Some Random Thoughts on Fear

joelbear

I've always blamed my father for lots of stuff. I think he's a victim too though. He is a victim of his fears.

Watchtower played on our fears of taking risks in life. Yeah, taking a blood transfusion to save your life is a risk. Going to college, pursuing your dreams, a risk. Bonding yourself to the person you love no matter where you meet them. Lots of things are.

The only happy witnesses are the ones that are able to totally sublimate their dreams and desires. I've never known a happy Jehovah's Witness.

The real enemy is the fear itself. The fear is what makes us susceptible to concepts like. "In just a few years, all your worries will be over, all you have to do is ....."

I realize that fear is behind the great majority of bad decisions I have made and continue to make in my life. Fear is what turns me into a total ass even among my friends when it gets out of control.

I'm tired of being afraid. I wish others in my family were willing to battle fear together with me, but most of them have succumbed.

What is the opposite of fear? Bravery? Hope? Determination? Optimism?
Probably some of all of them.

Life is right there. I can smell it, feel it. I am aware that it is there but cannot reach it. Fear to me seems like a raging fire and on the other side of it is life. Can I move through the fire to life?

Peace

Joel

Gopher

As JW's, we were held captive to many senseless fears. Fear of demons, fear of apostates, fear of spiritual weakness in others, fear of our own imperfections, fear of the elders/organization.

It takes awhile, maybe a lifetime, to untangle from all that and begin to approach normalcy.

I don't know that we can do a complete U-turn in a short time. I believe our progress is made in taking small risks, even when a voice on the inside (our old JW-training) tells us maybe we shouldn't take that risk....By risk, I mean risking doing things that are normal behavior that we would not have done as JW's, whether it be small things like a simple birthday celebration, to larger things such as showing unconditional love or giving someone the benefit of the doubt rather than being on guard against a possible weakness on their part.

Some of the stains of the JW ideology will probably remain in us for life, but we don't have to be totally captive to the fears that had been instilled in us.

Just think of Bill Murray's "Bob" in the movie "What about Bob?"... where his learned technique was "baby step, baby step".

J.R.Why shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)

happy man

You say:

The only happy witnesses are the ones that are able to totally sublimate their dreams and desires. I've never known a happy Jehovah's Witness.
Well i think you must bee blind, here you have one, happiness what is it?
you must have a goal, and i think belonging too Jw have some very dood points, we have brothers and sisteras all over the word,
as i think you now,myself i have realy sen it when i have been i many countrys inkl USA.
never forget the hospitality i have from peoeple i Us when i was ther, where can we find this in the word today, wery difficult.
One famyli from my cong here in sweden was intrexas 2 month ago, peopel who they never sen, take them on tour for 2 days andpaid evrything, this is only one exampel.
Dispite all problems who we now is there,we can bee realy happy that we have 6 millions of freinds all over the word,
it is very hard fore mee to understand that some of you here never seem s too hade discover this, one reason that i am here is that I still have feelings for my former brothers and sisters.
Ofcourse this hard spirit of the word influense us, and some start to play masters and some try to find wrong things evrywhere.
for mee it is fantastisc that whe have one nation who not are inn this mess all over the word, widh this nationalism, bevare of that you US folks, it is a very danger priosion, Dan 2; 44 is a very good scriopture to read, weel this was only what i think,
have a good day , and take care whatever you think and try to follow.

moman

happyman,

You maybe confusing 'happiness' with the contentedness of a brainwashed sheep.
In my opinion, any form of happiness must first stem from freedom of thought.
As a Jehovahas Witnesses your whole life is a reflection of how the Society interprets the bible & if they are wrong, so are you.
The historic facts show that the WT doctrine is full of deceit & inaccuracies, they are FALSE-PROPHETS!
If God has a people, the JW's are not it!
Is this how you want to live your life, following liers & working free for a corporation?
How you can read the posts on this board & still be a JW is a case-study in mind-control.
If you truly believe they are brothers & true friends, try speaking the TRUTH about the LIE of the JW's, then you will find out how loving these people are!

Lady Lee

pssst happy man - the JWs do NOT have a monopoly on kindness - no matter what you have been taught.

And if you are so happy what are you doing here disobeying your happy masters who warn you of the internet and websites where apostates hang out???

Rejoice in the healing and not in the pain.
Rejoice in the challenge overcome and not in the past hurts.
Rejoice in the present - full of love and joy.
Rejoice in the future for it is filled with new horizons yet to be explored. - Lee Marsh 2002

Guest 77

It's whatever turns you on HappyMan. To others, their happiness is being DA. Happiness is a spiritual quality not a religious one.

Guest 77

teejay

The only happy witnesses are the ones that are able to totally sublimate their dreams and desires. I've never known a happy Jehovah's Witness.

Joel,

I totally agree that being raised a Witness completely stripped me of whatever dreams and passion I had for living, long ago supplanting them with the deep hope that all of my needs would one day be filled by God in the New World. I was satisfied to put my life on hold and wait till then.

On the other hand, after giving the matter a little thought, I *have* known many happy JWs. I know several right now. These are not mentally challenged people by any means. Only people who have little ambition to make their lives more than what they are... people who are totally satisfied with the activities and relationships that the Organization offers. In this, they aren't very different than a lot of non- never been-JWs I know who are members of a church or Mosque.

I guess it all boils down to what Happy Man said when he asked "happiness – what is it?" Like fear, happiness is only a state of mind. Some people will never be happy regardless of having every reason for being so. Others, with little reason to be happy to the objective onlooker, are quite content – happy, even – and consider themselves quite rich.

Attitude, expectations, state of mind... they all play a part.

bigboi

I can definitely understand being afraid of taking risks. I gave up playing football in high school because I didn't want to risk being on the football field or at a practice when Armageddon started. I didn't want to risk being led away from the 'truth' due to the various temptations that the college life of an athlete was sure to bring.

Just about everything that can bring it's members a little success or happiness is a potential risk to the spirituality of a jw. When you think about it that way then u begin to realize the impotence of the Watchtower god.

ONE.....

bigboi

Kristen

Fear is a great motivator. Marketers use it all of the time in advertising to sell products. And it was a great motivator used in the Organization. I lived my JW life doing all I could to please God and men and fearing judgement, armageddon, and death. Hoping that I might fall into the probably you will be saved category...

Joel, have you ever had the opportunity to read a book called Life 101—Everything We Wished We Had Learned About Life In School—But Didn't by Peter McWilliams? It has several great discussions about our emotions and fear, and gives some interesting thoughts on managing the fears we feel.

I see the book all the time on my local library's shelf. I read it first several years ago when I was still an active JW. I recently started to read it again and I'm amazed at how differently I absorb the information now that I'm older and am no longer set in the JW belief system.

I think you may enjoy reading the book.

Take care,
Kristen

LDH

Joel, who loves ya babe? (((((((((HUGS)))))))))) Gopher had great advice.

Gopher, oh-my-gawd, that was my 1st thought too! I just watched that with my kid!

A dog
a log
a frog
a noodle
a doodle
a poodle.

LOL!

Some Random Thoughts on Fear

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