**The Dash**
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone...
From begining to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth,
And spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all...
Was the dash between those years.
For the dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on Earth...
And now only those who loved her
Know what the line is worth.
For it matters not what we own;
The cars...the house...the cash,
What matters is how we live and love,
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left.
( You could be at "dash mid-range" )
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more,
And love the people in our lives...
Like we never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile...
remembering that this special dash
Might only last a while.
So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say...
About how you spent your dash?
**Author Unknown**
kenpodragon
JoinedPosts by kenpodragon
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82
JanG - You're a Legend!
by Beck_Melbourne ini received this email only seconds ago and i'm just passing it on to those that knew jan, i have no other details:.
jan groenveld will no longer be a part of these forums.
she passed away in her sleep last night.
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kenpodragon
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19
Did the Watchtower Society inspire you?
by kenpodragon inas i stepped onto the sand of the beach i looked to the west and saw waves crashing over the distant rocks.
they collided with the rocks with a mix of violence exploded into the beauty of white water, that burst into a mist that produced the colors of the rainbow as it disperse the light of our sun, all in the glimpse of one moment.
one moment in time, that i witnessed in only just this first step on to the beach, imagine what the other ones were going to find.
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kenpodragon
I want to apologise if my first post offended you in any way
nilfun
I don't offend easy. Never have been that way. So don't worry, I was not offended at all.
Take Care
Dragon
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19
Did the Watchtower Society inspire you?
by kenpodragon inas i stepped onto the sand of the beach i looked to the west and saw waves crashing over the distant rocks.
they collided with the rocks with a mix of violence exploded into the beauty of white water, that burst into a mist that produced the colors of the rainbow as it disperse the light of our sun, all in the glimpse of one moment.
one moment in time, that i witnessed in only just this first step on to the beach, imagine what the other ones were going to find.
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kenpodragon
I did manage to find an illustration of the GB receiving inspiration for their publications
EW
Maybe that is what inspired them to push people out that did not work to their advantage. It is certianly how they treat people who leave.
My thought
Dragon
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We see things the way we want to see them
by kenpodragon inthe other night i was at my in-laws house for dinner.
they are both jehovah's witnesses and try every now and then to plant some thoughts in our heads to get us concerned.
this night was no exception, with small words and phrases popping up through the evening.
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kenpodragon
The other night I was at my in-laws house for dinner. They are both Jehovah's Witnesses and try every now and then to plant some thoughts in our heads to get us concerned. This night was no exception, with small words and phrases popping up through the evening. With all that is happening in the news, there is always a story or two that can fulfill their many prophesies. They mentioned the sniper attacks, the troubled economy and the possible war with Iraq. They were mentioning that we live in "uncertain times" and the end could happen at any time. My wife and I kept quiet and let their thoughts fall on deaf ears. I could tell this was frustrating them, and then my father-in-law spoke up and said, "how can you not see what is happening as a sign of the end?" To which I responded, "How can you see everything that happens as a sign of the end?" You see what I have learned in my life, is that people really just see things the way they want to see them. When I was a Witness and preaching door-to-door regularly. I honestly listened to the news thinking that this story I was watching was another sign that the end was upon us. I remember being in a earthquake once and immediately thinking, "this is another sign that the day of Armageddon was even closer." Very few things went by without me wanting to see some sort of reason to apply it to all of the prophesies that we were reading about in the Watchtower and Awake. That murder was caused by Satan, that landside was demons, and basically anything happening was just another sign of the end, and Satan's influence behind them. It seemed so normal then, but what about know? Sometimes I have to remember that relatives still in the religion still think this way. I have to remind myself of this, as I sometimes feel my positive outlook on things offends their negative anticipation about everything they read and learn about. When I see and read about the news, I do not see only evil and terrible things on the horizon. I see that there is today what their has always been in this world, people who like to do harm to others. That there are natural disasters, and famines and huge forest fires. Yet none of these are really anything new, that could not find a sister event on smaller scale in the ancient past. The reason they make such a big impression today when compared to ancient times, is really very simple in my mind. Their are more people on this planet, and more places where people live. Thus if a earthquake takes place, or a war is involved. It only stands to reason that a few more people are going to be harmed, killed or affected in some way. I call that type of thinking rational logic. What then is the Witness view of my wife's parents?
