Direction Literally Creates Time

Big Jim

One day a traveler in a remote country town,convinced that he was on the wrong road,came to a halt in a village. Calling one of the villagers to the car window,he said, "Friend,I need help. I'm lost."

The villager looked at him for a moment. "Do you know where you are?" he asked.

"Yes,"said the traveler."I saw the name of your town as I entered."

The man nodded his head, "Do you know where you want to be?"

"Yes," the traveler replied.

"Your not lost," he said,"you just need directions."

I think a lot of people who leave the truth (as they call it) are in the same position as that traveler. We know where we are-sometimes disappointed,dissatisfied,and experiencing little peace of mind. And we know where we want to be-at peace,fullfilled and living life abundantly. Like the traveler,we are not lost-we just need new directions.

THE STEPS OF GOOD MEN ARE DIRECTED BY THE LORD.
HE DELIGHTS IN EACH STEP THEY TAKE.
PSALMS 37:23

Yerusalyim

Good analogy. Problem is, on leaving the Borg many are fleeing, and don't know where they want to go. Unfortuantely, too many of them end up not only leaving the BORG< but also abandoning Christianity all together.

YERUSALYIM

There is more of heaven and earth than is dreamt of in your philosphy, Horatio.

Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities

willy_think

hi jim,

if you choose to be a christian you do have a map. why ask directions of men?

the ideas and opinions expressed in this post do not necessiarly represent those of the WTB&TS inc. or any of it's subsidiary corporations.

dark clouds

when i left the borg i knew very well where i was going
as far away as possible. . .

thanks for the metaphor Jim

cecil

Hi Big Jim.

Thanks for the post. It made me think: I hope I'll meet somebody who can assure me, that I'm not lost, when I come to the point, where I'll have to ask for help!

In fact I wish everybody, who is about to 'travel' will meet such a person, that has the wisdom to reason the way your 'villager' did...

cecil

Carmel

Yeru,

not to sound contentious but why do you say "unfortunately" when it comes to growing out of christianity if it means becoming a better person, more loving, nuturing, thoughful, kind, patient, forgiving, etc. etc. etc.?

carmel who's been there done that

patio34

I don't think of it so much as fleeing, but running TO a new education, a new life free of the requirements of WTS, free to pursue other interests with non-jws (e.g., hiking clubs, book clubs, geneaology groups, etc.), make new friends (heck, make friends period!).

So, for me, it's running to something in addition to leaving something behind.

Patio

Carmel

Cecil,

Just to share with you what happened to me many years ago.

Three years after I ejected from the "mother ship" I was offered a basketball scholarship at a fairly new Jr. College. The first day of school my advisor, who was also my philosophy teacher, gave the new freshmen a tour of the school. When we got to the library which was a rather modest one, we got a real talking to about expanding our horizons. At one point he stood by the religion section and told us that here we would find some of the most controversial ideas known to man but that we should not be afraid of ideas that challenge our preconceived notions. We should not shrink from reading Marx when we want to understand political ideas that we may not accept, and at the same time we shouldn't shrink from learning the religious and cultural pardigms of other societies and cultures.

It was and has been a wild but delightful ride for me. I will always be excited by an author that approaches contending ideas with an honest and creative approach. Each time I read a Taoist or Baha'i or Buddhist author that examines an issue from a new perspective, I feel I have just seen a new facet of a world that I will never totally comprehend.

I am always amused at the fear of people to try to walk a mile in the intellectual shoes of others. They must believe in a god that is so jealous that they dare not look from one side to the other or they will lose salvation. How sad.

carmel

thinkers wife

Big Jim,
Excellent post and analogy. I am happier now than I have ever been! Getting out was the best gift I have ever given myself.
Once you get out I think the map to your life becomes clear.
It is an adventure to put it mildly.
Everyone, enjoy your journey. There are so many new an interesting avenues that we weren't allowed to explore before.
TW

Direction Literally Creates Time

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