You've mistakenly fallen into a category error fallacy.
You claim to be a star-bellied Sneetch while simultaneously seeking to prove you can choose to be a plain-bellied Sneetch.
Claiming star-bellied "high ground" while acting exactly as a "plain belly" loses your argument immediately.
Read Marcus Aurelius.
Of each particular thing ask: what is it in itself? What is its nature?
By claiming 2 natures, each contradictory to the other, you invalidate your own argument.
The actions you perform to escape the "mindless drone" status invalidates your "faithful Witness" nature.
A "faithful Witness" testifies in harmony with Governing Body policies, you see.
Were it possible to do otherwise and remain "faithful" would invalidate "true religion" claims by the Organization for failure to hold you to account.
Consequently, it is you who is a liar twice.
On the other hand, it is so-called Apostates who are vindicated by your stepping forward and demonstrating how easy it is for a JW to be both sheep and wolf (which is our faithful testimony in criticism of the Org as a whole.)
QED
TerryWalstrom
JoinedPosts by TerryWalstrom
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Hi, all...I'm a faithful JW who is sick of lies about us
by James Donalds ini was baptized 30 years ago and have been in the faith for over 35 years.. our organization isn't perfect.
but i'm sick to death of seeing stereotypes about us.
we are not mindless automatons.
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TerryWalstrom
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The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met
by TerryWalstrom inthe most unforgettable man i ever met(by telly walstrom).
this man was a walking contradiction.
he violated every sensible rule of human interaction which might lead to success--especially as a salesman.unthinkable!preposterous!now here is what you must know.philip moh was ugly to look at.
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TerryWalstrom
PHILIP MOH
Archived Record Cypress, CA — Previous President for Philip J. Moh Insurance Associates, Inc
Yep, that's gotta be him! -
12
The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met
by TerryWalstrom inthe most unforgettable man i ever met(by telly walstrom).
this man was a walking contradiction.
he violated every sensible rule of human interaction which might lead to success--especially as a salesman.unthinkable!preposterous!now here is what you must know.philip moh was ugly to look at.
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TerryWalstrom
Sparky1 : Wow!
I don't know how valid such background sites are but that's probably more information than I'd wish to know.
I wish they had a photo of him. It would be hard to believe there's more than one person with that name.
However, not long ago, a fellow named Terry Walstrom died.
That was amazing enough--but--there was more!
He was a lifelong Jehovah's Witness!
Thanks for those links! -
12
The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met
by TerryWalstrom inthe most unforgettable man i ever met(by telly walstrom).
this man was a walking contradiction.
he violated every sensible rule of human interaction which might lead to success--especially as a salesman.unthinkable!preposterous!now here is what you must know.philip moh was ugly to look at.
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TerryWalstrom
Over the years, I've tried checking to see whatever happened with Philip Moh and I can't even find a single person with that name on Google search.
You'd think, wouldn't you, even in the pre-internet years of lates 70's and early 80's, some report, merit, award, or mention would find its way into the Worldwide Web.
Or am I being too unreasonable?
Perhaps only the most famous of the famous (or infamous) rate having survived the analog era. Dunno. -
12
The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met
by TerryWalstrom inthe most unforgettable man i ever met(by telly walstrom).
this man was a walking contradiction.
he violated every sensible rule of human interaction which might lead to success--especially as a salesman.unthinkable!preposterous!now here is what you must know.philip moh was ugly to look at.
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TerryWalstrom
Thank you.
I know one thing for certain.
You never know when something you say to a person
is going to be the thing that DOES something for them (or to them). -
12
The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met
by TerryWalstrom inthe most unforgettable man i ever met(by telly walstrom).
this man was a walking contradiction.
he violated every sensible rule of human interaction which might lead to success--especially as a salesman.unthinkable!preposterous!now here is what you must know.philip moh was ugly to look at.
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TerryWalstrom
THE MOST UNFORGETTABLE MAN I EVER MET
(by Telly Walstrom)This man was a walking contradiction.
He violated every sensible rule of human interaction which might lead to success--especially as a salesman.
Unthinkable!
Preposterous!
Now here is what you must know.
Philip Moh was ugly to look at. Harsh? Yes, but true!
He was short, had crooked teeth, walked like a crab, and you could barely understand anything he was saying!
Are you curious?
I certainly was.Let me tell you what Philip Moh told me.
I’ve been thinking about it since 1980. Yes, that’s 37 years.Before I tell you what he said which has stuck in my head all those years,
I should describe what sort of fella he was.
Philip Moh won awards as Best Salesman of the Year.
