It's amazing how. when we want to tell the world about the way we see the world, we become such arseholes
The Rebel.
i am the new vermin.. of course by disfellowshipping myself i don't need put a yellow star on my jacket.
but i am identifying myself to be looked at and resented like people did with the jews.. yes i am overdramatising my possible misfortune.
i will still be allowed on the buses, to visit the zoo, and such places that were deprived the sight of jewish families.
It's amazing how. when we want to tell the world about the way we see the world, we become such arseholes
The Rebel.
so i was fooled by the witnesses.
what can i learn from that?
not to accept things at face value but to seek out opinion and different view points.. hence my question " do you believe man landed on the moon?.
Well I took a lot of shit from Vivianne and her side kick DJS for this thread.
So what did I learn?
Well two months later and viewing posts impartially I found the thread educational.
( Viviane, I guarantee the man you offerd a bottle of whiskey to would, ( if he could accept ) find sipping the whiskey bitter if he had to read your daily posts)
But back on thread.
So aside from Vivians " insecure" bully comments I learnt that the money spent on the moon project produced a lot of great science that benefited the world I live in today.
That is a FACT.
But my opinion hasn't changed, I'm still NOT 100% convinced man landed on the moon.
So why go back to this thread?
Because I learnt WHO cares if we can explore outer space and if we landed on the moon, " IF we can't respect each other in a civil way, on a discussion forum who cares?
What right do we have to explore outer space,with the trillions of billions when our own world is falling apart?
Well unless you can sincerely answer, I generally try to treat posters and their sincere comments with respect and not my own ego, who cares what you believe?
The Rebel.
i think possibly their are a few valid reasons for either options to this question ,depending on a number of factors .. such as how old you might be, how long you have devoted your life to the "truth" as you believed it .
?....how it may affect your mental/physical health and well being.?.
how it will affect your financial position in your life ,?
Smiddy; " How it will effect your financial position in life"
That is my main regret, I became to attached to money, and now I realise that attachment to money was as addictive as the watchtower. In the watchtower I never felt the need to live on money. Then when I left my life became only a matter of finance but " when I had no money, in the W.T there was no money" I was happy.
Now I have money, invested in property and currency, but it hasn't made me happy. I guess I left the W.T and read too many book on the subject on making money? To much of the world is based on the perception of money. Today I see people with much happier families than I, and I know it's because they have less money than I.
Why do I say this?
I call it contentment, and being able to enjoy a simple and happy life. I wish I was able to simply sell my properties and live a contented happy life. But I can't so I spend spent my days on investments and currency exchange which therefore means where I am in life is no different than in the Watchtower.
I am now trying to fit my life around what should be the key values in my life, as opposed to materialistic and religiouse crap. I have realised that true contentment and the love we have and give is given and received by being ourselfs.
The Rebel.
i am the new vermin.. of course by disfellowshipping myself i don't need put a yellow star on my jacket.
but i am identifying myself to be looked at and resented like people did with the jews.. yes i am overdramatising my possible misfortune.
i will still be allowed on the buses, to visit the zoo, and such places that were deprived the sight of jewish families.
Prologos " I am not a fan of fiction"
The Rebel:- That is why we are out the W.T.
Prologos " I distinctly remember the day ( in 1938 I believe) when the yellow star first appeared in our street....."
The Rebel::- Thank you for that comment. Checking out your " Topics Started" I now look forward to learning and some great wisdom....
The Rebel.
i am the new vermin.. of course by disfellowshipping myself i don't need put a yellow star on my jacket.
but i am identifying myself to be looked at and resented like people did with the jews.. yes i am overdramatising my possible misfortune.
i will still be allowed on the buses, to visit the zoo, and such places that were deprived the sight of jewish families.
prologos " The Deputy"
Not sure I get the comment about " The Deputy" I see myself more like Chester "The Marshals" sidekick in Gunsmoke.But if you like the vintage television western, check out " The Rebel" with Nick Adams.
