I have been on a fade for years, so this is the first time I have been in a KH for months.
The deceased was barely 52 when he died. From cancer. One year younger than me.
The memorial was the standard "read the obituary column word for word, then do the JW commercial for 25 minutes" plus a new twist (to me), they played a video called "Around the Corner"
https://youtu.be/tFCcOYP0VSU
And I remember how, when I was a young and hearty 18 years old, being told I wouldn't have to worry about getting old in this system of things. And that was 35 years ago. Guess what? I am old, too.
They were using that expression, "Just Around The Corner", when I was younger than 18. That corner is a very, very long corner.
https://imgc.allpostersimages.com/img/print/alfred-frueh-just-around-the-corner-new-yorker-cartoon_u-l-q112znz0.jpg?src=gp&w=300&h=300
I have gotten to pondering about the situation so many witnesses are in, and I am reminded of this anecdote:
In a nutshell, in order to keep patients from wandering off the grounds of the nursing home, the staff constructed a fake bus stop. The patients will wait at the stop, for a bus that isn't coming, and it keeps them on the grounds.
And that is what the Paradise Hope (tm) is. It's a fake bus stop that keeps the inmates calm, and keeps them on the grounds of the Borg.
And many of us were waiting at that bus stop for a very, very long time. And gave up our youth, our opportunities, our futures, for a non-existent bus.
I will miss my friend. He was, by all accounts, a decent guy. He was too young to die. And he got lied to, just like I did. Like you did, Like we all did.
Thanks for listening. Glad I have a forum to put these thoughts out there.