Thanks, that was beautiful. I am going to go and smooch my husband now. We have been married twelve years and I hope we are still that in love into our silver haired years. It was a wonderful thing to see them still laughing together and leaning in on eachother after all that time. Although I wouldn't mind if my husband also looked like Paul Newman ....
zensim
JoinedPosts by zensim
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5
Are you going to Diet for Armageddon?
by OUTLAW inhow many want to be thinner for armageddon?...outlaw
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zensim
Well at first I thought yes, I could do that. I can sustain a diet for a few days I reckon. It is coming any day now isn't it?
But then I thought, what's the point? I am going to have a perfect body then anyway, doesn't matter what I do now, so might as well not worry about it (finances, the environment, charity ....)
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102
Your Feelings On Getting Reinstated For Family Considerations
by minimus ini just read the mary/gumby where are they thread.
i want to say right from the start that i like gumball very much.
i've talked by phone to him in the past and we've had some discussions here over the years.
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zensim
This is so hard - I feel for Gumby. I think in some ways it must be harder if it is your children and grand-children left in, rather than your parents or siblings. Someone I know started going back to be reinstated so he could be with his children again. He only lasted three months and then couldn't stand it anymore. I think he was torn between the desperate love for his kids and believing it is all bulls**t and felt that his going back was validation for others eg "He is coming back because it is the "Truth" ". That's the hardest part I reckon - seeing everyone look smug in their "rightness" and thinking you have finally seen the error of your ways. I couldn't do it personally, but I don't blame anyone for trying.
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Who believes in reincarnation and enlightenment??
by Aphrodite inwhat are your beliefs based on and how has this been affected by your time as a witness?
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zensim
I forgot to mention how it is affected by my Witness background.
Reincarnation still is probably hard for me to swallow because of the Witness teachings. But then again, I have had one past life memory. However, I also don't trust the mind. I might have believed it more if I had the memory before I left the Witnesses and before I had read teachings and stories on reincarnation. Mind you, my past life memory was unique : )
Now I really don't care. I just accept that the generally accepted concept of reincarnation is a way of trying to explain a phenomena. I have a much broader understanding of other possible explanations (one consciousness, dna memory etc etc) but I am happy to put it in the "I don't know basket" which means I don't discount it but neither to I fully accept it.
I think since leaving the Witnesses I am quite wary of being too attached to any one belief system. Good in one way because I keep a very open mind, not so good in another because I am constantly checking myself and/or doubting.
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Who believes in reincarnation and enlightenment??
by Aphrodite inwhat are your beliefs based on and how has this been affected by your time as a witness?
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zensim
I am probably in a similar vein to gaiagirl (based on the brief description she outlined).
I believe in Oneness, that is we are all of the same spirit or energy. So we are all very interconnected (call it a grid, matrix, whatever you want). And just because the material or physical disappears, it doesn't mean the consciousness of the energy disappears. For me the physical is just waves of energy bending or moving in a particular way which gives them density. And as soon as something has form it also has shadow or darkness. So for me anything dark is just not understood or we are not able to see it. Often it just takes a change of perspective or to literally move around an object.
That's why we find it hard to come up with proper explanations for things we cannot see and why we fear them so much. And at best it is usually a guess. The mind tries to make sense of something based on the information it receives, but its' 'reason' is only based on what it takes in - it literally is making a guess on a slice of the bigger picture. So for that reason I believe in reincarnation, but not limited to its lay sense. I also believe enlightenment is a continuing process. Being able to see more and more of the bigger picture. (Interesting book out called The Translucent Revolution which explains how human consciousness is evolving).
I think the more you believe in your ability to do something, the more it becomes a reality. And the more real it becomes for one person, the more it opens up doors to other people to do the same. So if a group of people have the consciousness that reincarnation is truth, they will open up to the consciousness of being linked to other 'souls' or energies. On a much lesser scale, we all can tune into eachother (gut feeling, intuition, first impressions etc). It is just that some people are more evolved or developed in the degree to which they can do it (and that doesn't mean intentionally, a child could have a natural portal or opening in their dna which allows them to tune into one specific energy). Given that time is not linear the whole notion of reincarnation is again very limited to the fact that we still live our lives currently in the notion of past, present and future.
