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outofthebox

I was reading in the spanish forum (http://www.extj.com/foro/showthread.php?t=15396) that an old sister died from a heart atack during the Memorial, but that didn't stop the ritual.

I remember a lonley very sick sister calling for help to the KH during an emergency, and the elders told her, they were busy in an elder's meeting. She almost died and was rushed into the hospital by 'worldy' people. The elders didn't care, and even complained about her.

Have seen something like that happen in your KH? Were we robots like that? Did we had no human emotions when we were in the JW cult?

ootb

White Dove

I'm guilty of not babysitting a sister's kids when she needed to get a broken tooth fixed. It was causing her pain and I said that I would but I had plans for service that day. OOOOOOO! I'm so MAD at myself for that! Never again will I ignore another fellow human or animal's needs like that. It was such a horrible thing for me to do. I don't know if she was able to get someone to watch her kids so she could go to the dentist.

OnTheWayOut

No deaths in the Hall or assemblies, but we had this elderly couple that walked to the Kingdom Hall from about 2 blocks away. They would sometimes arrive late and would want to sit up front to the side. The reason was that the fellow was very very tall and had difficulty in his advanced age reaching down to the chair to sit gently. The front row to the side had a railing for stepping up onto the platform and he used this railing for support to sit down.

It worked quite well, but he was a bit of a weak man. He fell in the aisle more than a handful of times. The first couple of times, some of the elders and attendants would get him up on his feet as fast as possible and walk him into his favorite chair immediately so as not to "disturb" the public talk and those listening.

I saw this and realized what a stupid idea it was. The next time it happened, I stepped inbetween those trying to hurry him up. I got in their way and spoke loudly enough for him to hear me (disturbing the public talk). I ascertained if he was okay, if he felt any pains in any bones or muscles, particularly the arms and legs. After confirming no special pains, I asked him if he was ready to get up or if he needed time. I had dubs sitting right next to where he fell move out of their seats and helped him into their seat without fully standing erect.

I was chewed out after the meeting by a couple of elders (I was not one at the time) for interupting the meeting. I stood my ground and told them that we had to make sure the person wasn't hurt first and foremost or give him the aid he needed. One elder agreed with me and supported what I said. He stood in the way of the attendants and did it right the next time that happened.

life is to short

My husband was the school overseer and he was having a heart attack. He did not tell me he was having chest pains as I would have made him go to the hospital right then. He felt the meeting was more important then his life. So he conducted the school then sat through most of the service meeting as he did not want to disrupt that meeting either. He went into the back of the hall right before the song. I had gotten to the meeting late that night because of working late and I just did not notice he was not feeling well until the last song. I flew to the back and asked him what was wrong, still he would not tell me but asked me to go get one of the other elders. I ran to this one elder he wanted and this brother came into the back room. It was then that my husband let it out that he was having a heart attack and that he had been to the doctor that afternoon and the doctor had told him he had, had a mild heart attack that weekend. The doctor had made an appointment for him the next day at the hospital for more tests to be run as the doctor felt he would be OK until then. Well he had a major heart attack that night at the meeting. Never let your husband go to the doctor alone is one big thing I learned from all of this. Well anyway this elder just looks at my husband and does nothing. I was in shock and said to my husband you have got to get to the hospital right now. This stupid elder just stands there. I grab my keys as I was just thinking this cannot be happening. As I was leaving getting into my car this elders says to me do you think you can drive him? OH MY WORD. It was not let me drive you or call lets call 911, it was just like no big deal to this elder that my husband was having a heart attack. Then this elder finally makes it up to the hospital after he finishes the meeting and he told me well I will make sure you husband is not handing the school for a couple of months. Never happened. My husband was right back the next week.

