Terry

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Posts by Terry

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  10

  The Secret of Life

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my elementary school teacher, miss allen, gathered us in a circle just outside the classroom under overspreading limbs of a pecan tree.

  as she spoke, we all listened intently - the expression on her face seemed to say, "this is very important.".

  "sometimes life doesn't go so well and we feel afraid.

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  Terry

  Many years later I was listening to NPR radio as I worked and I heard Dr. Wayne Dyer talking about Row Row Row your boat.
  "WH-A-A-A-T?" I said it out loud!
  
  How is this possible?
  Did he know Miss Allen in 1955?
  Everything comes from someplace - right?
  
  I don't know.
  Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz both seem to have invented Calculus at the same time - without either knowing what the other was doing!
  
  In a world like that - anything is possible.
• 
  10

  The Secret of Life

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my elementary school teacher, miss allen, gathered us in a circle just outside the classroom under overspreading limbs of a pecan tree.

  as she spoke, we all listened intently - the expression on her face seemed to say, "this is very important.".

  "sometimes life doesn't go so well and we feel afraid.

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• 

  Terry

  THE SECRET (of Life)

  My Elementary School teacher, Miss Allen, gathered us in a circle just outside the classroom under overspreading limbs of a pecan tree. As she spoke, we all listened intently - the expression on her face seemed to say, "This is very important."

  "Sometimes life doesn't go so well and we feel afraid. But we all have a friend who will help us..." she began.

  I was thinking, "Uh oh, here comes Jesus..."
  I was wrong.

  She continued, "Our friend is called the Stream of Time. You know what a stream is - it's not like a river which roars through a canyon like a freight train. A stream moves along without rushing. It is steady and kind."

  I was about 8 years old and I must confess I was listening with great curiosity. This wasn't like anything else I'd heard at school before.

  "You and I and everybody you know - each of us has a little boat we sit in as the stream flows around us. We have our oars and we can paddle or not - it's up to you what you do."

  I thought to myself, "This is wild - has Miss Allen been drinking?"
  She went on with her peculiar advice ...

  "Here now, I'm going to whisper to you all something called
  THE SECRET of LIFE. If you remember it - you can get through anything that happens. Want to hear it?"
  
  She paused as we all bobbed our heads in affirmation.

  "We all know that little song - don't we? ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT?"
  More nods from us.

  "Okay. Here is that secret..."

  Her voice fell to a stage whisper - we, her audience - leaned forward to catch every syllable.

  "The Secret of Life is to Row, Row, Row your boat - but how? GENTLY down the stream. Not too fast, not too slow - but just enough that you put your heart into it and keeping moving..."
  
  

  Pause. Then ...

  "What is our attitude as we pull on our oars with determination? How do we go about our effort? MERRILY MERRILY MERRILY. We aren't sad, or angry, or afraid and never distracted. You can't be merry without hope for what's up ahead. Like those days before Christmas when everything seems to change all around us and we say to each other: MERRY Christmas ..."

  All of us in that little circle were hypnotized. She went on ...

  "What is the cause of our merry row on that gentle stream of time we call Life? The words of the song make it clear: LIFE IS BUT A DREAM!
  And we've all had dreams - and we all understand how unexpected a dream can be - seeming quite real but disappearing with a brand new day of sunshine. So, here we all sit together in our boat this morning and we look around us at each other and think all our days will be simple as this gathering under a pecan tree. But the Stream of Time is moving -- and we are on it - carrying us away. No matter how awful any one particular day may be - the stream always carries us away. NOTHING can stop the Stream of Time and it is always around you in your Merry Dream of life heading toward - what? Nobody knows but for sure - it is away from what is behind."

  And with that - her voice went back to normal volume as she had us stand up and stretch - and time for recess! Never another word about rowboats, or merry tomorrows.

  None of my classmates said a word about it - no questions - no complaints. I was quite moved but didn't know why.

  Many years later I have often pondered Miss Allen's little speech - strange as it was. We weren't inside the classroom - she'd taken us outside. Why? She had whispered - why?

  Did she know something nobody else knew which could really truly help us get through life?

  I think so. I think that little silly song we sang as children does contain the secret of life.
  __________

  Row, row, row your boat
  Gently down the stream
  Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily
  Life is but a dream
  
  Row, row, row your boat
  Gently down the stream
  Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily
  Life is but a dream
  
  Row, row, row your boat
  Gently down the stream
  Merrily merrily, merrily,…

  
  

  (repeat and fade)
• 
  20

  Another Hollywood Memory

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  another hollywood memory____________________“thanks for the pink chablis, marta.

  who’s that singing?

  sounds familiar.”.

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  Terry

  asp5910 months ago

  Have you read the Book ' You'll never eat lunch in this town again ' ?
  
  I have a vague recollection of discussions (on TV) stemming from interviews with the author.
  You've reminded me I wanted to read the book.
  Thank you
• 
  104

  Aunt Jemima and Mrs.Buttersworth Need To Be Destroyed!

