Walking, I had a friend that I had met in Bethel, and our families sat next to each other. He signaled he wanted to get up and invited me. We ended up going through every door that said, "authorized personel only" and I had the best tour of the arena I could ever ask for. We ended up under the stage believe it or not. Oh, it was funny. Volunteer, or just act like your volunteering. I've left the arena, gone down the street to the hotel's bar, and returned just before the last prayer. Go to the office supply because you needed another note book to take notes, etc.
JakeM2012
JoinedPosts by JakeM2012
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22
How to get through an Assembly?
by kaxozula inme just learning the truth about the truth has just made it hard to even get through a two hour meeting at the the kingdom hall.
i get so sleepy during them and i almost cannot contain it!
the last time i went to a convention, i was still an avid believer but as you can see, that has changed.
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63
The " HIGHER EDUCATION" thread!!!
by DATA-DOG inalright.
let's have the ultimate discussion on "higher education.
" let's talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly.
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JakeM2012
There are many good points brought up so far. My Dad and oldest brother opposed me going to the University after High School. They both visited with me many times about it, but Dad eventually told me that I would have to leave his house if I wanted to go to the University. So I abandoned my goal, lived with parents and worked in the family business. Looking back, that was a huge mistake, but I was young and had no other place to go or means to make a living, or so I thought. Mixing a witness family in business and in the congregation is painful. But I have always supported education and when I was active as a JW, on a personal level I have been vocal with younger ones encouraging them to not make the same mistake I had.
I enjoy learning and have a large appetite to continue learning. In the world we live in with things chang so fast you must be able to quickly access quality information, learn, and make decisions even after a degree. Life long learning is and has been crucial for balance and success.
On a previous post I spoke about a brother who had spent most of his 65 years of life in Bethel and had been reassigned out of Bethel to the congregations and to provide for himself. He said he was struggling in accounting getting enough customers. He said that every potential customer that he meets asks, "Where did you go to the Unversity?". As you guessed, he has little to say and is 65 now, and without a degree struggles to convince others to become his customers.
Most of us will agree that the recent years of the economy have not been the most properous. Those with College degrees at the worst of the economy had a 4 percent high unemployment, while those without degrees were coping with 12-16% unemployment. (On memory)
The economy also varies from place to place, even here in the U.S. Anywhere you go there can be opportunities, some may jump out at you and others you might stumble upon, being at the right place at the right time. Some very young men in my old congregation hit the surge of residential construction before 2007 and they did well. (I don't know how they are doing now). I've talked with others who were just as qualified or even more talented in other parts of the country and they were struggling.
I was forced by other family members (stock holders) to walk away from the "family" business after Dad died. They wanted to liquidate all assets and have some immediate cash bling right then. I believe they thought the end would be here before they burnt through their money. So a new day began for me. I moved far enough away from the family that they would never affect me again. Time, distance, and shielding has protected me from the toxic family.
I applied for many jobs and I will admit I shot high. Two different companies human resources' called me back and said that I was probably the most experienced applicant, but I lacked a four year degree, and they only hire degreed people. So in my situation with the work I wanted and was capable of, without a degree the door of opportunity did not open. I thought that listing my accomplishments and experience would open a door for me, but my eyes were opened about what the real situation was.
So at every opportunity I visited with many "degreed" individuals that assisted me in making a decision to go for a four year degree. One "brother" told me that it took him 16 years after getting out of the navy to get his degree and now he works for the NRC. Others told me that the work environment changed and that they were approached by the company and told that they would have to at least begin a four year degree to retain their current job, and that eventually their job would require a degree, they were told that when it is a requirement, "hopefully, you will have graduated". Specifically, On one recent job the men working in safety were telling me that orginally they were able to get into safety without a degree, but things have changed, and now men that were in their 50's and 60's were taking courses.
In 2008 I entered the online course with the University of Phoenix for a degree in business administration. I completed the last course earlier this year. I have not done anything with the degree yet, but I have it in my pocket if my work situation ever changes, and as some will say, "Nobody can take the degree away from you". This is important.
I will clarify that I doubt the financial benefits of many degrees and would have difficulty justifying the cost. For example, I spoke with a young man (if I remember this correctly) that was studying Russian poetry, not as an elective course, but to have a degree in it. My question is basic: how is he going to make a living with that? Perhaps someone reading can assist me.
When I entered my online courses in 2008, I started encouraging my wife to find a profession that she wanted to learn, and she recently graduated, passed the state exam, and is employed at the local hospital. Her wages being a first year nurse are lower than if she had at least two years of experience. But, once she has the experience she will get a substantial increase. The back side of this is that she probably will have to continue on with her education to attain a Bachelors degree. Even though this is not required to go to work initially, having a Bachelor's degree is becoming the industry standard expectations.
As mentioned, many say, "Nobody can take a degree, or education away from you". Sure, a college degree used to mean more than it does now, just because more people can attain them they are not as rare today. However, the industries have raised standards for employment that require degrees, certifications, etc. to qualify for many of the jobs. An individual that has a degree indicates that he or she is somewhat "fit for duty", or in theocratic language, "tested as to fitness".