It happened a lot. Year after year.
He sold life insurance. Yeah. Tough sell, right?
Philip Moh outsold thousands of other salesmen by a wide margin.
His bonuses included fancy cars, gold watches, trips around the world, and cash.
I worked for Philip Moh for awhile as a 2nd job.
We had a unique relationship.But first--you need to know something I’ve held back.
Philip Moh had obstacles to overcome every day of his life.
Once you realize those challenges had to be met every single day--your amazement and astonishment will be real.I need for you to understand this for a reason. Once you know what sort of man Philip Moh was you’ll suddenly pay attention in a different way.
That’s how it works.To be a successful salesman, what do you think you would need to have has a very basic starting skill-set?
Pleasant appearance?
Great speaking skills?
Somebody who puts you at ease?
Philip Moh was none of the above.Philip Moh told me what had happened to him when he was 5 years old in China.
He fell off a balcony. He landed on the flat of his back.
He was crippled by his injuries and unable to move for a year.
But his mother was a special person.
She believed it was better to do “something” rather than nothing to help her son.
I won’t recite details.
Through exercise, discipline, determination little Philip learned to move on his own and finally walk. It was a strange walk but effective.
Philip’s family had no money but a strong work ethic.
They moved to America for opportunities.
Philip worked his way through school, learned English, won honors and applied for a job as a life insurance salesman.“Why that, Philip? Selling? Why?”
He explained.
The insurance company wouldn’t have to take a chance on him failing.
If he wasn’t any good at it, he’d starve. He’d fire himself, so to speak.
He read the sales manuals, attended sales meetings, and then bought himself a good suit.
In five years time, he was winning all the sales contests and winning awards.When I first walked into Philip Moh’s office, I was taken aback by his appearance.
I felt uncomfortable. That’s on me.
I had to adjust to his speaking style: garbled.
I didn’t know where to look. I pretended to look at his face--in fact--I looked through his head at an object behind him.
Yes. I know--I sound like a monster. I’m just being straight with you.But then, a strange thing began to happen.
Do you know what CHARISMA really, truly means?
Whatever you think it means--there is a kind of supernatural magic “some” people possess which makes them spellbinding.
Philip Moh had a bucket of CHARISMA.
He practically “had me” at “Hello.”
_____
I’ll spare you too many details, okay?
We hit it off. He hired me.
I left his office with my head spinning. I was dazed.
“WTF just happened?” I asked myself.
I had no answer. I still don’t have one.
____
I was hired to obtain leads. Leads are potential customers.Philip Moh told me:
“Just get me both the husband and the wife willing to sit down with me for 15 minutes knowing in advance I am an insurance salesman and I will sell them--guaranteed--no exceptions.”Moh couldn’t do this for himself because it required telephone skills.
He had none!
My audition interview consisted of a string of applicants trying to sell Moh on the notion they could do it--and do it well.He told me to sell him a pencil. Just like that--on the spot!
“You have two minutes to sell me a pencil. GO!”I improvised. I’m spectacular at that.
HE LOVED IT. He told me I was the best he’d ever seen.
I LOVED THAT.
We hit it off like I said.
_____After a month of working for Philip, in his office, on his telephone--I asked him THE QUESTION.
Philip Moh’s answer to that question is what I’ve thought about for 37 years.
See how I finally got back to the point?
Remember what I said at the top?
I said:
“Let me tell you what Philip Moh told me.
I’ve been thinking about it since 1980. Yes, that’s 37 years.”
_____Here is what I asked him and how he answered.
_____“How do you do it, how do you manage to sell so much insurance to so many people?”
Moh looked at me in a strange way for a minute. Behind his eyes, a magnificent machine was churning, ticking, calculating a reply.“Okay. I tell you, Telly.” (He called me Telly)
Moh actually got up from behind his desk and walked over to his door and
shut it!
The implication was that what I was about to hear was too precious a secret for anybody to know...but me.
I already felt honored!“People want to believe good things about themselves. My job is to help them believe the best possible thing. A person who pays money month after month for life insurance gets nothing for all their payments. They must be dead for anything to happen! What kind of person buys something like that? I explain. Only a hero does that! A selfless person who truly LOVES others does that. It takes a great person with a great heart to reach out and help their loved ones even after they are dead. If you want to be remembered forever as that kind of hero by your wife and kids--I am there to help them. That is my job. Their job is to become that hero.”
Wow!
I don’t know what kind of answer I had expected. Not that.
