Posts by educ8self

20

do not understand "slow" fade, "controlled" fade, why not just stop quickly

by oompa in

jw
friends

onthewayout has a current thread about a slow fade, and i have read many others that are similar.

i do not understand how fading slowly vs. fading very quickly has any different consequences.

and i mean whether an elder or pioneer or not.

educ8self

Other people will have much better input as I just walked away one day after almost 100% meeting attendance, but in reading this I did remember I walked into the hall one morning after a service meeting and handed the CO a letter - couldn't even remember what it said but it was a criticism. It wasn't about how I was going to leave though, I didn't even know that until the moment it happend.

I want to throw a different angle on this though, which is that you don't want to actually fade, but your participation in the organization does. Since depression IS an issue, lets say the goal is to let that messed up, neurotic false "you" fade - but let the real you grow. As a brother I knew from a convention used to say all the time, keep your spirits up. And of course this forum can help with that, but do whatever you have to.

12

The End of The Days

by greengopete in

jw
friends

hello members and guest.. if you are wondering what is coming up that will change mankind forever, read the following:.

3 with that i heard a loud voice from the throne say: look!

the tent of god is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples.. god is bringing his kingdom to the new earth.

educ8self

Well atleast the focus is not on gloom and doom in this post, but consider this: If we are at all interested in the transformation of the individual, which I would think spirituality of any type would be concerned with, then there is an "End of Days" for people as well. So is the focus only on others, i.e. the world, or on ourselves, which is the only one we can change? If someone hasn't really lived, then it would be the beginning more than anything wouldn't it?

31

Ever met a "deep" JW?

by educ8self in

my guess is probably not, or if they were they weren't that much of a jw or their perspective isn't so relevant to jw thought - i trust those that have been out a while understand what i mean, hindsight and all.

what i'd like to do is draw out a contrast that some may have by way of their personal experience, maybe a "worldly person" or other non-jw that is an example of someone that has a great and helpful perspective on life, vs. the jw one.

there may be people from this board, but i think even a specific telling moment with a simple thing could be good or even better.

educ8self

Oh and speaking of children, a simple way of saying the same thing is when we tell them "you can be anything you want to be when you grow up" right? I don't know, actually it seems like we need to learn that from them or remember it, because I would imagine it is a given for them that they don't even think of limits, it's the adults that instill the limited thinking in them. There are practical aspects of that of course, but why be a set of limits?

31

Ever met a "deep" JW?

by educ8self in

my guess is probably not, or if they were they weren't that much of a jw or their perspective isn't so relevant to jw thought - i trust those that have been out a while understand what i mean, hindsight and all.

what i'd like to do is draw out a contrast that some may have by way of their personal experience, maybe a "worldly person" or other non-jw that is an example of someone that has a great and helpful perspective on life, vs. the jw one.

there may be people from this board, but i think even a specific telling moment with a simple thing could be good or even better.

educ8self

Thanks for all the replies you guys, I especially enjoy reading about the people you knew in the past, kind of gives a snippet of your life.

Ok so we're clear that JWs can be deep too, but how about this: How many people can be deep enough to go deeper than themselves? On the surface it seems like nonsense, but it is essentially when you've really changed and transformed - because you go beyond that identity rather than work around it or build on it. (more is not necessarily better, could be psychological defenses anyway) We think of breaking through limits in terms of physical and intellectual achievements, but it can apply to personality and our (limiting) ideas about ourselves, too.

Last night after I got off the phone with Craig I was thinking just how a human being is a terrible thing to waste. Not the mind only, but the whole thing! There is incredible potential in people but so many aren't really aware of it.

To me, seeing how people can be deep in the sense of being a great person involves a limit, because it has to be measured against other limits - it's just gone farther than others. Seeing the potential in us all is not seeing a limit.

