maxwell

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Posts by maxwell

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  19

  thinking vs. feeling.. must we choose just one ?

  by caliber in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  thinkingthinkers decide based primarily on logic, and when they do so, they consider a decision to be made.

  they tend to see the world in black and white and dislike fuzziness.

  feelingfeelers decide based primarily through social considerations, listening to their heart and considering the feelings of others.

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  maxwell

  To answer the question in the title, I don't think we have to choose just one.

  However, my experience as Jehovah's Witness was that I must deny my feelings to do what is right. Supposedly, we arrived at what is right logically by determining what God wants us to do. If my feelings contradicted that, I had to ignore them.

  Now I'm more free to follow my feelings. Personally, I think logic is still a much more reliable basis for decisions. Feelings, emotions, passions, etc. lead people assault and kill. Of course, some people say logic does the same, but generally I think logic that leads to undesirable behavior is usually false logic and can be overruled by logic. For example, the false logic that leads people to think that Jehovah's Witnesses have the correct interpretation of the Bible is easily defeated when considering more than the narrow set of facts they would have you consider.

  In any case, it is good to be in touch with one's feelings. I try to pay more attention my feelings and the feelings of others now. However, in my opinion, logic and rationale will always overrule feelings.
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  35

  What do you want out of your relationship?

  by Bumble Bee in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  i know there have been alot of threads lately about what men want, what women want etc, but i'd like to hear what you want out of your relationship, be it marriage, living together, or whatever.

  what is it you are looking for in a relationship?

  what do you want the relationship to fulfill for you individually and as a couple?.

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  maxwell

  What is it you are looking for in a relationship?

  I have zero interest in marriage or children and it is doubtful if I'll ever want a live in partner again. I'm just not a traditional guy in that way and a few other ways.

  But I think I do want other qualities that most people want. I want someone to do things with. I want someone to talk to regularly. I just don't need those things constantly or even everyday, probably. But I do want someone who is dependable. I want to have a primary relationship where we'll both make each other a priority. That's really what I think separates a significant other from the others. Because, in my humble opinion, anything (and I do mean anything) I could do with a girlfriend or wife, I could do with a friend (a few depend on gender and sexual orientation). For me, the question is whether I'll find someone who wants and gets first dibs on my time and the majority of my social/recreational time and vice versa. I'd also like a lifetime commitment.

  What do you want the relationship to fulfill for you individually and as a couple?

  I think the above things are the foundation for fulfilling mutual needs for companionship and emotional support. I just need to find someone wants a comparable amount of space and freedom.
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  34

  How much does gas cost where you live?

  by reneeisorym in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was depressed yesterday because i put in the first $40.00 tank of gas.

  (i drive a toyota matrix -- i'm sure most people should think i should shut up now ...) .

  i was hoping you guys could make me feel grateful for only having to pay $40.

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  maxwell

  I'm still in the US. I don't own a car, but on my way to the Metro this morning and when I was walking during lunch I was looking at the signs at gas stations. I didn't see anything below $4.10/gallon.

  I know plane tickets have gone up as well, but I haven't done a flying versus driving comparison for any trips lately, and I wonder how it balances our for some of my desired destinations now. Of course, I also have to include rental costs.
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  27

  CASHLESS SOCIETY - HOW CLOSE?

  by 1914BS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  lately i have noticed very strange activity at my local gas stations that i go to in the vancouver area people are being asked to use the debit/credit cards at the pump.

  the last time i tried to use a debit card to pay gas inside a gas station i got scolded by the cashier, he said "please pay at the pump!!.

  i say gee i guess he is having a bad day or something..... well so i go to anouther gas station - a shell station and the same rhetoric .."please pay at the pump!

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  maxwell

  I use a credit card (which is paid in full every month) for most day to day purchases. It's just a convenience thing for me. I don't want to carry around much cash. There are no extra fees for using a credit card or debit card for most transactions. I use the credit card because I get points or cash back. Of course the merchant is paying the fees, so many places still balk if you want to buy something for less than $5 with a card. I carry a little cash for those situations. I also pay most of my bills on line. I only write checks for rent now.
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  47

  What did you think in -95?

  by Samuel Thorsen in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when i first read about wts having "new ligth" on the 1914-generation issue in the newspaper i was shocked.

