New Hope: I've been trying to work with him, but part of the problem is he thinks he is doing a good job, the other part is he resents me for being there and I can't force him to be more agressive or personable. I've tried to help him loosen up, but he just smiles and doesn't try. He's a meek and obedient JW. Taking the initiative has not been instilled in him, though taking the initiative and making hard decesion are part of his job. To put it bluntly, the JW's have castrated him. I honestly don't know how he got the position he has.
noontide
JoinedPosts by noontide
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60
I had a funny feeling he was a Witness... and now I need help.
by noontide inim in a bit of a bind and im not quite sure what (if anything) i can do about it.
i was recently hired as a business consultant for a rather large company.
the company that hired me mentioned that they are concerned about a certain department and the way its being run, as this department affects every other department in the company.
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I had a funny feeling he was a Witness... and now I need help.
by noontide inim in a bit of a bind and im not quite sure what (if anything) i can do about it.
i was recently hired as a business consultant for a rather large company.
the company that hired me mentioned that they are concerned about a certain department and the way its being run, as this department affects every other department in the company.
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noontide
I’m in a bit of a bind and I’m not quite sure what (if anything) I can do about it. I was recently hired as a business consultant for a rather large company. The company that hired me mentioned that they are concerned about a certain department and the way it’s being run, as this department affects every other department in the company. They know something is wrong, but they just can’t pinpoint what that something is. That’s why I was hired, to figure out the problem.
After about a week in the department, I realized that the issue is with the Director of this particular department. There is a certain quirkiness about this individual and I couldn’t put my finger on what makes him a bit odd. He just carries himself in a rather strange manner and for a brief moment I even thought, “Hmm, I wonder if he’s a Jehovah’s Witness?” Smash cut to yesterday, we are having a rather awkward and stilted lunch conversation, when he proceeds to tell me that he is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I knew it!!! This revelation explained A LOT. All of a sudden everything became clear.
I think we can agree that there is a certain “aura” about JW’s and not in a good way. They like to distinguish themselves from the public by being different, all to give “a good witness.” Yet some of them don’t come across as people you want to have regular interactions with, they just come across as strange. I’m not even sure I’m explaining this correctly. But his persona and demeanor are not meshing with the company. The company can’t figure out what is going on with this individual, but I know exactly what’s going on, he is trying to witness through his actions since he can’t do it publicly. Now my dilemma is, how do I explain this to the people that hired me? I can’t even explain it very well even as I’m writing this. It’s just that after years of being a Jehovah’s Witness, you know how they think. You just know and comprehend what’s going on behind their JW trained brain. Of course I don’t want the company to discriminate against him based on his religion, but they can’t figure this guy out. So they brought someone in to try to figure him out and explain it to them. Well, I’ve figured it out, but now how do I explain the whole JW mentality? I don’t want to turn this into a whole religious issue, or get the company in trouble, or again, have him discriminated against. He is smart and knows his job duties very well, but the execution is a whole other story. I can tell you that his JW mentality is hurting his job performance. I don’t think he is an elder, so he is rather meek at work and does not take the initiative; he defers decisions to others and comes across as weak. And of course, come hell or high water, he always leaves right on time, because he has to get to his (JW) meetings. He has missed more than a few important work meetings because he said he couldn’t stay at work an hour or so for overtime. I don’t know how he got to a position of Director in this company, yet there he is. And again, everyone just thinks he’s weird.
So, do I try to explain the JW mentality? If so, how? Or, should I just keep my mouth shut? And again, I’m the one who has to inform the higher ups of my findings in a couple of weeks. Strange situation I find myself in. Any suggestions? -
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Elder and i discussed beards, and got into rules and regulations
by Jon Preston induring a study the elder brought out that eating blood and omens are from the devil, and brought me to leviticus 19:26 (i think).. in verse 27 i says this:.
you must not shave the hair on the side of your head or disfigure the edges of your beard.. i said: "so why are we not allowed to have beards?".
elder: "thats a good question, cleric.