19

I'm on a bit of a mission

by PaulJ in

those who don't know my story- was brought up a jw, married young (dumb idea), divorced, kinda fell for the 1st person that came along, that didnt work, now kinda sat pondering where the hell the past decade has gone!

i'm on the hunt for some of my old friends, both people that have had the sense the leave the jw's as well as my old mates from school and college that were good friends- and must of put up with some weird behavior from me (no xmas and birthday cards, no attending of birthday parties etc etc).

i've managed to get into contact with one or 2 which is great, especially one who asked if i was still aa jw , which i was so pleased to be aable to say i wasn't!

educ8self

duplicate

19

I'm on a bit of a mission

by PaulJ in

those who don't know my story- was brought up a jw, married young (dumb idea), divorced, kinda fell for the 1st person that came along, that didnt work, now kinda sat pondering where the hell the past decade has gone!

i'm on the hunt for some of my old friends, both people that have had the sense the leave the jw's as well as my old mates from school and college that were good friends- and must of put up with some weird behavior from me (no xmas and birthday cards, no attending of birthday parties etc etc).

i've managed to get into contact with one or 2 which is great, especially one who asked if i was still aa jw , which i was so pleased to be aable to say i wasn't!

educ8self

duplicate

19

I'm on a bit of a mission

by PaulJ in

those who don't know my story- was brought up a jw, married young (dumb idea), divorced, kinda fell for the 1st person that came along, that didnt work, now kinda sat pondering where the hell the past decade has gone!

i'm on the hunt for some of my old friends, both people that have had the sense the leave the jw's as well as my old mates from school and college that were good friends- and must of put up with some weird behavior from me (no xmas and birthday cards, no attending of birthday parties etc etc).

i've managed to get into contact with one or 2 which is great, especially one who asked if i was still aa jw , which i was so pleased to be aable to say i wasn't!

educ8self

Well I know I've changed, so much so that not only does it not connect with JWism but it doesn't necessarily connect with college friends and so forth. But that's just me, now. At certain points I have gone back and contacted certain friends, as I think depending on where you are in your relationship with them there is more that is kind of unfinished shall we say, but not like unfinished business as it's about friendship. I imagine it's kind of like in olden days where people say maybe we will cross paths again.

Eek, sorry that seems to be caused by an error. Can an admin delete the other copies? I can't seem to.

19

I'm on a bit of a mission

by PaulJ in

those who don't know my story- was brought up a jw, married young (dumb idea), divorced, kinda fell for the 1st person that came along, that didnt work, now kinda sat pondering where the hell the past decade has gone!

i'm on the hunt for some of my old friends, both people that have had the sense the leave the jw's as well as my old mates from school and college that were good friends- and must of put up with some weird behavior from me (no xmas and birthday cards, no attending of birthday parties etc etc).

i've managed to get into contact with one or 2 which is great, especially one who asked if i was still aa jw , which i was so pleased to be aable to say i wasn't!

educ8self

duplicate

31

Ever met a "deep" JW?

by educ8self in

my guess is probably not, or if they were they weren't that much of a jw or their perspective isn't so relevant to jw thought - i trust those that have been out a while understand what i mean, hindsight and all.

what i'd like to do is draw out a contrast that some may have by way of their personal experience, maybe a "worldly person" or other non-jw that is an example of someone that has a great and helpful perspective on life, vs. the jw one.

there may be people from this board, but i think even a specific telling moment with a simple thing could be good or even better.

educ8self

As I say I've been here before Craig, just not the same as I was even then so I kind of consider it irrelevant. I've actually spoken to you on the phone before. Life will take me here and there, so while I may not hang out I do kind of come back periodically.

27

Love your neighbor as yourself

by lawrence in

how can a christian love their neighbor as themself, if they don't love themselves?

if a christian hates himself, how can he love his neighbor?

if a christian treats himself poorly, how can he treat his neighbor well?

educ8self

Sorry I haven't read all the responses, gotta go in a bit but I think more to the point is how can you love your neighbor as yourself if you don't KNOW yourself. After all how can you even love yourself if you don't know yourself? It doesn't come from works, or following some beliefs. Clearly a deep understanding of human nature is called for, and you can start right here. The little cookie cutter religious rationalizations just goes to show it hasn't gone very deep for people who repeat them. If that phrase is to have any power it would have to prompt you to look inward, people who think you just hear that once and go out and "do it" won't see all the assumptions they are adding to it.