I thought I'd share my experience. For those of you not familiar with some stores here in the USA, BJ's is a wholesale chain very similar to Walmart's SAM's Club. It's a discount warehouse. Much nicer than SAM's in my opinion, but then again I absolutely despise Walmart. But that is another thread!!!
Anyway, this fine gentlemen works as a greeter at BJ's. I knew him as a child from our old congregation. I'd say he's about 70 now. I had some time to kill before my hair appointment, so I went in to shop and then chat with him. He is always very nice. When I was little, he was constantly reprimanded and disfellowshipped for alcoholic drinking. My father knew what he had was a disease, and I think tried to help him. The elders were of course critical and useless about getting him into AA or something. Of course today we know that people that can't "put the bottle down, or have just one drink" actually do have a disease, it shows up on MRI's and tests of brain chemicals. They truly need help, not ridicule or to be disfellowshipped right away.
Anyway, we chatted a while, and of course it led to him leading into about "how bad this world situation is," and about "how it's going to end really soon now"........ I agreed world conditions are bad, but said nothing about the end. You see, the end to me is coming, but I'm not going to agree it is tomorrow. It will be when God is good and ready, not when the JW's say - which is always "real soon." I almost laughed. You see, this same man and other older JW's that my parent's studied and were friends with told my parents when I was a baby that I'd probably never make it to grade school, and surely never graduate High School. Gee, I graduated in 1997. And college? They were told not even to think of it. It was frowned upon. I felt like asking this guy if he liked working this meneal job in his golden years, instead of at home relaxing with his wife because he didn't bother to save any money for retirement. But alas, I'm too nice, and figure the liver problems he now has due to 60 years of heavy drinking are punishment enough for being so naive and gulliable. I truly felt sorry for the guy. Also, his kids are too busy to even help take care of him or his wife.......probably out pioneering or some shit. But, seeing as how they are in their 50's, they'd better start thining about retirement as well......if the system "doesn't end real soon." It's like all the older JW's want the end worse then ever, so they don't have to die or work, and push it as immenant because their own death is immenant. How sad. I mean, it would be cool not to die - to go straight in paradise, new system, whatever you'd like to call it. I think it also funny that how in my adulthood, I can see the JW dogma shine through in even the simplest of conversations. They can barely say hello without getting into the dogmatic crap.
While talking about the past and his drinking problem (though clean for 6 years he claims) I told him I didn't think it was right even as a child that he was disfellowshipped for a time. He didn't comment, though maybe he didn't give a crap about something that happened 20 years ago. I know I would, if it made me look like a total ass like it did him. But, some people (like Dubs) are so used to putting up with being fed crap and told that it is fillet mignon, that they eat it up and ask for seconds without a second thought.
That's my encounter for now. Too bad this loyal Dub is so dupped. Thanks for listening.
Wing Commander.
