by the time i finish this post, i will have turned 50 years old.
i spent over 40 years of my life not celebrating my birthday, and it never seemed like a big deal to me.
three years ago, i received a cake and some friends sang "happy birthday" to me at a dinner party that was for a different event.
Happy Birthday!!!!!
I just let it happen - coworkers and friends usually do a cake and cards etc. I’ve had a couple of big blow out parties when I was still in my twenties, in my forties it’s usually a small celebration with my husband, and something at work.
i am interested in the approach this forum takes to money.
apart from sex, (which i am quite relaxed about) it seems to me that wealth is the surest divider between those who are moral, and those who are not.. it seems jesus thought so, also.
luke 16:19-31 kjv describes well enough his dusty attitude to the rich who do not succour the poor.. and this world has many poor: so many, it might seem that we can do nothing about it, and twist his words; 'the poor ye shall have always with you, but me, ye shall not have always.
In the industrialized countries - many people choose to be poor by making ill advised life choices. No amount of money given to them will change that. They don’t want to work hard, learn a trade, go to college or do any of the things that would better their situation. In the US we all have every opportunity available to us. And still people would rather stay in poverty.
I read an interesting article on the poverty mindset that results in people making choices that keep them in poverty. It basically boils down to “the situation I am in is not my fault and I am helpless to change it.” From your postings here I would say you have the poverty mindset, you think the rich are evil and should solve everyone else’s problems.
he was basically a good man, just a believer in the religion.
when we were both elders we were best of friends and then things deteriorated when i was not an elder for a while.
then after becoming an elder again, i slowly drifted away from the religion and he drifted further away from me.
I am sorry for your loss.
i am interested in the approach this forum takes to money.
apart from sex, (which i am quite relaxed about) it seems to me that wealth is the surest divider between those who are moral, and those who are not.. it seems jesus thought so, also.
luke 16:19-31 kjv describes well enough his dusty attitude to the rich who do not succour the poor.. and this world has many poor: so many, it might seem that we can do nothing about it, and twist his words; 'the poor ye shall have always with you, but me, ye shall not have always.
👏 @ dubstepped. We have had similar issues in the business I work for. We pay well, have good benefits -but the way people act during the hiring process makes me shake my head. Don’t return phone calls, don’t show up for interviews, act stupidly in the interview etc.
We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, we always had food, But I didn’t have new clothes or fancy sneakers. ( I still remember the one time I found a pair of Nike’s on clearance and got them for school).
As an adult, I tried to never squander an opportunity to better myself or my financial situation because I know what the lack side looks like. I’m for equality of opportunity not equality of outcome.
i am interested in the approach this forum takes to money.
apart from sex, (which i am quite relaxed about) it seems to me that wealth is the surest divider between those who are moral, and those who are not.. it seems jesus thought so, also.
luke 16:19-31 kjv describes well enough his dusty attitude to the rich who do not succour the poor.. and this world has many poor: so many, it might seem that we can do nothing about it, and twist his words; 'the poor ye shall have always with you, but me, ye shall not have always.
I think in some instances people make choices that keep them in poverty. For instance I had an employee who made about twice the minimum wage at the time. She would spend her money on alcohol and cigarettes instead of nutritious food for her two daughters. Her daughters nutritional needs came second to her wants of alcohol and tobacco. Giving someone more money doesn’t fix the irresponsibility of people, especially in the developed world.
some people are of the opinion that it doesn't make any sense to be proud of one's nationality because we had nothing to do with where we were born.
the decision wasn't ours.
they opine that it's ludicrous to be proud of our countries' prior achievements if we had no part in those achievements because we weren't even around then.
I am so very thankful to live in the US, where I have every freedom I could ever want. I can live, work, go to school wherever I want for whatever I want. I can marry whoever I want. I can change my mind about any of those things and no one can stop me unless I allow it.
i am thinking that this could be an interesting topic.
most of us never had a chance to go to college, many of us were involved in various service industries like cleaning and such, and we have had some limitations placed on us.
so i thought it might be interested to see what has worked for people, what hasn't, what the progression has been, where people went wrong and where they got it right.
Tbh I didn’t realize how much money I could make at consulting. My first consulting job - I was going to ask $500 - but the business said they could only afford $1500 and hoped I would still take the job. I was like sure I can do that. Lol
from 2012 thru 2016, congregations in georgia and alabama collected funds to build a new assembly hall in south atlanta.
to date, 3.5 million dollars was collected and 75 acres was purchased.
the branch decided that this assembly hall was not needed.
Now that I am no longer associated with the JWs I would never donate money to any organization that isn’t transparent about what they do with the money. I hope some of these money grabs start to wake people up.
i am thinking that this could be an interesting topic.
most of us never had a chance to go to college, many of us were involved in various service industries like cleaning and such, and we have had some limitations placed on us.
so i thought it might be interested to see what has worked for people, what hasn't, what the progression has been, where people went wrong and where they got it right.
I have been successful in my chosen career. I have all the perks that goes with being an executive (salary, bonuses, stock options etc). One of the first things I did after leaving the cult was go to college and get a degree.
But I started a consulting business facilitating strategic planning meetings for small and medium size businesses, my main customers are banks and credit unions. The meetings are usually held on weekends at resorts. So my travel is all paid for by the customer. If it’s one day I get $1500, 2 days is $2500 plus travel expenses. There is work reviewing the customers financial and marketing plans leading up to the meetings. It’s fun, I can help some smaller businesses that need it and still keep my day job.
i was having a conversation with a relative who has been inactive for several decades (part of the ‘75 generation) and he argued that a person that is a born in is better off staying in the organization rather than someone like him who lived as a “worldly” person but then became a witness later in life.
he argues that when you’re born in, all you know nothing outside of the organization, so you’re better off in than out, that’s why when born ins leave the org, they always come back.
i agree that as a born in, your social circle is composed of witnesses but i do feel that even born ins would be happier outside of the org than being in.
I am better off just being me. Doing what I like, when I like. Deciding what hobby to pursue, what to wear, what to study... it beats living the Watchtower way every.single.day.