I think the Witnesses use the news and current events as a means of feeling good about the things they have doubts about in their heads. They might see that something the religion is doing is wrong, or that something is mistaken. Yet they feel fear in how everything around them is linked to some warning, and thus they stay quiet and hope that things get better soon. The only thing I find disturbing in this thinking, "that destruction will offer up some sort of mental healing to their anguishing life." Is that is the same type of thought that people have when they think about suicide in this life. The suicidal person will see everything that is happening as one more reason why they need to take their life, they will look for reasons for depression while telling themselves that they are not doing such a thing. In the end, they are a weakened person who has a hard time looking for a reason to live again. So to me the term "that we see things the way we want to see them" is very truthful of my Witness life. When I was in I wanted to see horrible things, so that I felt my religion was right. I felt some sort of sick joy in thinking that these terrible events meant that the day was soon upon us when God would slaughter billions in our sight and all the while we would be smiling. Does that make the Witnesses a organization of suicidal emotional thoughts. Whether it does or not, the thoughts they dwell on can not be of any benefit mentally to get some sort of sick pleasure out of the worlds hurt or destruction. So as I stared into the eyes of my father-in-law as he asked me that question, "how can you not see what is happening as a sign of the end?" I really felt a bit of sadness that he could ask that question, but never understand my response. Do you know how this feels? My thought DragonEdited by - kenpodragon on 21 October 2002 21:36:41
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I love watching movies
by nilfun ini love watching movies.
besides being entertaining, they often make me think .
about my own internal struggles.
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kenpodragon
December 16th :)
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Did the Watchtower Society inspire you?
by kenpodragon inas i stepped onto the sand of the beach i looked to the west and saw waves crashing over the distant rocks.
they collided with the rocks with a mix of violence exploded into the beauty of white water, that burst into a mist that produced the colors of the rainbow as it disperse the light of our sun, all in the glimpse of one moment.
one moment in time, that i witnessed in only just this first step on to the beach, imagine what the other ones were going to find.
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kenpodragon
Kenpo. I got lost on the original point of yourthis thread with what you wrote below it
My point was that it would seem the "truth" would have inspired people and yet it did not. The drug reference was from "nilfun" and mentioned as a gest in reference to my thought.
Take Care
Dragon
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I married a stranger, did you?
by kenpodragon inin my current life i know a lot of people who live together.
some of them might have done this because they do not like marriage, and others have done this as a step towards getting married.
in all, in my post-witness life i find that i have no problem with either view.
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kenpodragon
You keep on posting such meaningful topics, pretty soon you'll own this board!
I am just a visitor like the rest, to the play ground hosted by Simon
My thought
Dragon
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Did the Watchtower Society inspire you?
by kenpodragon inas i stepped onto the sand of the beach i looked to the west and saw waves crashing over the distant rocks.
they collided with the rocks with a mix of violence exploded into the beauty of white water, that burst into a mist that produced the colors of the rainbow as it disperse the light of our sun, all in the glimpse of one moment.
one moment in time, that i witnessed in only just this first step on to the beach, imagine what the other ones were going to find.
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kenpodragon
I have learned that no one can ever take the good moments away from you without your permission.
It's the whole illustration of turning up the heat so slow that you do not realize you are being boiled. I was raised in the religion and thus, the grass was not greener on the other side. Because the fence was built to high to see it. I had to wait until I was older and learned how to jump.
My thought
Dragon
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I love watching movies
by nilfun ini love watching movies.
besides being entertaining, they often make me think .
about my own internal struggles.
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kenpodragon
Dragon, you wanna be in the calendar?
What calender are you speaking of? If I was in a calender though, I would have to choose December (Might have something to do with a birth date of mine. )
Take Care
Dragon
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Did the Watchtower Society inspire you?
by kenpodragon inas i stepped onto the sand of the beach i looked to the west and saw waves crashing over the distant rocks.
they collided with the rocks with a mix of violence exploded into the beauty of white water, that burst into a mist that produced the colors of the rainbow as it disperse the light of our sun, all in the glimpse of one moment.
one moment in time, that i witnessed in only just this first step on to the beach, imagine what the other ones were going to find.
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kenpodragon
I bet you're thinking damn you, nilfun, damn you!
I was actually thinking. Maybe I should mention I am not someone who does drugs. As I think some of my thoughts might have that Pink Floyd smoking high to them. (I love Pink Floyd by the way!)
Take Care
Dragon
Edited by - kenpodragon on 21 October 2002 3:24:20