He was very honest with me. He went on to explain.“I know I make people uncomfortable because of my arthritis, my bad English, my appearance. Yes--I do know that. I also know something more important. Good people want to give a man like me every chance possible. That is my only advantage. Good people sit and listen to me. I am there to help them and allow heroic and unselfish hearts to shine.”
Now, do you understand?
I kept thinking about, “People want to believe good things about themselves.”
I still think about it.Salesmanship is empowering others to think well of themselves.
Wow. Still blows my mind.
Is that why I became one of Jehovah's Witnesses?
Did I want to see myself as heroic and willing to go to prison to demonstrate what an unselfish person I was in serving God?
Are JW's empowered to believe the best about themselves through all those holidays they don't celebrate, through the thankless door-to-door preaching?
Is THAT what was going on?
I still think about it. -
11
Israel (Is Real?)
by TerryWalstrom inevery nation is a kind of weird intellectual construct.
when we say: china--all of us get some kind of fictional mental snapshot in our head.
sure, there is a country called "china".we just don't really know a soul living there.
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So long Mister Monster
by TerryWalstrom in_____________the doctor said i should introduce myself.. "tell them something about yourself you think they might wish to know," he said, "say anything that comes to mind.".
trust me.
i'm a stranger.
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TerryWalstrom
_____________
The Doctor said I should introduce myself."Tell them something about yourself you think they might wish to know," he said, "say anything that comes to mind."
Trust me. There is nothing you want to know about me.
I'm a stranger. Strangers are scary. Right? Be afraid.Okay-I'll behave; this part won't scare you.
My mom named me Detrick, but called me "Deet."
I never really knew my Dad--except I did see him that one time. Just that one time.
Cops were taking him away. He showed up at the house unexpectedly.
There was a restraining order. I guess the neighbors recognized him.
From last time.I heard her say his name.
"What the hell is Plez doin' here?"
I thought that was a weird name. Plez? I Still do. Weird.
Almost as weird as Deet.She made me stay in the car--just wouldn't let me get out.
Wouldn't answer any of my questions either.I didn't mind her. As usual.
I wanted to get a good look at that guy--my "Father".Too late. Cops everywhere. Back in the car.
Took hours to calm her down. I didn't hang around.
Who needs that?Want to know what really pisses me off? Calling me Deet.
Folks learn pretty fast. They'll only call me that once. I teach em' a lesson.
Now, nobody calls me Deet.
Well, maybe only just one time.Nobody messes with me more than once.
They should just call me "Smiler."
I like to smile at Girls.Now, there were girls around back when I was younger.
Always noticed them, I did.All kinds of girls.
All it took was for them to hear they better not hang around me and they were ready to stick like glue.
Go figure. Girls love bad boys.I had some girl's big brother jump me one evening-- on the way back from my visit to my Parole officer.
Probably a brick or something. Caught me on the back of the head.
Later, his sister apologized FOR him.I thought that was pretty funny. It was his blood; not mine on the sidewalk.
Cars?I never learned to drive.
Wasn't interested. Didn't care. I know how to walk. I get by. Always have.
Besides, those girls drive.Their dads give em' cars and they love giving me a ride.
It's amusing.
Makes me smile.Education? School of hard knocks. I got that diploma sure enough.
What can I say? Spent all my time in the Office or with the Nurse til they all gave up. Adults apologizing, explaining, blaming their own damn selves!
All making "sincere" excuses to me---well, I didn't laugh, but, I sure felt like it.
I'm not a criminal. I'm pretty high-moraled.
I don't like bad language. I don't cuss. Makes you sound stupid. I ain't stupid.My first Doctor gave me tests for retardation. All my doctors--they always did.
Prolly always will.
These eggheads test and suddenly act so surprised--as they're telling you how smart you are and how you can be anything you want. It makes me smile just thinking how eager they are. For what?They wanna make me like them?
No way. No way.I've had bad influences. Awful things happen to little kids before they know the score. Enough said.
I guess I was 17 when the first incident happened.
You've seen the newspapers. Everybody did.
Here's all I'll say:
What's done is done. People get upset about nothin'. Let's just say I'd had enough.The second incident didn't happen till I got released. You know--from custody.
Maybe a week afterward.
Mom kept at me and I told her I didn't wanna hear it.I didn't want to live there with her but I wasn't given that choice.
"You have to get a job!"
It was all I heard until I stopped hearing it.
She stopped sayin' it, so, I stopped hearing it.
I made her stop.Jail? Jail was interesting. Educational.
Jail? Different games and different rules.
