ARE YOU UPSET THAT YOU DIDN"T GO TO COLLEGE?

by minimus 43 Replies latest jw friends

  • minimus
    minimus

    I have read of some people's bitterness because they were denied the opportunity to go to college. During the 60's and 70's the Society really discouraged any education other than what was necessary. Since the end was so near, especially around 1975, anybody that decided to go to "higher education" was considered very weak and unbalanced. Were you affected by the Society's view that going to college was unwise?

  • JT
    JT

    During the 60's and 70's the Society really discouraged any education other than what was necessary. Since the end was so near, especially around 1975 anybody that decided to go to "higher education" was considered very weak and unbalanced.

    ##########

    WT views have not really changed in all those years:

    Several have made outright statements and others have suggested that the Society's negative position on higher education has changed. 'The Society does not discourage higher education where I live.' Worse, 'apostates have made it all up--the Society has never discouraged education.'

    Would you like to know the straight stuff? From "Our Kingdom Ministry" for June 2001 (km-E US 6/01, Vo. 44, No. 6, p. 2)

    Service Meeting Schedule for Week Starting July 2

    After Song 5 and 13 minutes of local announcements about turning in field reports, and encouraging shelf-clearing of overstocked Yearbooks.

    15 min: Youths--Be Wise in Choosing Your Career. This is the first of three Service Meeting parts that will review Scriptural principles related to supplemental education. **Some Christian youths are pursuing secular careers through higher education, which is having a negative impact on their spirituality.** This part is a discussion between two parents and their teenage son or daughter. The youth is at a point where a serious decision needs to be made about future goals. Although some may want to pursue financial advantages, prestige, or comforts of life, the family examine the Bible to see what it recommends. (See Young People Ask, pages 174-5; The Watchtower, August 15, 1997, page 21, and September 1, 1999, pages 19-21, paragraphs 1-3 and 5-6.) The youth agrees that it is wise to pursue a course in life that will serve him or her well in achieving theocratic goals to advance Kingdom interests."

    Should be an exciting three weeks. (Don't think you will hear, "Well, Randy, your mother and I don't mind the nursing home in our old age.") Would you like to be in this demonstration?

    What do you think? Has the Society changed its position? Or is this just the old wink-wink, nudge-nudge game? Or ...?

    Maximus

    PS Oh, yes. There is a four-pager in this km titled "Can You Make Yourself Available?" All about Bethel service.

    ########################################

    yes i was affected as well

  • Prisila
    Prisila

    VERY UPSET AND CHEATED! I had a double whammy though . . . being a JW and Hispanic. I threw away my youth pioneering. Was never encouraged to higher education. My husband and I were told being a teller or receptionist was an excellent job. I always wanted to be a lawyer. NOW, at age 29 I find myself struggling through school for my BA to get into Law School. If I am lucky I'll be done when I'm 40. I had envisioned age 34. But it's unlikely. Working f/t and having 2 kids. It's too hard.

    I was in honors classes with scholarships. I could have been done by age 25. It's soooooooo depressing. I try not to focus on coulda's or shoulda's.

  • Pistoff
    Pistoff

    As I get older, I am upset even more than when younger.
    I always did well in the trades, but I am wearing out. I resented very much the disdain that was reserved for those who went to college.
    Imagine my anger when hearing that the society hired a newly graduated Duke law student; Duke is a good school, not nearly the "trade school" or "techical college" bullshit that sometimes gets handed out in the odd article about schooling.
    You have to think they regret it some; if we all made more money, they would be recieving more donations, right?
    Like the mormons?

  • Scully
    Scully

    Well, now that I've gone to college (graduated in 1998), my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

    I work with people the same age as me who have 12 to 14 years more seniority than I have, with the pension contributions to match. By the same token, I don't think I'd be doing the same kind of work I'm doing now, and enjoying what I do as much as I do had I completed college fresh out of high school. I was one of those rare JWs whose parents wanted me to 'have something to fall back on' just in case. I completed the first year and a half of studies and because of the "peer pressure" of JWs around me to try pioneering (which was not helping me focus on my studies) I ended up dropping out. I took a clerical job which helped me develop some other skills 'to fall back on' and never did end up pioneering, although I did apply (the elder told me that he didn't think I was cut out for pioneering, bless his heart).