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we have to get rid of these racist relics.

  i propose that we destroy all these bottles of syrups and burn every pancake box !

  we need to get rid of anything that reminds us of anything negative concerning slavery.. in boston they decapitated the head of christopher columbus and got rid of his statue.

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  Terry

  NEXT TARGET:
  
  When will we ever get around to banning black shoe polish used by various goofy White People when they go "blackface"?
  
  
  
• 
  11

  700 million laundered funds by Watchtower to avoid sex lawsuit payment?

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  based on a daily telegraph article : jehovah's witnesses accused of selling off assets and moving cash to avoid sex abuse compensation

  watchtower has 800 charities in australia and australian law says they don't have to report assets below 1 million .

  doesn't this imply watchtower can have in excess of 700 million laundered funds?

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  Terry

  I concur that the reporting in the article is all based on allegations
  by the Ex-J-Dubs providing the documentation. And too, the journalism rampant in our world today is shakier than a palsy ward.
  
  But on the other hand - I wouldn't put it past the GB to resort to the same tactics Pastor Russell employed to bereft his estranged wife of alimony increases.
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  1

  "Origins of Judaism"

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  if you belong to academia.edu, a book:.

  https://www.academia.edu/37026086/origins_of_judaism.

  https://www.academia.edu/634821/the_religious_world_of_ancient_israel_to_586_bce .

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  Terry

  Thanks Doug!
  You are an indefatigable researcher into all things of importance related to religion. I appreciate you.
• 
  11

  700 million laundered funds by Watchtower to avoid sex lawsuit payment?

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  based on a daily telegraph article : jehovah's witnesses accused of selling off assets and moving cash to avoid sex abuse compensation

  watchtower has 800 charities in australia and australian law says they don't have to report assets below 1 million .

  doesn't this imply watchtower can have in excess of 700 million laundered funds?

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  Terry

  Pretty good black eye this time - IF ANYBODY NOTICES or even cares.
• 
  11

  700 million laundered funds by Watchtower to avoid sex lawsuit payment?

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  based on a daily telegraph article : jehovah's witnesses accused of selling off assets and moving cash to avoid sex abuse compensation

  watchtower has 800 charities in australia and australian law says they don't have to report assets below 1 million .

  doesn't this imply watchtower can have in excess of 700 million laundered funds?

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  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Terry

  Based on a DAILY TELEGRAPH article : JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES ACCUSED of SELLING OFF ASSETS and MOVING CASH to AVOID SEX ABUSE COMPENSATION Watchtower has 800 charities in Australia and Australian law says they don't have to report assets below 1 million . Doesn't this imply Watchtower can have in excess of 700 million laundered funds?
  In a pandemic, they'll continue selling off their kingdom hall real estate centerpieces and centralize their whole cult online with all "meetings, assemblies & conventions" done on zoom online.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  What unavoidable conclusion can be drawn from the above?
  ____ I came across this expose' on YouTube's channel Kim Mikey this morning. Take a look: shorturl.at/rCJOS
• 
  11

  Jehovah's Witnesses Class Warfare (parallels to Karl Marx)

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  among jehovah’s witnesses, the elite consists of 144,00 kings and priests who have been specially selected (anointed) to rule in heaven (as transformed spirit beings) over the second group (great crowd) who remain human on a paradise earth.. .

  in marxist theory, the elite use wealth to obtain political power and control ideology consisting of shaping the worldview of the underclass.

  (their role in society.).

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• 

  Terry

  To become a JW in good standing is to become cattle in a herd; docile, manageable, and utilitarian.
  In a word: mentally "Lazy."
  
  It takes enormous effort to allow the foundation of your world rug-pulled from under you and to regain your balance as you re-order your entire mental universe!
  
  Basing everything not just on a book (Bible) but interpretation of it - disallows the clean slate of apostasy. Who will interpret your abandonment, rebellion, restructuring in a meaningful way?
  
  Communists and JW's live in an ordered Universe where everything which isn't commanded is disallowed - and *tergiversation is certainly disallowed and punished. (*desertion of a cause, position, party, or faith).
  
  Personally, I'll not soon forget an overwhelming feeling I discovered within myself upon visiting a UNITARIAN church.
  After two hours of services, as I was walking out I turned to the friend who'd invited me and said: "I don't think I can handle this."
  My friend said, "Why not?"
  I replied, "Because you aren't against anything."
  I suddenly discovered I needed to strike against something "wrong or bad" and there just wasn't any target. Consequently, no purpose in going to church. This impulse was bred into me by the JW's!
  I had no craving at all for fellowship itself.
  Wow.
• 
  36

  Things are too quiet at Warwick (Bethel)

  by RubaDub in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i guess it's the covid-19 thing.

  but very little news from a couple of people i know well there.

  they can't leave the "compound" or much of anything else.

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  Terry

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZsYfkhDlUI