
the one scripture i always think of is the one in revelation where it says that jehovah "will bring to ruin, those ruining the earth.
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poppers
Maybe armageddon is a metaphor describing the destruction of one's false sense of identity, the ego structure. Once that happens on an "individual" basis what remains is the recognition of the unity of all things that previously were seen as separate from oneself. If so, that would mean that paradise is available here and now - the recognition of paradise is therefore dependent upon the state of consciousness of the "perceiver". Then anything less than paradise, including hell, would also be dependent upon the state of consiousness of the "perceiver".
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Finding serenity after leaving the JWs
by NaruNaruChan intonight was such an interesting and profound night for me.
i went to class... well, specifically a class that i enjoy a great deal... with a professor who has inspired me since i began college...
so i'm sitting there, listening to him lecture, watching him walk back and forth across the stage with this huge projection of the u.s. territories in the background... and for the first time in what seems like ages, my soul spoke to me.
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poppers
That was beautifully expressed and helps to illustrate a point I was attempting to make yesterday, but because of unknown problems my post was not getting to where I wanted it under Friends as a starting thread. So I will put it here since this thread seems appropriate. I had called it "To those who are hurting" (also, for some reason I can't get my paragraph spacing to work. If any of you have read this post previous to its placement here I apologize for the duplicate, but I'd appreciate knowing about it). Here goes:
As I read your posts and the stories of how you have been deceived by the JWs and its GB my heart goes out to all of you. I cannot presume to know the level of distress and pain each of you has experienced through this organization not having been a dub myself, but I have experienced my share of pain within the context of my unique journey, as all people have. And I wish to tell you that there is a way out of the pain. Many of you I am sure have found it, and many continue to live the pain on a daily basis. I have great admiration for all of you who have taken such a courageous step as you have in breaking away from WT, and for many that is enough to feel an inner freedom and a dropping away of pain. For others, however, the pain continues and bitterness grows as you reflect upon your personal experiences vis-à-vis the WT, and how opportunities for understanding, growth, and personal exploration have been systematically thwarted.
If there is an understanding of one?s basic nature the possibility of radically dealing with pain of all sorts becomes a reality to the point of having a completely different perspective of the world and all that is in it. Therefore, what I suggest to all of you is to ponder the question, ?Who am I?? In other words, explore the most fundamental question there is, who is this seeming entity to which all events in your life have happened? Everyone seems to be the center of a drama, a magnet for experience of an almost infinite variety, but hardly anyone bothers to question the existence of this entity that it is happening to.
If you reflect deeply and honestly you will come to some startling conclusions. As I look out of my own eyes I see the world as I have always seen it and there is a subtle sense that ?I? have never changed ? ?I? have always been ?I?. Yet, when I look in the mirror I see obvious change. I conclude, therefore, that I am not my body. Thoughts run through my head, continuously generated by something called ?mind?, and yet I still sense something non-changing that watches all of those thoughts as they arrive and quickly fade. And when I ask myself which is more real, the thoughts which constantly are changing or this quiet still awareness that watches the thoughts and never seems to change, I intuitively know that ?I? am that quiet still awareness, for how can I be something that continuously changes? Therefore, I conclude I am not the mind. Emotions come seemingly come out of nowhere and go again to who knows where, and these emotions sometimes trigger memories, which stir up storylines about the past or thoughts of the future. And when this happens we tell ourselves we are angry/sad/happy/or whatever the case may be. In other words, we identity with whatever has arisen as being ?us? ? I am mad, for example. But ask yourself, is the REAL you just a collection of things you have identified with, or does the REAL you underlie all that arises within the mind/body mechanism. So, I know that there are emotions that flow through ?me?, but I am not any of those emotions. What is it that lets you know the emotion is there? Which is more real, the emotion or that which lets you know it?s there?
If you have been patient with me and read this far I congratulate you. But I know these ideas are not suitable to some people and that is just fine. But for those whose interest is piqued there is a wondrous journey ahead of you if you follow through in your investigation of who you really are. Nobody can do it for you. It is not a matter of accepting them as true and going merrily on your way. A commitment to honestly explore is all that?s necessary. So, the upshot of my little dissertation is this: if one seeks what one truly is and uncovers one?s true self then one?s previous identities drop away along with the attendant pain and distress generated by those identities. And when you have found your REAL self you will discover that nothing really changes in the world but one?s relationship with everything does. And in that there is peace. Peace to all. -
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windows
by RFrank inwhy are there no windows in jehovah's witness meeting places?
this is an honest question.
i do not know and was wondering.
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poppers
Perhaps it's symbolic. Afterall, to have a window allows you to see, to explore, to let the mind roam. No windows keeps you symbolically and physically focused on what is happening within the walls. A metaphor itself of the organization.
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A lot of new people lately
by Elsewhere in.
is it just me or has the last six months or so brought in a very large number of new users?
simon, are there any stats to show if this is true or not?.
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poppers
I also have repeatedly Refreshed the page to no avail. I am using a Mac and browsing with Safari if that has any bearing on the problem. Everything worked fine yesterday when I made my very first post, but now my posts only work when I do a reply.
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A lot of new people lately
by Elsewhere in.
is it just me or has the last six months or so brought in a very large number of new users?
simon, are there any stats to show if this is true or not?.
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poppers
Thanks FlyingHighNow - I see the first thread I created yesterday called "Rubber Necking" listed under Friends on page 2251 but not the one I created under Friends today called "To those who are hurting" on any page under Friends; it only shows up under Active Topics. This is very strange.
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A lot of new people lately
by Elsewhere in.
is it just me or has the last six months or so brought in a very large number of new users?
simon, are there any stats to show if this is true or not?.
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poppers
Thanks for responding Stephanie but nothing I've tried works. My posts show up under Active Topics and if I'm making a reply but not when I am creating a new topic.
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A lot of new people lately
by Elsewhere in.
is it just me or has the last six months or so brought in a very large number of new users?
simon, are there any stats to show if this is true or not?.
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poppers
I'm one of these new people and I'm a little lost on how to post. I made a post under "Friends" and it doesn't show up there. But when in click "Active Topics" under Options at the top of the page it shows up. Who can clue me in on how this works - I am very new to discussion boards.
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To all who are hurting:
by poppers inas i read your posts and the stories of how you have been deceived by the jws and its gb my heart goes out to all of you.
i cannot presume to know the level of distress and pain each of you has experienced through this organization not having been a dub myself, but i have experienced my share of pain within the context of my unique journey, as all people have.
and i wish to tell you that there is a way out of the pain.
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poppers
As I read your posts and the stories of how you have been deceived by the JWs and its GB my heart goes out to all of you. I cannot presume to know the level of distress and pain each of you has experienced through this organization not having been a dub myself, but I have experienced my share of pain within the context of my unique journey, as all people have. And I wish to tell you that there is a way out of the pain. Many of you I am sure have found it, and many continue to live the pain on a daily basis. I have great admiration for all of you who have taken such a courageous step as you have in breaking away from WT, and for many that is enough to feel an inner freedom and a dropping away of pain. For others, however, the pain continues and bitterness grows as you reflect upon your personal experiences vis-à-vis the WT, and how opportunities for understanding, growth, and personal exploration have been systematically thwarted. If there is an understanding of one?s basic nature the possibility of radically dealing with pain of all sorts becomes a reality to the point of having a completely different perspective of the world and all that is in it. Therefore, what I suggest to all of you is to ponder the question, ?Who am I?? In other words, explore the most fundamental question there is, who is this seeming entity to which all events in your life have happened? Everyone seems to be the center of a drama, a magnet for experience of an almost infinite variety, but hardly anyone bothers to question the existence of this entity that it is happening to. If you reflect deeply and honestly you will come to some startling conclusions. As I look out of my own eyes I see the world as I have always seen it and there is a subtle sense that ?I? have never changed ? ?I? have always been ?I?. Yet, when I look in the mirror I see obvious change. I conclude, therefore, that I am not my body. Thoughts run through my head, continuously generated by something called ?mind?, and yet I still sense something non-changing that watches all of those thoughts as they arrive and quickly fade. And when I ask myself which is more real, the thoughts which constantly are changing or this quiet still awareness that watches the thoughts and never seems to change, I intuitively know that ?I? am that quiet still awareness, for how can I be something that continuously changes? Therefore, I conclude I am not the mind. Emotions come seemingly come out of nowhere