Mr Fool, I got it the first time around. Some of these org guys are the most arrogant, condescending aholes I have ever met. And the sad fact is that they don't know squat. Their false humility is disgusting. They are either true believers with an inside line or they already figured it out for the scam it is and are just working it for their own benefit. Having said that, I think there are a lot that thankfully never reached that level. they wre just trying to do what they thought was right. Not everyone is on that same low level.
FadeToBlack
JoinedPosts by FadeToBlack
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7
Gaslighting Your Brain, Watchtower Style.
by Narcissistic Supply ingaslightingfrom wikipedia, the free encyclopediagaslighting is a form of mental abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making a victim doubt his or her own memory, perception andsanity.
[1] instances may range simply from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, up to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim.. the term "gaslighting" comes from the play gas light and its film adaptations.
the term is now also used in clinical and research literature.[2][3].
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FadeToBlack
Steely Dan wrote the song 'Gaslighting Abbey' that was supposedly based on the movie mentioned.
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33
Evolution, Biogeography VS. Experimental archaeology
by Brother of the Hawk ini thought of posting this on an ongoing thread regarding proof of noahs flood by poster *lost*, but i think a separate thread is needed.
this is why.. first my disclaimer.
this thread is a theory since so many people love the theory and so as not to hurt feelings and insult anyone, this is only a theory.. my personal observation is this, as long as you bash watchtower all is ok. as soon as you try to present any resemblance of christianity or any belief in the bible, such as the flood, you are personally bashed.
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FadeToBlack
BOTH said:
BTW everyone reading this thread, not at one time did anyone have the decency to ask me what an experimental archaeologist was, and what my field of study was? All the insults came with the assumption that they knew what it was. WRONG! Again, Bullying
From original thread, I replied:
@BOTH: sorry again. I didn't want to suggest that 'experminental' sounds like unqualified of uncredentialed. If you mean you are a history buff or interested in archeology, that's great. If I had a chance to do it all over again, I would probably choose either archeology or linguistics. Peace. If I told you I was an 'experimental' gynecologist what would you conclude? Perhaps 'experimental' was a bad choice of words and you meant: amateur. Nothing wrong with that.
Could I ask if English is your native language?I think I came pretty close here (other than poor spelling)- doesn't that sound like asking for clarification about what an 'experimental archaeologist' is (nicely)? I don't detect bullying in my response. I'm quite open to alternative discussions of flood story origination.
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10
Service in a foreign country
by FadeToBlack ini am not here on assignment.
we came here (poland) to take care of my wife's mother.. i was often asked when i returned to the us if it was difficult to participate in the preaching work in a foreign country when i was not fluent in the native language.
not at all, i replied.
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FadeToBlack
@Nika Bee: Math, my first love. I remember as an undergrad my professor for Calculus encouraging me to switch majors (from Comp-Sci). I had a bad experience in Differential Equations after that with a student-teacher from the Middle-east that led me to stick with comp-sci as a major. Worked out pretty well. I am still working in the field. It was funny in Wroclaw, my son is older than most of the people I worked with. Maybe age discrimination is not as bad in the EU as it is in the US. I doubt I would ever get a job doing c++ programming in the states.
If I had to do it all over, I would probably choose linguistics as a major. Really enjoyed some work I did in Speech Recognition technology.
Regarding windows: some older halls had them. I recall KH in Buolder Colorado that had windows in the lobby overlooking Rockies to the west. I think it must be a liabilty issue.
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Service in a foreign country
by FadeToBlack ini am not here on assignment.
we came here (poland) to take care of my wife's mother.. i was often asked when i returned to the us if it was difficult to participate in the preaching work in a foreign country when i was not fluent in the native language.
not at all, i replied.
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FadeToBlack
@Lois: I think you would know it was a KH if you were walking past. In Warsaw, the Polish hall we went to had 2 separate halls with center lobby and upstairs apartment. Biggest difference I noticed was that we have windows in the KH. I remember trying to get a seat by the glass emergency exit door at current hall so I could watch the birds outside in the garden during the snorefest.
Regarding ATMS. I haven't seen any yet, but they do announce that if you want to donate by CC or debit you can visit the Chairman's office.
University system has changed. Now most students take a loan which they can't pay back when they graduate since they can't find a job.
I hope I get to visit Ukraine soon. I hear the people are very hospitable like in Poland (once they get to know you). Yes conditions outside the big cities would be considered primitive or rough by Western standards. On the other hand, if the lights went out permanently, or another massive economic crisis hits, they will still be doing what they have always done and still know how to do - work their very fertile land.
@Nika Bee: Warsaw is not pretty, but it is interesting. For a young person there is lots to do. If I was going to live in a city, I would choose something a bit smaller. I lived and worked in Wroclaw for a year and fell in love with the place (used to be Breslau, a German city as you probably already know). Alot of young professionals from places like Spain and Italy are starting to show up. I am constantly amazed that it is completely normal for most young professionals to speak at least 3 languages.
If I may ask, what are you getting your PhD in?
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10
Service in a foreign country
by FadeToBlack ini am not here on assignment.
we came here (poland) to take care of my wife's mother.. i was often asked when i returned to the us if it was difficult to participate in the preaching work in a foreign country when i was not fluent in the native language.
not at all, i replied.
