So I was thinking about the earthquake we had last week...

TheSilence

and I was thinking about my reaction to it. I woke up at 4:40 in the morning because the bed was shaking and the thought process in my head went along these lines, "The bed is shaking. Mike is out of town. He's not due home for 5 more days. Who the hell is in my house and climbing in my bed? Should I grab the bat, turn over, and just start swinging and hope Mike didn't come home early? Surely he'd have called. Of course if someone was trying to crawl into bed with me they'd try to be a lot more stealthy than this until they had me under control. I don't think it's Mike, and I don't think it's an intruder, I think it's an earthquake. Besides, I might kill the cat. Okay, so I'm going to turn over and make sure there's no one climbing in bed. Nope. Okay, cool, then it's just an earthquake. It's kind of interesting, I've never experienced one before." These thoughts took a very short fraction of time to get through. For the rest of the quake I pretty much just observed and found it really interesting. Not scary, just interesting.

Once it stopped I got out of bed and got online thinking I should make sure it really was an earthquake, find out where it originated, how strong it was, and what kind of damage had been done so I would know whether or not I needed to check on my family.

Reminiscing about this just now it occured to me that there was a time when my reaction would have been a great deal different. This was a time when seeing a special news bulletin interupt a TV program would turn my stomach and I would have to leave the room because I just knew they were going to announce something that would be the beginning of armageddon, a time when I had nightmares of God chasing me with mudslides, a time when severe thunderstorms struck a chord in my heart that guaranteed divine wrath.

And I realized... not only did I not react in that manner at all... it took a full week for it to even occur to me that that might once have been my reaction.

So why am I sharing this? Well, I think it's pretty cool. I've talked to people who had the same fears I used to have... and I thought it might be nice to let some of them know... some day it will take a full week before it even occurs to you that you might once have reacted that way.

Jackie

nomoreguilt

Yes, I also felt the quake here in Michigan, no big deal anymore is it? I didn't even equate it to the dubs though. We had another one similar to it in 1984 I think, and even back then it didn't stike that fear into me.

I guess that just shows how far back I was detached from the dread of the BIG " A ".

Enjoy your day. Watch the ground doesn't open up and swallow you like the paraduse book used to illustrate.

NMG

greendawn

The strange psychology of fear cultivated by the JWs, earthquakes certainly nothing new under the sun same with wars, famines and pestilence the famous composite sign. It's just creating a false sense of urgency to serve a hidden agenda = mind control techniques.

brinjen

We had a bit of a shake up here in Darwin back in March 06. Then, 10 days later the place was under threat from a category 5 cyclone. Didn't occur to me until a couple of months later how at one stage I would have been frightened of armageddon, nice feeling isn't it?

lookingnow25

There's been lots of talk in my congregation about the earthquake. Lots of ooooos and aaaaahs about how we are SOOOO in the last part of the last days. Makes me sick to hear them so happy that these things happen. Some can't wait for huge natural disasters, despite the death and economic toll, to either A) Prove we are in the "last days" B) Assist in JW on JW relief to prove how loving and righteous they are C) Take advantage of people's emotional states to convert/recruit them.

L

Mr. Majestic

That was really funny to read. Would have been funnier if you would have killed the cat…….

We had one here a month or so ago. I didn’t quite go through the same mind process but I did wonder why my leg was twitching for an unusually long time. (Our earthquakes are never anything to write home about). Then I noticed that the water beside my bed had a twitch as well. About as much as I thought was "Hummmm..that’s odd".

Thanks for sharing that experience….

TheSilence

Enjoy your day. Watch the ground doesn't open up and swallow you like the paraduse book used to illustrate.

Thanks, NMG, I hope you enjoy your day as well... even if the ground does open up and swallow me ;)

It's just creating a false sense of urgency to serve a hidden agenda = mind control techniques.

Hi, greendawn... it's odd, but if you try to explain this to other people they don't really understand just how insidious it is.

nice feeling isn't it?

Almost as nice as the feeling you get killing a wolf, eh, brin? ;)

There's been lots of talk in my congregation about the earthquake. Lots of ooooos and aaaaahs about how we are SOOOO in the last part of the last days.

I expect to hear much of the same from my dad when next I see him. So predictable. It's nice to see someone else from my neck of the woods. I believe crazyblondeb is, as well.

That was really funny to read.

Yes, my thoughts are often comical... I laughed at myself as I was typing it all out ;)

Would have been funnier if you would have killed the cat…….

Ah, see, now I don't know if we can be friends ;)

Jackie

dinah

Hey Jackie,

Your thoughts were kinda funny. You keep a baseball bat near your bed? Swing away, Jackie. lol

When you said that "Special Report" news bulletins used to scare you, it brought back memories. They would make my heart race and it would be hard to breathe. When I was younger everytime those news bulletins came on, and everytime the President gave a speech it scared me to death. The armageddon nightmares stopped for me about 8 or 9 years ago, but they used to be really bad.

Don't you bet many of us who were little Dub children had the same reaction to those things?

TheSilence

Don't you bet many of us who were little Dub children had the same reaction to those things?

I think probably more than we even realize. I remember way back in, oh, about 97 I met someone in a chat room who was an ex-jw and she was totally freaking out. She was celebrating her first Christmas and had put up a tree. When she got home the angel at the top had been turned to face the wall. Now logically she knew it was the cats who had done it. However, she was in a state of panic thinking it was Jehovah warning her that she needed to stop participating in pagan practices and go back to the meetings. I chatted with her all night long until she finally calmed down. I think those fears are built in to us when we grow up in that environment... and I think we should all be proud because it takes a great deal of strength, determination, and strength of character to get over that level of indoctrination.

Jackie

TheSilence

You keep a baseball bat near your bed?

Oh, and in answer to this... no, but Mike does, and when he goes out of town he tends to move it over to my side of the bed. He might change that practice if he ever comes home early and I bean him with it.

Jackie

So I was thinking about the earthquake we had last week...

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