If you have the degree it will not necessarily guarantee your employment, but having a degree will ensure that the door is not shut in your face either . Once you have the employment, it is up to you individually, to behave and make good sound decisions. Personally, I believe that it is a testemony to the qualities of an individual that is willing to invest several years of their life and money to learn the basics and become adapt and capable at their profession, and that have demonstrated their ability to stick with a long range goal and achieve it. Funny, Once you've graduated, no one ever asks what you GPA was.
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Finally decided to introduce myself here
by cookiemaster inhey guys !
i've stopped believing the watchtower crap a few years ago.
i achieved this on my own, despite being raised as one.
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JakeM2012
Welcome! Cookiemonster, 38 years ago, my father told me if I wanted to go to the university to study structural engineering I would have to move out. Seventeen years old with no resources, I stayed. I wish that I had the chance to do it all again, I would have walked out and lived on the street if needed. Stay your course, you'll do fine. As mentioned, there's some of us that it took longer to figure out the Ponzi scheme.
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48
Crazy JW urban legend
by Simon ina sure guarantee that this was bogus (really, any reasoning is required at all?
) was that it did the rounds applied to john denver, annie lennox and others.. basically, they relied on satan (oh yes) for their musical ability (i knew it) and any jws in the audience would be asked to leave because ... (drum roll) ... they blocked the signal to satan so couldn't perform with them present!.
anyone else remember that gem?.
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JakeM2012
When we used to spin records, rumor with teenagers was if you played Stairway to Heaven backwards it said "worship Satan" at a certain spot. I heard it myself. Many trashed their records.
There for awhile the Beatles and the Eagles were bad and you were thought to be Satanic Evil if you listened to them or had their albums. The song, 'I want to hold your hand" is so spiritually polluting to young persons. LOL. When the Eagles reunited and did some concerts there were several elders in my neck of the woods that "secretly" went to the concerts by themselves.
Oh, Glen Cambell is studying. I don't know how many times I heard that one come around.
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Ever read back your own posts and thinking WTF?
by DeWandelaar inas time goes forward people tend to change... expecially if you get out of a cult.
your brain for some reason gets de- and reprogrammed and you get other insights and new opinions.
you become a other human.. when reading back some of my previous posts (of about a year ago) i could not help but have a wtf-moment... i even felt a sudden way of "shame" of all the bullshit i was writing.. if you want to read some of mine just check my posts of about a year back.
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JakeM2012
New York44M, excellent point. Not that any would do that here. LOL.
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Do you look like the apostate they warned you about?
by Angus Beef inafter waking up and wanting to get out of this nightmare, the word apostate is really bothering me.
if i quitely become inactive, fade away will i just be looked at as "always weak".
i want to scream out how big a fool i was.. and now telling my poor young daughter how wrong i was to bring her up as a jw.
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JakeM2012
Yes, I agree with Terry saying, "I'm so normal-looking I make JW's look rough-edged!"
Here's are a few selfies from my apostate Iphone of me and my brother. I have heard that other apostates love beards! and gums! I don't know why the brothers and the beautiful sisters in heels ignore me at the Kingdom Hall, but I feel absolutely ostrasized. I was thinking of meeting with the elders to re-activate my publisher status so I could date some younger sisters.
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Walk into your Kingdom Hall and tell us what you saw !
by RULES & REGULATIONS inthis was me driving into the parking lot and into the kingdom hall:.
every week the same brothers and sisters are late getting to the meeting.
elders are talking with other elders ( who always have notes and folders in their hands).
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JakeM2012
Heay mon, Island man says, " Gratuitous, plastic displays of affection that boastfully scream: "See how loving we are? That proves we're the true religion!"
Just because active witnesses don't enlist in the armed services and actually kill people, does not prove that they "have love among themselves"= "we're the true religion". Absence of murder doesn't mean that there is love. My disfunctional family is a great example. Just saying.
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Annual meeting. Greek scholars please help!
by DATA-DOG inbelow is a statement from gb member gerrit losch.
notice what is said about the fds.
is this true?
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JakeM2012
Followed BobCats references, Thanks. Bumping this discussion, particularly Leolaia's contributions.
Leolaia, what a wonderful mind. Thanks:)
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making connections
by losingit inone of the thing i appreciate most about this site is reading other people's experiences while in and out of the cult.
when i read other people's stories, it helps to validate my own experiences.
i rarely talked to anyone else besides my husband concerning my doubts, and so for the entire time that i was in i thought i was the only one having these negative experiences with the brothers in the kingdom hall.
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JakeM2012
Losingit, wrote, " I suffered bouts of depression during my time in the cult, and I now understand that jwism holds the brunt of the fault there. "
I believe this to be true and couldn't agree with you more. I have experieced the cycles of depression myself. It would make an interesting study if someone was able to prove a connection between the beliefs of Jw's, their environment, the indoctrination at the meetings, guilt trips, congregational politics and etc, and physical or mental disorders.
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Today I received my first ever birthday gift!
by NVR2L8 ini received a parcel at work from my daughter and her boyfriend.
it contained a birthday card in the shape of a motorcycle leather jacket and a book on rides you can take using the back roads in my part of the world!
my eyes filled with tears as i was reading the card.
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JakeM2012
NVR, happy birthday, please be careful riding those scenic routes in your part of the world. I totalled my bike this year and at 50, it's hard to heal up physically. Uhg
