"OntheWayout"........too true, no security and not much savings. That was me!
Are most JW's window washers?
by SlipnSlide 68 Replies latest jw friends
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miseryloveselders
And Miz, would you not agree that the WT, among the world's "major" religions (more than a few million adherents), is one of the worst when it comes to encouraging personal/worldly success? Funny you mention Nation of Islam. I'm not black and I don't mean to bring race into this but when you put poor Sam Herd next to the dynamic Malcolm X, which of those guys do you think would be more proud to see young folks (especially young black folks) with a diploma in their hand?
Good point. Very good point.
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Broken Promises
Windex cures everything. And all English words can be traced to Greek roots.
LOL!!! I love that movie.
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Broken Promises
BTW, I would have had the same reaction as Misery if I hadn't moved into my last congregation. There, they had a high proportion of pioneers, and many of them did window cleaning or general cleaning!!
And like the OP said, I was "encouraged" to give up my office job to join them. And I'm not eletist either, but I didn't have a family to live with or fall back on for financial help, so I wasn't in the position to give up my full-time job for the insecurity of self-employment. So then I was looked down on for not being spiritual enough becos I didn't want to be a window-washing pioneer!
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truthseeker
In my former congregation there were four window washers. Two of them were regular pioneers.
One brother had some lucrative contracts and could afford to work part time. The others struggled.
Income is very much dependent on the weather.
I know of a sister who accompanied her husband in window washing. I don't think she took to it.
Some brothers worked for a loan company, going door to door collecting payments. I felt uncomfortable with this because they were charging people high rates of interest for relatively small loans.
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truthseeker
Agonus,
You make some excellent points. Any talents a brother or sister has are generally not utilized because they are told they should be pursuing spiritual interests.
Some of the friends can play musical instruments and draw but you hardly ever see them doing what they're good at, except on very rare occasions when the congregation organises a "talent show" or a "gathering."
So much potential, so much waste.
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Finally-Free
Any talents a brother or sister has are generally not utilized because they are told they should be pursuing spiritual interests.
I can't count the number of times I was taken to task by JWs for even talking about work, a hobby, or interest that wasn't directly connected to cult activity. It doesn't matter if you're a window cleaner, engineer, doctor, or lawyer - if you're showing "excessive interest" in anything you're doing, a dozen JWs are ready to shoot you down because you're not "putting spiritual things first". Most JWs I knew had "outside interests" but were afraid to talk about them because they knew damned well someone would take them to task and question their "spiritual maturity". This is the cost associated with a JW living up to his/her potential.
For this reason, I believe many JWs hide their talents or stifle them altogether.
W
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Finally-Free
My only beef with the WT, is they should know where to respectfully stand back, and not put their nose in anybody's business. It's none of their business, if someone decides to go to college, or pursue and a career in the arts. They overextend themselves getting involved in what people choose to do for a career.
Unfortunately too many elders choose to make it their business. I had all of my "privileges" removed because I took a part time Cisco security course for a few weeks. The course did not interfere with meetings or FS, but the elders told me I was a bad example to the young ones who should be thinking about pioneering™ instead of careers. They said my taking courses reflected a "materialistic" attitude.
Since they were so down on "materialism", I felt it would be wrong for them to partake of my material benefits, and responded by kicking the book study out of my house. I even piled the BS chairs up on the porch of the conductor, blocking access to his door, after they ignored my repeated requests to remove their chairs from my basement.
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Scott77
Since they were so down on "materialism", I felt it would be wrong for them to partake of my material benefits, and responded by kicking the book study out of my house. I even piled the BS chairs up on the porch of the conductor, blocking access to his door, after they ignored my repeated requests to remove their chairs from my basement.
Finally-Free Wow, I think you was couragious at that. It puzzles me that they continue endlessly to ask, beg, or petition for more donations and they go on to stiffle their membership when some take it up to improve their economic situation and, may be donate more as may be needed. I think, its a contradition. The WTS and congregations depends on donations to survive yet are unable to aid a poor member in time of need.
Scott77