    My feeling now, regarding the WTS's position on post-secondary education is that they are doing a fine job of shooting themselves in the foot. People who can barely scrape together an existence are not going to put cheques in the contribution boxes the way people with more disposable income can do. People who have trouble 'just getting by' are not going to feel particularly "blessed", and are likely to get discouraged more easily, resulting in poor meeting attendance, diminished service hours, in favor of taking that extra shift to make life a little more bearable.

    So let them shoot themselves in the foot. We're already seeing the results of their tightening the belt -- soft cover books instead of hard cover; no food at district conventions or circuit assemblies; suggesting a "contribution" of $60 for the WT CD ROM, which you KNOW can be mass produced for as little as $1 each; collecting parking fees at convention venues after negotiating to have free parking with the ownership. All of it goes to show just how desperate they are to have the gravy train continue running. To continue to deny their members a productive, comfortable and/or lucrative livelihood is detrimental to the WTS's continued existence. So be it!

    You would think that they could figure that out by now.

    Love, Scully

  • Scarlet
    Scarlet

    Yes I was very angry at first but at least I feel I am young enough to still go. I am in college now and hope to have my masters by the time i am 30.

  • dmouse
    dmouse

    Yes JT, I remember that KM very well. They wanted to use my 14 year old son in that demonstration.

    After reviewing the information in the KM, I forbade him from taking part. This caused some upset on the meeting night and the elder giving the part had to do without his demonstration!

    It was one of the very rare occasions when I actively prevented my son from doing something related to the JW religion (he was all for the religion at the time) and of course I was slammed as an 'opposing mate'.

    The following day I sent this letter to the elder concerned:

    Dear Bro *******,

    I am writing to express my apologies for any inconvenience caused through my withdrawing of consent for Benjamin to take part in your demonstration in Thursday's service meeting.

    I feel it would be courteous to offer an explanation. I can assure you that this decision was not taken lightly. This was a very unusual action for me to take, since I am normally VERY tolerant of other's beliefs. As a rule I give consent for my family to take part in whatever religious activities they desire, accepting that most of the beliefs of Jehovahs Witnesses are relatively harmless, some are beneficial.

    There are, however, some notable exceptions. I have looked at the information you gave to Benjamin, and also looked at the context in which the piece was given: part of a three part series. It is clear from reading the Kingdom Ministry that the main idea being presented is to discourage young people from considering further education over spiritual goals (pioneering).

    It is this aspect of the Society's teaching that I find objectionable. I consider it extremely irresponsible, in today's competitive employment market, to discourage young people from achieving their full potential educationally. I am aware of the context of your beliefs (that the end of the world is near) but, as no one knows when or if this will happen, I consider it potentially very harmful to stress such a short-term outlook. I believe that in thirty years time many thousands of Jehovahs Witnesses will be struggling to provide for themselves and their families as a direct result of listening to such dangerous advice, indeed, this is already the case for many who listened to similar myopic advice 30, 40, 50 etc years ago.

    In any case, as Benjamin's father, I feel that it is my responsibility to protect him as best as I can from harm. For this reason I have made my concerns clear to my family. I'm sure you will agree that this is what any father should do. If you wish to discuss this further I am more than willing to do so.

    Yours sincerely,

    Dean Moorhouse.

    *********************************************************************************

    Oh, and don't let them keep you in a state of bitterness about what could have been. I have just got a degree in primary education - at the age of 41.

    If you didn't do it then, do it now!

    Edited by - dmouse on 15 August 2002 5:8:22

  • butalbee
    butalbee

    Yep, wish I went--and I'm not even a witness.

  • jst_me
    jst_me

    I graduated hs in the 80s, and it was bad to go to college then too. I could have gone for free as well, I was in all advanced classes since the 3rd grade.

    But, I finally went and now I have my degree. yay

    Also, my children know that they have to go to college before they do anything else. Period.

  • minimus
    minimus

    Very well written letter, D mouse. You must be educated.

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