FLIPPER: The JW religion is harmful on so many levels but especially to emotional and mental health. On a personal level, I am still trying to rid my mind of vestiges of unhealthy JW thinking. I constantly remind myself to live in the here and now. Not later. How sad for deluded JWs to be wishing their lives away like sand in an hourglass. Witnesses like to pride themselves on how 'different' they are from the religions of Christendom who believe in a 'hereafter'. Well guess what? The JW belief is not really different from Christendom's hereafter. The only difference is that JWs hereafter is supposedly here on earth.
Do you Live in the " Here and Now " ? Or Live for " Heaven" or " Paradise " ?
by flipper 22 Replies latest jw friends
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Aussie Oz
Living for the future was of the things that broke me.
Now i live for now, with some common sense toward my older age.
I frequently tell my kids that this life is not a dress rehearsal... its the real deal so make the most of IT.
oz
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flipper
TEC- If a person has a " Christian " belief system I suppose they could live happily in the here and now and for a future " heaven " or " paradise " - however do you consider yourself more happy in day to day living now ? Or do you think you will have MORE happiness when Christ and His alleged "kingdom " comes ? How will that Kingdom cause you more happiness than what you can create and find within yourself now ? Just curious. Not trying to doubt you, I'm interested in your answer. Thanks.
LONG HAIR GAL- I agree with your outlook on things. It really is sad for Witnesses as they have invested so many years into waiting for the WT society " false promise " to appear. ( 132 years to be exact. 1879 - 2011 ) That's a LONG time to trust in a religious cult for future happiness when nothing has happened. JW beliefs ARE harmful to mental & emotional health indeed. Like yourself, I too constantly remind myself to live for the here and now also. I don't know what you have found, but I find it MUCH more enjoyable to live in the present. It's like you REALLY experience it NOW- instead of zoning out or tuning out. Have you experienced that also ? Peace out, Mr. Flipper
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flipper
AUSSIE OZ- I agree with you. This life is NOT a dress rehearsal, it IS the real thing. If I pinch myself I hurt. Thus I know I exist. If I bump my head, it hurts. So it's reality. So yeah, I agree gotta make the best out of THIS life we have, because it may be the ONLY shot we get ! That's good you teach your kids that too- it will help them get away from the JW influence on them
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tec
Peace and love are what I consider 'happiness', so I think I would be more happy then, yes. I would be more at peace, I would have a fullness/completeness to that peace and to love than what I have now. I can enjoy moments as they come, now, in day to day living. But I do look forward to that fullness and that completeness, and I will not deny that the hope of this does not offer me strength and comfort during hard (emotional) times.
Its not a jw mindset though. I don't sacrifice things or toe the line to get to a prize. It is love that motivates.
Tammy
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chickpea
as far as i know, "this" is "it"....
no one can prove otherwise, and
there is nothing convincing about
an afterlife or reward destination....get busy living, this is probably the whole enchilada....
extra onions, por favor
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WTWizard
Here's the problem. You give up a lot now. In the course of here and now (and, I mean a reasonable distance in both future and past, as well as the absolute present), you have plenty to prepare for. Spring is coming--do you start planning on what needs to be done when it comes? Some are planning a garden; others, to fix things once the ice and snow melts. In the meantime, you can enjoy the snow and ice while it lasts--the snow days, the looks of the snow and ice, and winter sports.
Once spring gets here, you can look ahead to summer vacation and get ready for that. You will have much to do to get ready if you are going out of town. You begin to think about the cost, and prepare for it now. Or, you get your yard ready so you can enjoy the summer when it gets here. In the meantime, you can enjoy Easter along with the flowers and warmer temperatures that spring brings.
Then in summer, you begin to prepare for fall. If you have children, getting them ready for another school year starts in July (like it or not). You start getting ready by making sure you have fall clothing. Meanwhile, you enjoy the lazy days of summer, the vacation you (hopefully) prepared for in spring, and the ability to get your suntans.
Fall gets here, and there is a lot to get ready for. You are now getting ready for winter. Halloween and Christmas must be planned for now, as is what you are going to do about snow removal in your driveway. You are thinking of fixing your heating system, getting things buttoned down for bitter cold, and getting your winter appareil in gear. All the while, you enjoy watching the leaves change color, the end of those muggy days and the beginning of colder weather, and harvest time. Your children are also in school, so you prepare them for what lies ahead in terms of tests and projects.
Then, Christmas time comes. Chances are good that you are now busy shopping for gifts. Some of you are also shopping ahead for emergency supplies such as batteries, chargers, flashlights, and candles (for the inevitable blackouts). You are also busy getting your menu prepared, getting your place ready for guests, and planning a memorable Christmas. All the while, you are enjoying the Christmas carols and all the lights that [should be] put up in people's yards.
Now, what do the witlesses have? Unlike the worldly people planning for the above, their "sometime" never comes. Nor does their preparation have practical purposes. Getting ready for a fake energy crisis that never comes in your region at least leaves you ready for the regular blackouts that inevitably hit--but, when you have to waste all your time in pious works (such as going door to door spreading religion), that has absolutely no practical value. Instead, they are thinking ahead at the time when they get to live forever in perfect health. And, every time it gets near, it gets rolled back. Meanwhile, unlike the worldly people mentioned above, they are not doing anything for the present. Notice that, despite planning for the future, most worldly people are busy enjoying the present as well. The witlesses are not.
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flipper
TEC- If you are getting peace in your life day to day by a future hope , if that helps you and it's what you need for happiness - then I respect that. Everybody is different. One size doesn't fit all. But if it helps you, then I'm glad you are happy and fulfilled.
CHICKPEA- I tend to agree with your stance. This may be it. This life we have right here, right now. So we need to get busy enjoying life, finding happiness in case there IS NOT an afterlife. One reason I try to enjoy life day by day and enjoy the journey !
WT WIZARD- Good points you make. The Witnesses are aLWAYS having that carrot held in front of them by the WT society about living forever- then it gets pulled away from them again and again. They have been told for 132 years now that they are in the last days and they will " live forever". But it's a lie. So it causes them to ALWAYS look to the future for happiness - not the present. You are correct- non-witness people are involved in seasonal planning operations in spring, summer, fall, and winter. But they are always doing that in the here and now - enjoying the present. Most JW's aren't. Interesting way you put it
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poppers
What Farkel said.
It's always now; this moment is it, and everything else is imagination and memory, but even those happen now. It's just that people put more stock into the past, which can never be changed, or into a future that can only exist in the mind, and the amazing thing is that when they do that they miss the only reality that exists - now.
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flipper
POPPERS- Very true- the only reality we have is right here, right now. Everything else is stage fright of expectations or wishful thinking. So true.Peace out, Mr. Flipper