Two weeks ago today I was half-asleep in bed when one of my roommates called me and in a tiny voice from my answering machine I heard the news of terrorists attacking New York and the Pentagon. Not ready to face news like this, I took a quick shower and turned on the TV, and was glued to the set for the next few hours.
Just 30 years ago I would have been hysterical. One of the main reasons I had joined the Witnesses was my fear of Communism and what was coming upon the world. I did not want to see the end of the world, and if I did, I wanted to be a survivor. Well, guess what? I am no longer afraid of the end of the world.
Fear is a Recruiter
Terrorists have to face fear as well. They are trained to overcome fear. Steven Hassan, author of the recent book, Releasing the Bonds, has this to say about the September 11, 2001 attack on the U.S.:
"The government and the public may think of the terrorists as radical extremists who were motivated by an intense and driving hatred of America - one cultivated by the militant Muslim leader Osama bin Laden. But there is evidence that at least some of the terrorists underwent a 'radical transformation' when they were recruited and were probably manipulated in ways that they were not aware of."
"Suicide bombers undergo a thorough and extensive indoctrination - reportedly spending hours in a coffin reading from the Koran in an open grave. They are told that they are already dead and will be hailed in heaven for their heroic deeds," Hassan says. "Like members of other destructive cults, they are programmed to think in simplistic black and white, us-versus-them terms. They not only depersonalize but also demonize their enemies. -- http://www.freedomofmind.com/mindctrl_terror.html
From the most courageous fighter to the lowest coward, it seems that fear is the #1 enemy to overcome. People scramble when the stock market drops suddenly - they are afraid they are going to lose some of their hard-earned security, or college funds for the kids, or that retirement house. Women are afraid for the future of their children. Men look to a system or government to put faith in, so as to protect them during such times. Fear sometimes recruits us into doing things or joining an organization. In the end that oversight may be our biggest mistake. Fear at times causes us to OVERLOOK important evidence in our unstable emotional state. It can also cause one to join a fundamentalist religion that offers "security" in exchange for absolute loyalty and obedience. I shudder to think that as I write this, Jehovah's Witnesses are being organized to go witnessing to others about "terrorism," seeking to gain a whole slew of new converts. The lure? Fear is the lure, the prize is a false sense of security. Wolves among sheep, looking for unsuspecting prey.
Ironically, my eight-year stint in the Jehovah's Witnesses was helpful to me in overcoming fear. From a bookish yet outdoorsy young man who would never dream of talking to crowds, I faced my fear the only way I knew how - head on. I was afraid of public speaking, talking to strangers, being criticized and chased off the property, of crime, of bodily harm, and on down the list. I pioneered for six and seven days a week, knocking on every door in San Luis Obispo, CA before moving to New York in 1974. Working at the world headquarters (Bethel) in New York City gave me a perfect opportunity to face such fears head-on. By the time I left in 1980, I had overcome every single one of my fears just mentioned. I programmed my mind so as not to allow a fearful thought to throw me off guard. For those changes I am thankful. Many who have been through the military or other rigorous schedule in life can also identify. Facing your fears can be therapeutic.
I would no longer do many of the things I did in New York, like riding the subways alone at night, walking around in ghetto neighborhoods where you are the only Caucasian, etc. Some of those fears were legitimate fears!
Witnesses are trained to overcome their fear through activity which is sometimes risky, if not dangerous. I remember being chased off the property of many an irate homeowner! I've had bottles thrown at me from the top of 10-story buildings. I've been robbed at gunpoint in Brooklyn. Through it all, I got stronger. People like Jehovah's Witnesses are mentally prepared for disaster. They are pessimistic of the world's future, they LIVE for the day when they no longer have to face society's "scorn." That is another reason they are so dangerous in times of hardship. A person who has never opened their door to them in 20 years might suddenly, in a time of crisis, be jealous of their sense of security, and want to have the same. That is how it happened to me. Seven cloistered years passed. Only in a time relatively free from fear did I take the time to investigate their real history on my own, and I then knew that no matter how strong, clean, fearless or organized they are, their security is in doctrine and buildings, not in people or in God.
I have received a number of phone calls from persons worried that someone inactive in the JWs is becoming active again due to fear of terrorism. All I can say is, the Watchtower is no protection from any terror. Learn to face your fears on your own, it is a permanent solution, not dependent on current events.
http://www.freeminds.org/lifeline.htm