by Gigi2121 48 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
For the individual who searches, there are only ever two "truths":
1. What you tell yourself "truth" should be, based on your upbringing, origin-of-birth community/culture;
2. What your lived, daily experience shows you "truth" is.
1 and 2 are often in conflict which is simply an indication the individual has an active thinking brain - which is an excellent thing to have in a world full of individuals who separately claim to have found "the" truth.
"What is real? How do you define 'real'? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain." - morpheus
sometimes there is grander design, no bigger picture, no universal truth of the sort that jw'ism convinces us exists. We can find a purpose and a higher calling all our own and let that be our reality, as it suits us.
And we can hope to achieve some fullfillment of that which we define as fullfilling
Put another way...if it is the ' truth ' you would have certainty as opposed to hope which is a desire or expectation that something is true ( as in a hope for the future ) what you certainly have is your life which you should live in the present, not withstanding having goals and ambitions.
Those who always live in hope of an outcome in the future are not really taking charge of the present imo.
Best wishes.
GIGI- Welcome to the board ! Nice to have you here. As some have mentioned, we were indoctrinated by the WT Society to have patented answers to every question in life virtually- but that's an unreality. Life is full of different shades of gray, not black and white, not either this or that. Life is healthier living in the here and now with positivity - not in the dreaded expectation of being " destroyed " or " tortured " in a fictitious battle that will never occur that's an unreality.
I was a born-in Witness like yourself ( exited 11 years ago ) and I can honestly say that I've become much happier these last 11 years. I no longer live in FEAR which was inculcated into us as JW's. We were told to be scared of " Satan " , scared of " the world " or " this system of things " - we were even told to DOUBT or be FEARFUL of ourselves and our allegedly " sinful " tendencies as we were told that our " heart is treacherous, who can trust it ? " That " it wasn't for us to direct our own steps ". Which is untrue. In actuality many of us CAN trust ourselves and our intuition once we've re-programmed our minds to see that we are NOT sinners or bad people. WT Society did a real number on our personal self esteem and it's up to us to get really reacquainted with our authentic , loving, empathetic, kind self- qualities which WT policies programmed us to lose.
So be kind to yourself my friend. Get to know YOU ! Get to know Gigi and find what interests you . All kinds of opportunities will open to you now to enjoy life in the way YOU were meant to enjoy it- not what some organization TELLS you to enjoy. So go make your life in the here and now fulfilling and happy ! You deserve it ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper
Here are some things I try to live by:
1. try to live a 'good' life and choose 'good' people as friends.
2. find out your strengths and interests and go for it, work hard with a career in mind. There is absolutely nothing wrong with higher ed, or professional sports or [fill in blank].
3. don't worry too much about the existence of God/afterlife, etc. no one knows about this for sure.
I'll get off my soap-box now.
@Gigi2121:
Good question. I have been struggling with that question for some time now. After you realize that virtually everything that you learned about the "truth" is not the truth, a void within you is created and is not easily filled.
The truth is, no one has the whole truth.
The truth is, we may never know the whole truth.
The truth is, we don't have to know the whole truth.
The truth is, the universe does not owe you the truth.
The truth is, we are alive and can enjoy life without knowing the whole truth.
The truth is, those who claim to have the truth are often very narcissistic and manipulative.
The truth is, this idea that you have to know the truth, is nothing but a manufactured need, manufactured by charlatans and manipulators.
The truth is, this idea that you have to know the truth, is exactly the kind of lure that charlatans use to entrap you in their religious cults.