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noontide
"political people rarely have beards or mustaches...they want to appear clean." What about successful people?
Here are a few successful people with beards:
Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Steven Spielberg, Luciano Pavarotti, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Taze Russell.
And please, I've worked in enough profesional locations to know that some quick, but carefully worded guilines can let men keep beards while looking professional as well. It's not rocket science.
I'd rather emulate the successful people rather than the politicians.
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I don't love my family
by noontide inhow can i love people that dont really know me?
how can i love people i dont really know?.
thats not love.
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noontide
Thank you for your replies, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. It does stink though.
What really solidified my feelings (or lack thereof) regarding my family was the day my mother passed away. It was a tragic day and it hurt to see her suffer and die, but I could not bring myself to tell her I loved her. There I sat next to her on her death bed, and I wanted so much to tell her I loved her and I couldn't do it. Even forming the words in my mind made me feel like a hypocryte. I thought there was something tragically wrong with me.
I care for my family, but that's as close to love as I'll ever get with them. Sad.
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I don't love my family
by noontide inhow can i love people that dont really know me?
how can i love people i dont really know?.
thats not love.
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noontide
I was having a conversation with a friend of mine the other day and we started talking about my Witness past. I think he finds it very strange (interesting) when I tell him how I grew up.
*Small side note - when I told him how I grew up, the first thing the said was, “Man, you grew up in a cult.” Funny how I never saw that in my 25 years-plus in the religion.
Anyway, we began talking about my parents, and somehow the expression, “But you still love them, right?” came up. Immediately and without any hesitation I said, “No, I don’t love them.” He looked a bit shocked, and honestly I was a bit startled myself when I heard myself saying this. The strange thing is that I had never seriously thought about this before. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate them or the rest of my Witness family, but I can’t really say that I love them. I feel a sense of responsibility towards my dad (my mother has since passed away) and I like some aspects of my family, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it love. So why don’t I love my family? I could not stop thinking about this for days afterwards and I felt guilty for feeling this way. However, I think I know why.
My family doesn’t know me. After I left the Witnesses (just walked away and never looked back) we seemed to institute a “don’t ask, don’t tell policy.” Since I wasn’t disfellowshipped, they still talk to me, but it’s a measured and cordial relationship; but not particularly meaningful. They don’t really ask about my life, and I don’t tell them anything. They don’t know any of my friends, they don’t know who or if I’m dating anyone special, they don’t know that I’m enrolled in a University trying to get my Bachelor’s degree, they don’t know my taste in music, they don’t even ask about my career. Why? Because according to them, I left Jehovah. So even though they’ve never say it, I can tell they feel sorry for me, they pity my life and the decisions I’ve made. And this has been going on for over fifteen years. How can I love people that don’t really know me? How can you love someone that judges you? How can you love someone that pities you?
I know them in as much as, I know how they think; everything revolves around their religion. They talk about the meetings, the assemblies, the brothers, etc. But my family as individuals, I don’t really know them. Because they don’t seem to be individuals, they are part of a larger entity. And when they do display the slightest hint of individuality, they are careful how they do it, because they don’t want to stumble others. How can I love people I don’t really know?
I am grateful for what my family did for me when I was younger, they fed me, they clothed me, and they kept me safe. And even today, they are not a bad lot per se. They will still help me out if I ask for it (as long as it doesn’t clash with their beliefs) and I’m glad to help them out as well (even if it means hearing their stories about field service or other Witness stuff). I also try to respect them and their decisions (even if its not reciprocated).
So there it is; I sometimes like them, I respect them, I feel a sense of responsibility, or family obligation, I have tolerance towards them, I feel bad when bad things happen to them.
But I don’t love them.
I also know that if it came down to it, because of their religion, I could walk away from them in a heartbeat and never look back (as could they).
That’s not love.
And that is what I find saddest of all. -
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What's your opinion?
by noontide in[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser /> </w:worddocument> </xml><![endif].
whats your opinion of your human resources department?
nowadays most companies, large or small, have an hr department.