  (some evil apostates had been helpful and informed the paper weeks before i got my november issues of the wt.).

  my thoughts was.

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  maxwell

  I basically took it in stride like a good dub. I can remember feeling a bit better about my decision to go to college because I then thought it was quite likely I would die before Armageddon with this new definition of a "generation". I was in the middle of my first semester of college.
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  36

  You leave the Borg., your spouse stays in. Does marriage become hell?

  by Hiddenwindow in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  for those of you with such experience, how difficult was your marital life after you left the wt?

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  maxwell

  My marriage lasted about five years after I left the Jehovah's Witnesses. Yes, there were some difficult times that were a direct result of the religious situation. But I don't think I would describe the marriage as hell, because there were many good times as well. There were changes that I made that were easier because I left the JW, and it was primarily because of my changes that the marriage ended. But not everyone who leaves the JW makes the kind of changes that I made, so I wouldn't necessarily say that my marriage ended because of the change in the religious situation. We mostly tried to stay away from that subject after a few discussions early on. We had what I think was a normal amount of married couple arguments about normal things. We didn't break up because of the frequency of arguments or arguments about religion. Ironically, at the end and presently, she is not with the JW, although she tells me she wants to go back. But whether she goes back or not is mostly a moot point, because there were other issues primarily caused by my changes as I mentioned above.
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  55

  Did you find worldly people as bad as the JW's made them out to be??

  by karter in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  as a jw we were always told worldly people were bad always out for what they could get out of you.

  as for me iv'e made some good friends not anything as bad as the jw's said they woul'd be.

  what about you ?????????

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  maxwell

  No.

  "Worldly" people are not nearly as bad as JW's or my parents made them out to be.

  Yes, there are some evil people in the world. But most people don't have any ill will towards others. And if they do become your friend, it usually doesn't hinge on what you believe or what religion you profess. And most don't judge your actions unless they are causing harm to them or others. This is more true for people who don't use arbitrary rules from some ancient holy book to decide how other people should act. However, the vast majority of people in my country do believe in an ancient holy book, yet they are usually not nearly as judgmental as JW's.

  Further, you can go into any city and go to the roughest neighborhood and this is still true of the majority of the people there.
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  53

  What is the most hours you ever turned in on your F.S. report?

  by gaiagirl in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i once turned in 39 hours helping another to reach their pioneer goal.

  fairly accurate reporting of the hours as well.

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  maxwell

  I auxiliary pioneered a couple of times during summer months when I was a teenager, so I must have hit 60 or 61, since the quota was 60 hours for auxiliary pioneer then.

  Otherwise it was around 10/mo till I got busy with college. My hours dropped and they took away my "privileges", which I was actually glad to hear, because I got a little bit of breathing room in my schedule.
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  14

  FREE on Craigslist

  by startingover in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  check this out: http://visalia.craigslist.org/zip/.

  scroll down to the only entry on wed may 14. area code is 559 in case you want to call..

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  maxwell

  "These magazines are the most informative magazines in the world. They allways are on a different subject and if you read a years worth they are said to give knowledge thats equal to a 4 year college degree."

  Wow, I have heard of people making statements like that about the Awake, but this is the first time I've seen it written out by someone who sounds like she actually believes it. But I guess it's not much different from people who think they have a college education after taking "classes" and a "test" a few days at an online diploma mill.
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  38

  Windfall taxes on Oil Companies - for it or against it?

  by UnConfused in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i'm for it.

  they don't "need" to increase priced due to demand - they just can so they do.

  when prices are at record highs and profits are at record highs....time to tax them for windfall profits i think .

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  maxwell

  If windfall taxes are applied, what prevents them from raising prices in the future to account for the windfall taxes.

  If oil companies are being given tax breaks (and I wouldn't be surprised if they were being given tax breaks), I certainly think those should be removed. Let them face the market without any corporate welfare. Demand is very strong for the product.

  I generally agree that it will take high prices driven by the market to force either a culture change or the development of a sustainable fuel. The fact is Americans like driving around in powerful gasoline powered vehicles. Some people can't imagine life without their car. And we've exported the desire for American luxury all over the world. Gasoline powered cars are a inextricable part of living it up the American/western way. People in developing countries want that too. Demand will only get higher.