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FadeToBlack
Lois,
The custom of hand-kissing is mostly limited to guys older than 40 that still remember polite society. For example, we had a contractor visit us to put together a bid for some work, and he insisted on kissing my wife's hand. Among younger generation, extremely rare.
Regarding the chickens and geese: I have everything ready for them. My wife gave me permission but since I knew I would be returning to the states to visit family in the near future, I held off. I did not want to burden her with my 'hobby'. I will start on the project this Spring, probably at first buying chickens that are already of egg-laying age.
I have no intention of returning to the US permanently. I am quite comfortable here and should be able to retire on social-securty alone. I can't imagine trying that in the US!
When we were first living in Warsaw we were part of the English speaking congregation. It was even a bigger time waster. Service consisted of travelling all over the city looking for people who could speak English. It was probably a good gig if you were pioneering. Imagine just walking past people that you could talk to but didn't because you were on a mssion to find some guy from Vietnam that supposedly could speak some English! And then when you finally got to where he might live or work, he of course wasn't there or available.
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10
Service in a foreign country
by FadeToBlack ini am not here on assignment.
we came here (poland) to take care of my wife's mother.. i was often asked when i returned to the us if it was difficult to participate in the preaching work in a foreign country when i was not fluent in the native language.
not at all, i replied.
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FadeToBlack
Hi Lois,
I'm in a small village about 50km from Warsaw. Nearest town is about 15 km away. They just got their first McDonalds. I imagine it will be quite popular for coffee breaks this winter. I don't remember the last time I was in service. My involvement is mosty limited to an occasional Sunday meeting - perhaps once a month. My wife mentioned we have a SAD on Sept 29th (in Warsaw). Perhaps at that time we might get introduced to the rolly-cart.
My wife's mother died this January (at the age of 94). At that point it was either her or my wife. I wasn't sure who would go first. Not a fun job.
My overall impression of the 'friends' here: very earnest, helpful. No bad experiences for me. But, I just can't particpate in something I don't believe in any more. The fact that I don't speak fluent Polish might actually be helpful in keeping the hounds at bay. The same games are played here, there just hasn't been enough time to get as bad as it is the US and other western countries.
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10
Service in a foreign country
by FadeToBlack ini am not here on assignment.
we came here (poland) to take care of my wife's mother.. i was often asked when i returned to the us if it was difficult to participate in the preaching work in a foreign country when i was not fluent in the native language.
not at all, i replied.
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FadeToBlack
I am not here on assignment. We came here (Poland) to take care of my wife's mother.
I was often asked when I returned to the US if it was difficult to participate in the preaching work in a foreign country when I was not fluent in the native language. Not at all, I replied. It is the same as in the US. Huh? Ok, let me give you a few examples...
Door #1-#14. Nobody home. Leave a tract or old mag.
Door #15: Somebody comes to the door, recognizes who we are, and closes the door.
Door #16-#23: Nobody home. Leave a tract or old mag.
Coffee break (this must be universal)
Door #24: Someone answers door and we each say hello. Since I am already in fade-mode, I mention that I am encouraging people to read the bible and offer to read a verse together. Person declines or asks where I am from. If I get lucky (sorry, I forgot - can't mention luck) - I mean if the person is hospitable and curious they invite us in and we talk about why I am in Poland. (This is useful in the winter. The 'friends' liked to work with me in winter since we often got invited in for some tea.)
After a brief non-bible related chat we leave. Nice people here in Poland.
Door #25-#50: Nobody home. Leave a tract or old mag.
Break for lunch. I go home.
Now, I can't even go through that. Especially if I have to have another mini-meeting before going out in service! For a while they were even having post-service meetings to discuss how wonderful the morning's activity was - but at least you got some snacks and coffee.
What a waste of time. And I'm old. I only have so much left. I'd rather spend what time left I have in my garden or playing with my dogs. I don't think that is asking for much. If I could have some chickens or geese, it would be enough. Don't need no WT. -
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Shunning for inactive ones?
by frogonmytoe ini visited my sister in a small town in the midst of the country, the town has a population of 3,000 and there's about 70 in the cong.
anyway, there was a local needs talk a few months ago about associating with family members who didn't live under your roof and no longer went to meetings.
one family of an elder dad and three sons (one an elder too, the others have stopped going) and a daughter (still going but married a 'worldly') are quite prominent and one half of a typical congregational feud.
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FadeToBlack
I have already noticed it the few times I have been to the hall in the last 6 months. In Poland it is customary when you enter the hall after you have found your seat to go around the hall and greet everyone. Just a quick handshake and a hello. It is not hard to notice that some individuals are going out of their way avoid contact. It just makes me laugh. To see their faces when they notice it is me, the evil meeting-misser. You would think there was oozing green sores on my face and hands the way they react.
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Please Share one of your Favourite Quotations
by cofty inhave you ever come across words that resonate with you?
it doesn't have to be a great gem of wisdom, just something that is meaningful to you.. please share, and if you want to, tell us why it's meaningful to you.. here is something that made me nod when i first read it.... .
"fortunate are those who have learned to see, in the wild things of nature, something to be loved, something to be wondered at, something to be reverenced, for they have found the key to a never-failing source of recreation and refreshment".
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FadeToBlack
We have been brought into the present condition in which we are unable neither to tolerate the evils from which we suffer, nor the remedies we need to cure them. - Livy
Applies in lots of different areas of life including the situaution some find themselves in as stranded JWs.