You have to watch and learn. You catch on. If you don't--uh oh, too bad for you.You see 'em watching you while you're watching them.
So, timing is pretty important. Nobody can watch you every last second.Except...
They DO see you at the very last second. I do mean the very last.
It makes me smile just thinkin' about it.I'm sure you're gonna ask about HER.
Chrissy.Okay. Chrissy was pretty special.
I think about her still.
She wrote me. Never missed. Only visited just that one time.
Never could figure that one out. Why make a special trip the day you decide never to see somebody again?She sat quietly staring into my eyes when she told me.
"I can't see you again."
How does that make sense?I gave her my blessings. I smiled. I bided my time on that one.
A full year after I was released.
Now she can never see me again. For real.Nobody figured it was me.
___
Employment?I tried gettin' a job. Once.
Not gonna try that again!
I saw the sign and walked in and told the guy who owned the shop I'd work just for Pizzas and he cocked his head at me. Like a pup in a window.
He just shrugged and tossed me an apron. I lasted 3 days.
So did he.
Pizza was good.
Urges?It's been awhile. That funny feeling comes and goes.
It used to come and not go.
When I do what I gotta do--I feel better.
It goes. Awhile.Thanks to the Doc--it goes.
You can learn to do almost anything if you set your mind to it.
My parole hearing is coming up in a week.
Doc says not to lie to them this time."It doesn't work if you lie."
He explained why but my mind wanders.
It's starting to wander around in my head now as I'm telling you about myself.I can sometimes see clouds outside my window.
Mostly grey-blue.
At night I never see a star and only barely catch a thin glow from wherever the moon gets off to.
I smell the stale, cheap roll-your-own tobacco and the loud clack of dominos on the metal table in the Day Room.Inmates in cages all around. I'm not like them. I'm the one who's different.
They all look the same in their one-size-fits-all jumpsuits. Stupid men with stupid faces. Not like me at all.Wanna hear something crazy?
They call me, "The Monster". What's that all about?I got a letter from Chrissy's mom yesterday. Can you believe that?
After all these years, she asks ME if I know what happened?
How'd she think that would go down?
Asking stupid questions gets you nothin' from me.
Promise me something nice and I might tell you somethin' you'd like to hear.
Other than that--don't waste my time accusing me.
Not that I don't have plenty to slop out on her plate--but she'd choke on it.
Dead certain.
__Am I done with this yet?
I've got a little bit of white paper left to write on.
The Doctor said write until I ran out of paper.He's going to keep this in my file and never show it to anybody. It's his promise. He's been great to me so I'll give him that. He's a do-gooder. You know the type.
This Doc is my friend and doesn't make me sick like most of 'em do.
He is shrewd, smart--maybe a genius. I see myself in him.
__
Let's see...what else?That inmate with the Kingston accent was punching guys again yesterday.
Him and his stupid game.
None of 'em seem to figure out how bad it's gonna be when they play his game.
Why play?
He's scary lookin' and I guess they are worried about offending him.
So they play out of fear.
He walks up an shows 'em his rock-sized bicep.
Get's real close and makes them fidget with his eyes and fists."Hit me first. We trade licks."
Why go along with that, I'd like to know?
I heard he was a boxing champ back home in Jamaica.
Who'd trade licks with a boxing champ?
Idiots, that's who.He makes tears run down their cheeks, too.
I could sit and watch for hours. He's pulled that on everybody in here.
Well--that's not exactly true. Not me, though. He won't even look at me.
Maybe he knows. It wouldn't work out with me like it did with the others.
Even jungle beasts know who's on top. Right?
What else...Pastor Paul will be here this evening. Prison ministry. Same scam every place I've been. These guys all sing the same tune.
With Parole Hearing coming up he'll make his move on me.
Yeah. I see it coming.
I know what to do and say.
I need him sittin' next to me.
He'll make an effort--as he says--if I make an effort.
Oh, I always make an effort. I'll promise and he'll believe me.
I might help him get where he wants to go real fast.Let's see...not much space left...
What else?
I hurt my hands in machine shop. Both of them.
Don't worry--that should help me at the parole board hearing.Sympathy is like face cards in poker.
This time, I hold the winning cards.
I've got 3 of a kind: Pastor, hurt hands and a smile...that's all I really need.
Doc has advised me well.
He says,
"People only look at you once and then never see you again. It all happens in that one moment."
First impressions, he means.Until now--I never cared about first impressions. Only thing I cared for was last impressions.
Tomorrow will be different. I'm gonna play 'em like a fiddle.
Doc said it was "counter-intuitive" to tell the truth to a parole board. They expect me to lie.