My T.V western heroes were more moral, and their actions more ethical than any religion can offer.
The Rebel.
i am the new vermin.. of course by disfellowshipping myself i don't need put a yellow star on my jacket.
but i am identifying myself to be looked at and resented like people did with the jews.. yes i am overdramatising my possible misfortune.
i will still be allowed on the buses, to visit the zoo, and such places that were deprived the sight of jewish families.
I am the new vermin.
Of course by disfellowshipping myself I don't need put a yellow star on my jacket. But I am identifying myself to be looked at and resented like people did with the Jews.
Yes I am overdramatising my possible misfortune. I will still be allowed on the buses, to visit the zoo, and such places that were deprived the sight of Jewish families. But my point is how wrong it is that former friends and family could even think I am no longer good enough.
And that is my point, they are not strangers they are my former friends and family who would treat me this way.
What can I learn from this?
I will not become like them, I will not hate any of them.I will not hate their names, and I will not hate their faces. But I will hate their rotten religion and I will never say they are right. I will not share in their intolerance and hypocracy. Instead I will help them ,and be their for them when they need me.
So I will wear the figurative " Yellow Star" they will put upon me with pride.
The Rebel
one of the things that gave me confidence in life was that i believed i had the almighty creator/god watching over me, directing me, guiding my every step, protecting me from harm, and answering my prayers.
i now know that is not the case anymore.
i finally stopped praying.
I loved him, until I discoverd he was a God with no bark and no authority. Now I don't pray to Jehover. I hate that mental illness that made me pray to a Jehover who was " Thou shalt not do this, thou shalt not do that ! A God who wants to wipe the masses of his creation from the earth. I haven't forgotten the names of his fans. Russell. Rutherford, Fredrick Franz, the list goes on to the Jacksons of today. I loath those people, and I loath their God.
However I still like to condition my mind, in what some may call prayer. I wouldn't say I am praying to a God, maybe just trying to connect with the positive energy of the universe. Anyway it works for me. It conditions my mind to be stronger and face problems more positively.
The Rebel.
when you look through a keyhole, and see the person you once were?.
as for myself, i am just pleased i have mended my ways.
i realise ( now) my time as a witness was a keyhole that looked in to the ground, and licked the elders arse.
Stuckinarut.
I think you are to hard on yourself. Why let the religion win? It was the religion that made everybody believe that only they were right, and therefore made us arrogant. Now as a traitor you can see the difference between intolerance and narrow mindedness. So I would just pat yourself on the back.
The Rebel.
many seek happiness externally and many a time assign others the possession of their happiness.
when they derive a sort of happiness from external sources, they dont feel satisfied, hence jump to the next and then to the next .... in contrast, jesus said gods kingdom (or real happiness) is within (entos) you.
this cannot be misinterpreted as jesus being the king of the kingdom was amidst them as jws do.
I get your point about "elusive" happiness inconoclasic.
I think "elusive" happiness is both internal and external, influenced by change. Each day we change, even in the way we think. We must be open to change, but to much thinking can be as shit, as can be to much anything.
Many keep their clothes clean, are only content with the best piece of meat and most expensive wine. Others are never content with out understanding and developing the mind. However some like their potatoes with cabbage, and are happy living largely on little education. Often I have noticed these simple uncomplicated people are the most happy.
But we each have our philosophy and we each have our vision of truth, preaching them would make this thread go on for page after page. It's definitely not profitable reading.
The Rebel.
when you look through a keyhole, and see the person you once were?.
as for myself, i am just pleased i have mended my ways.
i realise ( now) my time as a witness was a keyhole that looked in to the ground, and licked the elders arse.
Interesting thread, which suggests embarrassment depends on the context a great deal.
Do I feel second hand embaressemt when I see brothers and sisters standing by the street trolley?
Possibly but I prefer the phrase " external shame". I think this phrase better captures the weight of emotion as I empathise with the fact it could so easily have been me standing by that trolley making a prat of myself.
The Rebel.