Interesting experience I had Friday morning :
Here is Illinois we had freezing rain, so while waiting for the train at 8:00 am people were slipping and sliding all over the place. I was on the platform, 5 minutes before the train pulled in, quite a few people were also waiting.
A lady ( about 40 years old) was holding onto her Mother, who looked to be in her mid 70's as they crossed the track platform.
Suddenly the Mother slipped and fell, I dropped my coffee and ran over to help her along with one other man. We each grabbed a shoulder and lifted the older lady up. She was more embarrassed than anything, but I walked her over to the platform shelter and we talked about where we each lived, and our families. Her and her daughter were so happy that us two guys helped her.
Now when something like this happens, I completely block out who is around, or what is going on, but as the train pulled up she hung onto my arm and we kept talking as we walked slowly to the train. Her daughter and I helped her get into the right side of the train car, and I wished them a good day. Then I turned and went into the left side of the car. As I sat down a young man who had a son of about four years old sat across the aisle from me. The boy kept asking his dad why are there colored lights wrapped around the light poles?
My antenna went up and I realized that the dad was a member of the hall I once attended. The little boy kept glancing over at me, and talking to his father. Suddenly the boy was asking questions about " that bad man" while looking at me, not anyone else on the train. ( remember, this is rush hour, so it is pretty crowded).
I got off the train about twenty minutes later, and he was still talking about the bad man. Standing in the vestibule, I looked back and the little boy was staring at me.
It kind of shattered me for most of the day. Helping an old lady who had fallen,is not important. Tell your kid that I'm bad because I no longer go to the hall is the most important thing.
Perhaps I'm reading into this too deep, but going back to the jw mindset. and knowing this dad when he was younger the story completly comes together
Ah yes, raising a child to believe in the jw way of thinking, what a wonderful thing, no wonder so many leave !