Are Circuit Overseers Getting Discouraged? (page 2)

Virgochik

Balsam, was this CO, Bennett named Dennis Bennett, and was he British? Just curious. We had one fitting this description when I was a child, and he wasn't too friendly either.

sass_my_frass

Sadly, I hope so for their own sake, and all of the sheep who follow them. Discouragement and pain are the only way out.

Yep, I imagine COs could easily get discouraged - after all, what's to encourage them? They're between a rock and a hard place, between the R&F in the congos on the one hand and the masters, the Organisation™ on the other. yet who are they to please? Their hearts may want to sympathise with the R&F, yet the bosses are the masters. Typical middle management!

IMO they have the hardest job in the Organisation™.

Yet spare a thought for their wives - never being able to 'build a nest', always living with others in their nests - unnatural. And how vcould they have a row with hubby!! Always someone to hear. Always on show, always in public. It must be psychologically disturbing.

greendawn

They deserve whatever they get since they play such a crucial role in supporting and promoting the oppressive JW system, I remember a couple of COs and how they were raging against anyone wanting to offer advice to the FDS regarding religious issues and how they were going out of their way to discourage young dubs from going to uni.

jwfacts

My parents are on the Circuit and they seem to hide any discouragement well. Though I think that the stress I have put them through may have diverted their attention a bit.
I do not know how my father copes. Almost every week he is involved in a d/f case, and has had to remove countless elders. That must get to him.
When I was in Bethel there was a mid 30's brother that was very capable and made a bethel elder. He was in the service dept dealing with a lot of the extremely difficult cases, such as the child molestors. After 10 years he virtually had a nervous breakdown and left Bethel.

DaCheech

An elderette once asked me if there was any way to use a computer to discern handwriting and find it's publisher. I had asked "no" but "why"?

She confided in me that someone took some porn pictures and replaced the face with her husband and slapped the picture with a note on their auto

eyeslice

Over the years, I have noticed a large percentage of COs or their wives suffer from some form of depression.
I guess it goes with the job.
Eyeslice

Trojan

Talking to the boys in the service department, you get to hear all kinds of stories about the CO's. I can absolutely confirm that. In some other countries the loss of CO's due to judicial matters, porn, and other stuff is high rate. Here in the US the CO's are getting into a modus of boredom and the constant, dull repetition plus dealing with BOE that just can't take anymore is "rubbing" off the "zeal" on quite a few of them....

....plus, a very low percentage of the young generation that want's to step up into that "career"....

....basically, you don't have to do a lot to take the CO/DO system down....its wearing down by itself, believe me. Just sit back, relax and watch.

Trojan.

JH

Probably a strong earthquake or flu pandemic would encourage them...

zgborn

Are Circuit Overseers Getting Discouraged?

It would be fitting considering how discouraging they have been for the last twenty years. When I was growing up, the circuit overseers seemed fairly entheusiastic, energetic and encouraging. I remember we got a new one in 1974 (Bob and Julie Bishop) who got up on the platform and told us that it was the policy of the Society to keep the traveling brothers in their assignments for two years, so he would be serving us when Armageddon came. When he took off to his next assignment, I believe he even ate crow in his final talk to the congregation.

The last few CO's I had contact with were perfectly awful. We had Franklin and Judy Park, who were both so nasty you could hardly believe it. The last time they came around the PO came up to me and asked if we would host them for lunch because he couldn't find anyone else who would put up with them. The last one I had was so bad that I refused to go to the meetings the week he was in town. He was a total jackass and opinionated butthole who gave talks full of misinformation and personal invective. Probably went on to become a DO.