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noontide
Finallysomepride, I hate to admit it but I think you are right. Some HR departments seem more interested in "following the rules" rather than helping the employees. I say, follow the law, but also assist your employees.
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What's your opinion?
by noontide in[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser /> </w:worddocument> </xml><![endif].
whats your opinion of your human resources department?
nowadays most companies, large or small, have an hr department.
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noontide
What’s your opinion of your Human Resources department? Nowadays most companies, large or small, have an HR department. These HR departments can range from 1 to 10 or more individuals depending on the size of your company. What do you think of your HR department, or Human Resources in general?
I ask because recently I’ve noticed that quite a few people in the HR department seem to hate working with people. Some HR people are rude, condescending and apparently unwilling or unable to help the people they are there to assist. Sometimes the Employment Managers instead of making the applicants feel welcome and at ease, seem to enjoy making the applicant nervous. And they sometimes make the applicant wait 30 minutes or more past their scheduled appointment before they take them into the interview itself. Sometimes it feels as though walking into the HR department is like walking into the Principal’s office at school.
Now full disclosure here… I work in HR. I’m an HR Manager and I’m appalled at the behavior of some HR “professionals.” My job connects me with various other HR departments at different companies and I’ve witnessed or have been subject to the behaviors mentioned above on an escalating basis. It’s not until I introduce myself as, “Hi, I’m the HR manager from XYZ company” that the behavior completely changes. When I’m Joe Nobody or they think I’m an applicant, I’m treated like I’m not worth the time, but when the title comes along, all of a sudden, they begin to smile and the attitude completely changes. WTF!?
Not to pat myself too much on the back or to say I’m better than everyone else, but I really try not to act like this. And if I see any one of the people in my office act like this, I immediately correct this behavior. People actually like talking to and coming to our department/office. Am I being delusional? Why can’t more HR departments or HR professionals be more welcoming? The nature of HR in it of itself can be stressful and yes, the rules have to be enforced by HR, but do the HR people have to be jerks because of this?
Ok, as you can probably tell, I had a bad experience with an HR department today. Or maybe I’ve just hit a few rough patches in some HR offices recently. Please help me to restore my faith in my profession! So once again, I ask, what are your experiences and/or thoughts regarding HR?
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Thoughts on the current Governing Body
by JRK inhere is a list of the current governing body members:.
gerrit losch: born 1942, appointed july 1, 1994 .
guy h. pierce: born 1935, appointed oct. 1, 1999 .
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noontide
I find it interesting that since the Watchtower is a worldwide organization, it sure seems to lack in cultural diversity. No anointed Governing Body members hailing from India, Japan, China, South America, Africa? Has there ever been an anointed Governing Body member from these “minority” countries? You think God would have included at least one in the group. How can you effectively preach to the world if the Governing Body can’t understand or relate to the rest of the world’s cultures? Seems like you have to be of White or Anglo-American descent to be a Governing Body member. Interesting.
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Lifesaving Work
by mankkeli inknowing that we are living deep in the time of the end, we keep focused on the main work of true christianspreaching and disciple making.
(matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20) like our exemplar, jesus, we want to be intensely occupied with this lifesaving work.
how can we show that this work is important to us?
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noontide
Read my two cents on this subject Mankkeli. Hope it helps.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/211621/1/Where-the-need-is-great
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Any apostates in LA?
by Velour inheyo!.
just moved to la from austin, texas and i'm looking for my people ^-^ is anyone here in la?
i'm specifically in hollywood.
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noontide
I'm not in LA, but in Orange County (about 25 miles drive from LA). I rarely go to LA, but I'll send you a message if I'm ever around the area. Also, if you are ever in The OC send me a message, would be fun to meet up.
By the way, why would you ever leave Austin? I've never been there but I hear it's an awesome place, people seem to love the atmosphere in Austin. Don't know how you feel about LA, but I hate it. It's polluted, dirty, bad traffic, takes forever to get around. Augh!!! Not an LA fan here. From Austin to LA? Seriously? ;-) Make your way to Orange County Velour.