Posts by FadeToBlack

14

"I should have known" moments

by dubstepped in

i got ready for the meeting.

my wife did too.

we drove out to the kingdom hall and the closer we got the higher my anxiety would spike.

I had some of the same symptoms. It ended up working for me though after the 2 cong's merged to one. There were just too many people in such a small area, my wife knew I couldn't handle it. She called ahead and tried to save some seats for us in the back row but my lack of regular attendance led to some starting to avoid me when I did come. In Poland it is customary to go around the entire hall and greet everyone when you arrive. That makes it easy to see who is avoiding you.

Actually, I should have known when I first came into contact with them, but my lack of critical thinking skills and the love-bombing from my new instant friends ruled the day. What a cluster-f*ck!

4

My parents haven't been to a meeting for a year now....

by purrpurr in

jw
friends

now don't get me wrong, they still consider themselves jw's.

but they seem to be plagued with ill health... especially on meeting days?

they are very depressed about it of course and moan about how much they would like to be at the hall.

FadeToBlack

I would just encourage them when they make any effort to do 'real' activities outside the KH. If you are able, perhaps take them out for a meal once in a while or even just coffee. Depending on where you live, there might be lots of diversions they would enjoy that don't cost much. It is hard to admit you made a mistake, so they probably are experiencing a bit of CD.

9

Americans aren't allowed to grow their own food?

by purrpurr in

jw
friends

i was recently told by an american i was chatting to online that in the usa people are not allowed to grow their own food.

she said that if you have a vegetable patch or something that the government will come along and bulldoze it?

she said that farmers are not allowed to grow food either and that the government bulldozes the crops if they grow?.

FadeToBlack

It is a bit of an exaggeration but in some suburban communites especially those with a HomeOwners Association there is typically some type of covenant in place. You might not be able to raise chickens in your back yard for instance and as mentioned most likely a veggie garden in the front yard would not be tolerated. YMMV.

21

Facing mortality after leaving the witnesses

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

tell me i'm not overly thinking this.. i'm 39 years old...still youngish...but i worry about getting old.

i look in the mirror and it depresses me.

i suppose i still cling to watchtower utopia when no one would age over 25.. i used to look forward to paradise earth because it meant all the evil in the world, nuclear warfare, terrorist attacks and sickos would be no more, but we are deep in the 21st century with no end in sight.. appreciate your comments.

FadeToBlack

This is the toughest part for me:

Now, at 60 years old - I have no children with my husband .....I especially feel for him, as his siblings (non JWs) have big extended families of children, grandchildren family friends acquired through a life of 'doing life together' and old age is almost a rich pleasure to his siblings.

21

Facing mortality after leaving the witnesses

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

tell me i'm not overly thinking this.. i'm 39 years old...still youngish...but i worry about getting old.

i look in the mirror and it depresses me.

i suppose i still cling to watchtower utopia when no one would age over 25.. i used to look forward to paradise earth because it meant all the evil in the world, nuclear warfare, terrorist attacks and sickos would be no more, but we are deep in the 21st century with no end in sight.. appreciate your comments.

FadeToBlack

WIsh I was in your shoes. I've got 20 years on you. I think about the 'dying thing' a lot but have come to accept it will happen. Actually, looking back at some of the stupid stuff I did in my life, I'm pretty happy to still be around. SO I just try to take it a day at a time.

What would you like to do with your life now?

32

Self-Driving vehicles and delivery robots - why?

by FadeToBlack in

i saw a 'news' article today about pizza hut (i think) delivering pizzas via a robotic vehicle in nz.

also another article headline saying it is not a question of if, but when.

my immediate thought was, why?

FadeToBlack

@prologos: good point. Unfortunately, if a few lower income folks die on the road to Nirvana, it is not really such a big thing (for the big guys). That is why we always see the trickle-down effect for safety features from high end autos bought by the wealthy down to the plebes (possibly).

Disclaimer: as interesting as the technology is and the many good reasons for pursuing it, I don't think it will ever happen as envisioned. The current experiment with debt-based, global capitalism is running on fumes. I'm expecting a major reset. The depression that happened in the 1930's will seem like a walk in the park compared to what is coming. We should have started preparing for a softer landing, many years ago.

32

Self-Driving vehicles and delivery robots - why?

by FadeToBlack in

i saw a 'news' article today about pizza hut (i think) delivering pizzas via a robotic vehicle in nz.

also another article headline saying it is not a question of if, but when.

my immediate thought was, why?

FadeToBlack

@VIdiot: yes, I think the smiley face at the end gave it away! But, the point about 'illegal immigrants' is still valid. Who is going to do that work if the gov't suddenly decides they have to go back to where they came from (and not return). The gov't needs to make up its mind and come up with some type of temporary worker status.

32

Self-Driving vehicles and delivery robots - why?

by FadeToBlack in

i saw a 'news' article today about pizza hut (i think) delivering pizzas via a robotic vehicle in nz.

also another article headline saying it is not a question of if, but when.

my immediate thought was, why?

FadeToBlack

@hoser: that might have been how early systems worked, but I think it has progressed a bit: From howstuffworks describing google's system:

Lidar works like radar and sonar, but it's far more accurate. It maps points in space using 64 rotating laser beams taking more than a million measurements per second to form a 3D model in its computer brain that's accurate to the centimeter. Preloaded maps tell the system where the stationary stuff is -- traffic lights, crosswalks, telephone poles -- and the lidar fills in the landscape with moving objects like people. It also has regular ol' radar, a camera and GPS to help out.

32

Self-Driving vehicles and delivery robots - why?

by FadeToBlack in

i saw a 'news' article today about pizza hut (i think) delivering pizzas via a robotic vehicle in nz.

also another article headline saying it is not a question of if, but when.

my immediate thought was, why?

FadeToBlack

@hoser: why woudn't they work in Canada if they work elsewhere? Population density? Perhaps in Toronto?

Maybe it will prove to be the last blowout/bubble and we will have driveless vehicles toting around to nowhere with nothing to do. I think a lot of this type of progress depends on infinite growth, which is just not going to happen on a finite planet. We are already approaching the limits. But what else are the believers going to say? Games up?

32

Self-Driving vehicles and delivery robots - why?

by FadeToBlack in

i saw a 'news' article today about pizza hut (i think) delivering pizzas via a robotic vehicle in nz.

also another article headline saying it is not a question of if, but when.

my immediate thought was, why?

FadeToBlack

@Vidiot: I don't think robots or AI will be deployed to harvest strawberries for the top 1-10%. That will be left for the illegal immigrants, because as you noted, most entitled americans will feel it beneath them. What the bottom 90% will be doing in the future is the big question. It seems like a lot of them (older white males) recently have already decided on a different route (suicide).