The potential of the human body is unlimited. It is our beliefs that are limited.
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zensim
Madame Q: did they shun you whilst you still lived at home? At 15? How the hell do they do that?
Boy, I really came from a liberal cong, although my family were quite strict. I thought I had a 'good' attitude to the Witnesses since leaving, not really seeing them as that bad. But being on this forum has just opened up a whole other world to me - I didn't realise that many Witlesses were so extreme. Shame on me.
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A big thank you to Simon
by Caedes ini thought i should write a big thanks to simon for this board, not only has it been a big eye-opener to me regarding my past and helped me realise how many people have been through the same stuff as i have, but it's through this board that i've met a wonderful woman, michelle (calico ethel).. michelle is beautiful, intelligent, funny and luckily for me has terrible eyesight, i feel very fortunate to have met her and hopefully (presuming i can keep on hiding her glasses!
) we shall be very happy together in the future.
she has rather recklessly and bravely agreed to move in with me and is moving over at the beginning of february.
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zensim
Awwww ... I feel all soft and mushy inside and my lips are making that pursing shape
Congratulations to the both of you - it's so beautiful that you found each other. And don't worry Martin - I think you are a cutie in the picture - Michelle's love is not blind
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Would you say yes to a blood transfusion?
by Fisherman ini would like to get some honest answers about your position on blood transfusion.
as we get older, sooner or later we wind up in the hospital and the question they always ask is"...in the event.. would you accept blood?
" faced with that question, i answered no.
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zensim
Fleshybirdfodder - my thoughts and feelings exactly. Thank you for putting it into words for me. In examining myself I decided that it is really an old belief I had. For many years, probably since my teens, I used to think "Even if I weren't a Witness I would still not have a blood transfusion". For me the blood issue was the crux of my faith - I was willing to die on that point. Funnily enough, the blood issue was then one of the reasons I left, it just started getting sillier and less logical (my analogy is likening it to putting lettuce on one plate, cheese on another plate, tomatoe on another plate, one slice of bread on another plate, the butter on another plate etc etc and then saying it is ok to eat all those separately but YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PUT THEM TOGETHER AND EAT THEM AS A SANDWICH!).
Anyway, I am going to have to dig deep now and erase that vow that I made in my early adult life. I can't blame 'them' entirely - I decided it was the issue I would hold onto even if I wasn't a Witness.
Thank you for bringing this up Fisherman - great question.
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Do you have a personal hero?
by zagor ini was just doing my page on myspace and this question really stuck with me.
i dont know if something is wrong with me or what, but if i have to answer this question truthfully i have to say i dont have one.
i like to learn about many different people and their achievements but in reality i just like being myself and not try to emulate someone else.
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zensim
Rahab was always my favourite bible 'hero'.
Nowadays? I don't know, I guess anyone whom I observe trying to make a positive difference in a graceful, inspiring and happy way. For instance, gone are the days when we need someone like Germaine Greers to stand up for women's rights. I just admire any person who is making a positive difference whilst also enjoying life (not being bitter or lambasting others as wrong). I am particularly inspired by so many younger people being successful in business whilst also bringing about changes and awareness to the environment, proving that one does not exclude the other.
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Please say hello to my wife.
by nicolaou ini've been posting here for quite a long time, so long in fact that it just doesn't feel right that my wife isn't a part of it.
earlier today i created an account for her with the username heron, she'll know why.
i'm not sure if my wife will ever post here but i would feel much more comfortable knowing she is aware that i do.. this is the one post i am going to ask her to read.. so, i'd really appreciate it if you could say hello to my lovely wife.
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zensim
Hi Heron and welcome.
Yes, 3rd gen JW also (my parent's were missionaries and pioneers and I pioneered also). Life is so much lighter, happier and more stable since leaving. Happy for you that your parents are understanding, our families are also - it does make it a bit easier.
All the best.
Zensim