Bethel quite literally devours your soul from within.....
Mos had to leave before they finished their 3 year contract, usually with a diagnosis like "M.E." or Fibromyalgia.
Basically they were depressed and worn out. The work regime was heavy and worst of all, you had to do with recent discovery of seeing just how un-grand Oz was behind his curtain.
We were given £15 week allowance, second hand cloathes were sent periodically in by UK JW's, there was a small room with a cupboard sized rack, with a nasty collection of second hand jackets and trousers, not numbering more than 3 or 4 of each. Underneath was a box of old shirts.
You had the best hairdresser in London who if you were nice to would give yu a 45 min haircut (45 min work break and a damn god cut. The chef was italain and fantastic, they told everyone about him. Talking to him wasn't encouraging as he was miserable. He was a recognised chef ooking the cheapest food with the cheapest ingrediants. He left after me and was DF not long after.
Ths single brothers who were 'lifers' were odd and cynical. One used to get a kick out of telling me things he felt he shouldn't like the JW's charging halls to come and use rooms for language training etc.
Then there were the most pained and oppressed people in the whole of Watchtower that most don't know exist. The unspoken secret of bethel, mocked and laughed at from within and kept quite seperate in many ways. The young men at bethel in the UK who were gay were all put in the gardening department. The jokes abounded. Maybe my memory has over dramatised how they were, but mym memory is of guys in green t-shirts and overalls, that were VERY quiet, heads down and looked pained. They were very 'camp' or flamboyant in charachter and the general opinion was that this was a place for them to come and live outide of their congregations. There was an implication that there had been 'scandals' before I got there, but that was merely implied and I have no idea what the suggestion was.
There was a small library, a seperate one for the overseers/writers.
The water tasted terrible at bethel. The upstairs offices had coolers, we had to just put up with metallic tasting 'water'.
After I got there, a nice guy called Steve arrived. We got on well. We were worked hard in the mail department. We worked on the literature as it came off the press. We cut it, wrapped it, labelled it, stacked it, pallated it. All in a 25 ft space, in teams of 4 or 5. From 8 until 5.30 (i think) it was non stop. We also did illegal printing of literature for africa that was not free, this was done after hours and the shift ended at 11.
My friend steve was found asleep on the job. He was sent home to his congregation with the shame of a bethel dismissal.
It is no university..... it is a work house where young men work for free for the hope of salvation in another life.
Lastly, our rooms were small, clean, but ruled overby the SS, I was called in for a warning because there was 'evidence' I had my heating on, but the window open. A waster of our brothers donations. I was in the new accomodation, the old accomodation was AWFUL. A room about 15ft by 15 ft where two people lived. There was a mirror and a sink. Brpthers would by foutons so they could have a bed and a couch in such a small space. Toilets and showers are in blocks and were akin to ...... well it wasn't a pleasurable place to poop.
They are the rooms in IBSA house. At the very same facility, the overseer rooms are not quite the same. They had ensuite showers and bathrooms that the SISTERS who lived at bethel (not overssers wives) cleaned, with TOOTHBRUSHES. I kid you not. The rooms were unique to each overseer. But they were decorated with leather and fine wood. They were big and spacious and with big bright windows. It was no Beth Sarim, but it certainly was not equal either.
This is an insight into the world if the GB had authority over it. Once that thought has entered your mind and you have seen it for yourself, you know you don't want to see that world. Universities let the cameras in and allow open critisism. We are asked for our opinion after every module and they are altered for the year after us. Students have reps and a huge voice. There are unions such as the BMA protecting medical student and defending their rights at university. The socirty would NEVER let the cameras in to see life at bethel...... it is JUST a cold, mechanical, functional Factory. That and a centre to initiate gossip and rumour. Bethel is where all those unwritten, yet globally recognised ideas and beliefs by JW's originate.
