Black and White Thinking (page 2)

Lady Lee

Shotgun

End of conversation..mental block is up

lol it is because of this mental block up that they are so hard to talk to. They know party line and can't think "outside of the box"

Lady Lee

JamesThomas

We can choose to no longer fall into the same old preprogrammed reactions. We are free to some degree from the mind and it's attached emotions (which can lead us into deeper questions like "if I am not the mind and emotions as I had for so long believed myself to be, then who am, really?")

Yup and to choose means we must consciously aware of what is happening inside us both mentally and emotionally. In the beginning I could only do that well after the fact once I was no longer caught in the emotional impact. With practice the time span went from 2 weeks later to 2 days later to 2 hours later. Now I can cath it while it is happening (most of the time) and can consciously work on making better choices.

Lady Lee, how can we use knowledge of the Witnesses "black and white" thinking to help in our communication with them? What are the main things you would recommend that may make conversations with Witnesses more fruitful?

I have found that what works best for me and my communication style is to stay away from doctrine and beliefs. I go for the emotions very gently probing to arouse the hurt within them, their losses at the things they have given up. If I can connect on this level then I open the door to the true self (vs the "new personality" of the WTS). I try to keep them in that emotional state because it is one of the things the WTS doesn't pay too much attention to. In fact most of their indoctrination techniques are mental not emotional. If I get them thinking on this emotional level they seem to be better able to listen and begin to think again. I try to stay away from WT terminology as much as possible and try to connect with them in real life terms Working on the other end the using the WT beliefs just seems to lock them up and close them off to any thinking at all.

justhuman

Since my break away of the WT I realize that there are so many colours in our lifes that I never thought about them. So many things to think about, and you feel that the gates of knowledge are open. But my favored colour is BLUE

BLUE:Is the sky that is above me and it is alaways so nice under the Mediterranean Sea

BLUE:Is the sea that is always so strange and reminds me of a woman.

BLUE:Are the eyes of my 2 daughters

BLUE:Are the eyes of my wife

BLUE:Is the flag of my country GREECE.

And that BLUE FLAG reminds me what is really to be free. And the Heritage of thousands of years that I hold on through the centuries.

GREECE: The land were Democracy was born before 2500 years

The land the FREEDOM OF SPEECH and THOUGHT was one of the basic right of each person

The place of the OLYMPIC games, were all the wars had to stop when the games started.

WE HAVE THE FLAME, WE MAKE THE LIGHT STRONGER

ATHENS 2004

rocketman

As many of us recognize life as a JW is stressful. There are constant demands to do more and little commendation for work well done. Keeping a person in this stressful state reinforces the child-like behavior of easy acceptance of what is told without question.

Right on the money LL.

Which would of course explain why mature thinking adults who are under a degree of stress in their lives might be more susectible to the hooks presented by cults.

Poztate

Excellent post Lady Lee,

The use of black @white thinking with JW's is very annoying.Try to raise any issues or discuss any point and you run into a mental roadblock.

The simple black@ white answer comes automatically to mind and all further thought processes cease.They indeed have the mindset of a small child.To them this is a comfort that insulates them from reality and the real world.I think many of them would have trouble functioning in the real world if this simplistic view was taken away from them.

talesin

hugs to all

DanTheMan

Excellent thread.

So easy (now) to see how the dynamic works - take an adult who is having problems coping with the grey areas and the myriad choices that life presents, and offer them an explain-it-all book like the Live Forever book.

Then give them a routine where the worldview is constantly reinforced, where the information flows one way, and claim divine guidance for your writings. Continually ask them if they are meeting up to the expectations. Pretty soon, you have an unthinking drone, utterly unable to exist apart from your organization. The power must be intoxicating.

Lady Lee

just human

Since my break away of the WT I realize that there are so many colours in our lifes that I never thought about them. So many things to think about, and you feel that the gates of knowledge are open.

Yes the world is full of opportunity. We need to be ready to seek it out and explore.

My favorite color has always been purple. I find all kinds of ways to include it in my life.

Lady Lee

Thank you rocketman and talesin

Lady Lee

Poztate

The simple black@ white answer comes automatically to mind and all further thought processes cease.They indeed have the mindset of a small child.To them this is a comfort that insulates them from reality and the real world.I think many of them would have trouble functioning in the real world if this simplistic view was taken away from them.

Agreed. People like my mother feel safe with the rules. They don't need to think for themselves. Life is easier that way. Sadly they don't realize the price they are paying for that seeming safety

Black and White Thinking

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