and go again to who knows where, and these emotions sometimes trigger memories, which stir up storylines about the past or thoughts of the future. And when this happens we tell ourselves we are angry/sad/happy/or whatever the case may be. In other words, we identity with whatever has arisen as being ?us? ? I am mad, for example. But ask yourself, is the REAL you just a collection of things you have identified with, or does the REAL you underlie all that arises within the mind/body mechanism. So, I know that there are emotions that flow through ?me?, but I am not any of those emotions. What is it that lets you know the emotion is there? Which is more real, the emotion or that which lets you know it?s there? If you have been patient with me and read this far I congratulate you. But I know these ideas are not suitable to some people and that is just fine. But for those whose interest is piqued there is a wondrous journey ahead of you if you follow through in your investigation of who you really are. Nobody can do it for you. It is not a matter of accepting them as true and going merrily on your way. A commitment to honestly explore is all that?s necessary. So, the upshot of my little dissertation is this: if one seeks what one truly is and uncovers one?s true self then one?s previous identities drop away along with the attendant pain and distress generated by those identities. And when you have found your REAL self you will discover that nothing really changes in the world but one?s relationship with everything does. And in that there is peace. Peace to all.
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Rubber-necking
by poppers ini stumbled upon this site several weeks ago and have been reading avidly ever since.
i am not nor have ever been a jw, and my exposure to them and the society is cursory at best - a neighbor whom i have observed never extends themselves into the community at large, a best friend from high school who converted a number of years ago (not sure if he was baptised) and who no longer lives in my part of the us - wisconsin, and a little 4th grade student who asked my permission to pass out wt literature at school (i refused her).
it was that little girl who got me searching the internet and here i am, hooked into one amazing story after another.
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poppers
Hi everybody, I stumbled upon this site several weeks ago and have been reading avidly ever since. I am not nor have ever been a jw, and my exposure to them and the society is cursory at best - a neighbor whom I have observed never extends themselves into the community at large, a best friend from high school who converted a number of years ago (not sure if he was baptised) and who no longer lives in my part of the US - Wisconsin, and a little 4th grade student who asked my permission to pass out wt literature at school (I refused her). It was that little girl who got me searching the internet and here I am, hooked into one amazing story after another. I must say that I am completely taken aback at what this religion has done to so many well-intentioned people, people who have fallen for the scare tactics of a manmade organization which appears to do everything it can to maintain and extend its existence: the use of the bible to gain entry, laying a groundword for trust and acceptance through a free bible study course, promises of eternal life on earth (on conditional grounds it's discovered later), the subtle transference of faith from a belief in god to a belief in an organization which purports to speak for him (what an amazing claim that is!), the love-bombing to keep you hooked, and the threat of df and all that entails to those who step out of line. I have said for years that there is nothing like religion to separate people from one another and from god, but this religion seems to have mastered the art of separating its own people from one another - incomprehensible to me. As others have stated on this site, if it is really the "truth" then it should be able to open itself to scrutiny without reservation. The fact that it refuses to question itself is silent testimony to its own doubt. We seemingly live in a dualistic world where right is countered by wrong, evil countered by goodness, life countered by death, and belief countered by doubt. The degree to which one places faith and trust in something is countered by the suppression of doubt in that very thing in equal measure. This is the way of the world, everything balances out. As long as one remains in the dualistic perspective it will always be that way, and all religions/philosophies come from a dualistic perspective. But there are other perspectives and it is my belief that Jesus was pointing to that perspective when he said the kingdom of heaven was within. Others on this site have hinted at this perspective as well when they advise people not to rely on anything outside themselves and to look within instead. Any reliance on an outside authority keeps you trapped in a dualistic universe. As for me, if a jw brought up the prospect of living forever I would find it ludicrous simply because I do not fear death, because I know what I really am, and what I am IS life - everything I have believed my self to be arises within what I really am. This is not a belief, but "my" reality which lies beyond all ideas of what reality is. So, the opposite of birth is death, but life has no opposite, and each of you IS life. Discover the reality of it and live and total freedom. Namaste to all.