No--not this time.
This writing assignment is my practice run layin' it all out. In poker, it's called
a showdown.Out of space.
Gotta stop.
This has been fun.
I'm clear-minded and sharp. I'll tell everything like I just told you.
Then, I'll start sobbing and say, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
So long Mister Monster, welcome home Smiler!
______
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Israel (Is Real?)
by TerryWalstrom inevery nation is a kind of weird intellectual construct.
when we say: china--all of us get some kind of fictional mental snapshot in our head.
sure, there is a country called "china".we just don't really know a soul living there.
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TerryWalstrom
Every nation is a kind of weird intellectual construct.
When we say: China--all of us get some kind of fictional mental snapshot in our head. Sure, there IS a country called "China".
We just don't really know a soul living there. Our ignorance is rather profound.
The idea of "recognizing" a certain country is also weird.
It's like deciding whether or not you'll snub one of your neighbors.
"Are you worthy of my attention?" That sort of thing.
Countries which are persona non grata may NOT be recognized as legitimate players--and yet--we talk about them non-stop. Sort of like gossiping about that neighbor you've decided to snub.
All in all, it says a lot about a person and a nation when it comes to snubbing.
Our character really comes down to how we treat other human beings, doesn't it?
Who the "good guys" and the "bad guys" are is a function of how far they're willing to go in helping and hurting ordinary people.
WAR, for instance. Do "good" guys blow people up for a good cause?
Uh-oh, our clean, clear, crisp image of "good" starts to blur suddenly.
Thou Shall Not Kill is always gleaming brightly like the star of Bethlehem until it comes into conflict with survival instincts, political positioning postures, and money.
No matter what we say we "believe," it's what we DO unto OTHERS which tells the true story.
Actions speak louder than words.
The United States is a lot of things to a lot of people. Half of us don't at all agree with the other half. Many of us will punch you in the nose if you disagree, in fact. So? So what?
So this...
Israel has an opinion of what its capital should be.
Right now, our President agrees with that opinion.
His opinion makes it official. But--it won't change hearts and minds.
What it will change is the balance of emotion in the hearts and minds of people who are in a position to react.
What that reaction finally comes down to will tell the tale of how great an idea it is to express such an opinion. -
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Bitcoins: A new world without green backs.
by Fisherman inthe us army backs up the green back and saudi's oil must be paid in dollars so that every nation that uses oil must buy money from the us to pay for oil.. is it advantageous to print money or is digital money the upcoming economy?.
also, are bitcoins legal?
i read that market for them is soaring.
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TerryWalstrom
Regardless of your political affiliation, the fact that BitCoin is Technocratic, scientific, predictable mathematic currency, it's not up to the whims of any government--but also--, it's not up to the control of any corporation; it's not up to the control of any individual; not up to the control of any "Hippie" coders...it's not up to the control of anyone.
It IS and always WILL BE controlled by the consensus of everyone who is participating in this P2P paradigm. That's what makes it different, special, untampered; not relying on Trust, Faith, or Luck.
If for no other reason, because you can count on BitCoin surviving fear of manipulation.
Since the advent of BitCoin, more than 100 ALTERNATIVE cryptocurrencies have emerged. These "Alt-Coins" are interesting because they represent the evolutionary environment surrounding BitCoin. The Other Species. Each judged by its 'fitness function'.
1. Useful for everyday transactions?
2. Useful for a store of wealth?
3. Predictable as to volatility?
4. Is it useful for Capital investments?
5. Does it have large economies backing it? (Gross domestic product.)
So each of the emerging Alt-Cons is judged by the above as to fitness to survive.
FIAT CURRENCIES (we print as much as we want without regard to inflation) bypass the above tests of fitness. Government interposes itself as sole arbiter, levying taxes and demanding payments be made in said fiat currency. A government, in effect, manipulates value as a quality untested by the utility in real-world terms of fitness or competition.
Cryptocurrencies are different. Individuals pick the ones which meet their standards and needs. The cost of converting from one currency to another is set by valuation (gaining or losing in the changeover.)
The costs of crypto-currency changeover are very low due to fungibility.
(Generally, half a percent.) Ease of exchange is a hallmark of this ethos.
What Saves Bitcoin from the Bubble is that due to the 100's of competing Alt-Coins, as BitCoin gains or dies itself--customers quickly change to a more competitive market version of crypto-currency.
Crypto-currency itself survives as a superior evolution of the need for a private, unregulated method of money transfer person to person, entity to entity without interference or tampering.