elder from my former cong

jookbeard

I left the WTS in the early 1990's and I was baptised at the same assembly as this elder and his wife in the late 1980's they were probably in their early 50's back then, you know the kind; get called on, become a study and take to life as a jw like a duck takes to water, a dream call for all jw's and we went onto to be good friends with them over the years, the book study was held in their house also, he quietly progressed up the jw ladder became an MS then elder, a few months after I started my fade I saw him one day while I waited for a bus and he acknowledged me I said hi etc and he started a verbal tirade towards me about me knowing its the truth, how close we are living to the end, how stupid I was turning my back on it etc blah blah blah, I couldn't really get a word in edge ways, I bid him good day and that was that, he really was quite angry, I never saw him again until recently over 25 years later when him and his wife and their son were having a meal in my local pub, he was standing at the bar ordering, I saw him acknowledged him said Hi and he looked straight through me, he said "do I know you ?" I replied " hey Eddie its Jookbeard from the ********** congregation, surely you remember me?" he said sorry I've never seen you before in my life, his wife came over to help him with his drinks and I said "hey Pat, how are you?" likewise she stared blankly at me clueless as to who I was, their son came over and he recognised me and we had a chat for a few minutes , I knew him he studied in and off for a few years and he explained he was now baptised his mum and dad had moved into my town and kind of felt embarrassed for his parents and joked about how the old memory fails as you get older etc. I kind of felt sorry for this couple caught up in the fervour of the impending millennium and how close we were meant to be to the end, all those years they invested and wasted to the extent where they are now an old couple that time has caught up with, that initial confrontation all those years back is still fresh in my memory yet this old elder cant even remember a second of it.

The Fall Guy

They are to be pitied more than resented.

MightyV8

The Fall Guy
They are to be pitied more than resented.

I agree.

zeb

So do I, what they cant remember or don't wish too?

and any fortune they have had has been funnelled to the wt? Such too is tragic.

stillin

Sad story

scratchme1010

I kind of felt sorry for this couple caught up in the fervour of the impending millennium and how close we were meant to be to the end, all those years they invested and wasted to the extent where they are now an old couple that time has caught up with, that initial confrontation all those years back is still fresh in my memory yet this old elder cant even remember a second of it.

It's very sad to see those things happening, including people we get to love and grow up with. I guess that it was a good thing in my case that I didn't connect with JWs at all.

Something I'd think about is, did he really not recognize you? If he know who you were, I'd had used it against him. He's lying by choice, which means that he's sinning, which means that his Jehovah doesn't love him, which means that all those 25 years have been wasted because he lied and now he's still going to get killed by his own Jehovah.

I know I'm heartless.

jookbeard

dont think so Scratchme, his son would have definitely known of my status and we made some small talk after the initial contact, I doubt he was practising for an acting role.

Diogenesister

I feel sorry for the son, personally. At least if they didn't join until their 50s they had the better part of their lives ( school, college, choice of marriage partner, gay or straight.... Oh u get it) in freedom - but I guess the poor son had the F.O.G imposed on him fairly youngish?

days of future passed

There is a Korean proverb - Those that get beaten, remember.

Meaning the one that wields the stick to beat on the other, forgets about it. But the one beaten by the stick, doesn't. So it's very possible he didn't remember it all. Got all his anger out on you, felt justified and satisfied and then forgot about it and you. Proverbial wipe the dust off your feet thing.

Still a sad thing tho.

jookbeard

Diogenesister, their son is in his 50's about my age, he had already left home and getting on with his life when his mum and dad joined the WTS

elder from my former cong

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