For his second heart attack, it happened again on the meeting night but this time he was at work. I tried to call the PO and let him know my husband would not be conducting the school that night. I was truly afraid they might try to make him if they let him out of the hospital. The PO's wife answered the phone and when I told her my husband was in the hospital again having another heart attack she said what do you want me to do about it. I have to go out in service and I do not know how to get a hold of my husband anyway. I was so hurt. I said well I am driving to the hospital and when and if you ever see your husband again could you just let him know that my husband is in the hospital with another heart attack. All she could say is that I have to go out in service. She never did come up to the hospital nor did she call to see how we were doing.

It is unbelievable now that I just felt that was normal.

zagor

actually I remember years ago, this middle aged gent ran out and was found dead some 200 meters down the road from congregation by like you said "wordly people". I've found later he was a (wordly) husband of a sister from a congregation on the other side of the country. I think at the time he was trying to get closer to his own wife by attending meeting, might have been memorial too actually but memory is getting hazy there. He was at our end on business but still decided to attend the meeting. But what shocked me at the time was a comment of this elder "oh boy imagine if he died in the kingdom hall, how lucky for us he ran out" If memory serves me well they even commented it might have been "an angel" who prompted him to run out so as to avoid "embarassing situation". His body was again dealt with by "worldy people" who ensured it was examined and handled humanely and with dignity while asses in congregation stayed at the distance feeling good about themselves.

zombie dub

The PO's wife answered the phone and when I told her my husband was in the hospital again having another heart attack she said what do you want me to do about it.

sounds about right, I was really ill for about a month a while back and called the PO to let him know I couldn't do a talk, he didn't give a shit. Called again the next week and said I was no better, just didn't even acknowledge it, just like I was a huge inconvenience to him.

truman

I remember a Public Talk at which the 'brother' giving the talk became so overcome with 'something' that he nearly fainted and had to leave the stage because he could not continue. Instead of any reasonable alternative, what happened was that a local elder (known for his stage abilities and showmanship) came to the lectern and finished out the alloted time for the talk himself--off the cuff. Everyone oohhed and aahhed about how he did that and kept the congregation from losing out on any of Jehovah's fine spiritual blessings that afternoon. Don't know what happened to the original speaker. We all just forgot about him, I think. Pretty pitiful.

cantleave

A while ago a sister was giving a talk on the platform. Unbeknown to her as she moved the chair back to sit down one of the chair legs was dangling over the edge of the platform so as soon as she took her seat the sister and chair toppled off the platform landing in a heap on the floor. The platform attendant rushed forward and picked up the chair, checked it was ok and put it back on the platform leaving the sister lying on the floor. He then went back to his seat.

The sister told me when she sat up all she could see were rows of serious looking brothers and sisters just waiting for her to get up. No one asked if she was ok or if she needed a moment, they were all waiting for the talk. She got up, went back on the platform, gave the talk and got off. The school servant never mentioned the fall in his counsel. She said it was a shame she wasn't working on introductions to arouse interest.

This incident shows not so much the lack of compassion since when she talked to people privately they all expressed how concerned they were. It shows the level of control at the meeting, noone wants to make a scene or do something wrong so they would rather do nothing than something. Hopefully now we can give full reign to human compassion.

under the radar

Hey truman :

Did the incident you mention by any chance happen in Nesbit, MS sometime in the late 80's or early 90's? I don't remember when, but the exact same thing happened one Sunday when I was there. As it happened, the speaker's fleshly brother was the one who stepped up and finished the talk from the outline. Did a pretty good job, too.

In this case, however, the sick one DID get attention and was treated with loving concern by several elders and others. And his brother, who finished the talk for him, is actually very nice and humble and unassuming. Not one to put on airs at all. I know there are plenty of "showboats" among the dubs, and I have seen plenty of cases of callousness and lack of concern for others, especially for those of the "lower" classes. But in this specific incident, everything was as it should have been.

Just goes to show that even though the Organization is legalistic cult seeking to contol even the minutiae of its subjects' lives , individual Witnesses can be as sincere, thoughtful, and loving as anyone else. Even the all-powerful Borg can't stomp out the decency in every single one...

truman

Sounds similar, UDR, but mine was in Kansas City Mo in the mid 70s.

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