Woke up this morning to the realization that the future is now

by campaign of hate 22 Replies latest jw friends

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  campaign of hate

  As the title of the thread says, i woke up this morning realizing more than ever that we should, each and every one of us, live for today and what we can accomplish today, rather than constantly looking toward the future.

  I'm not implying we shouldn't make plans, plans are healthy and advisable, especially if you have healthy commitments.

  But i realized the reason why nothing in my life ever seems to get done, is because i put things off, and look ahead 10 years down the line, then a few days later realize how much work needs to be put into that said task, then i don't do anything. And so the cycle seems to repeat itself.

  What i think i'm trying to say is that worthwhile endeavors that have a reward at the end, but take many years to get there, need to be challenged one day at a time. 

  I now understand that to get to where we want to be 10 years down the line, we need to focus on today and the hard work that needs to be out into a task one day at a time. you can't go from 0-100% overnight. We need to slowly improve 0.01% a day, one step at a time.

  This has been a huge sticking point for me, but i'm starting to trace it back to the WT belief system. I'm not entirely sure how, could you guys lend your thoughts?
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  freemindfade

  You got it bud. People that have success (and are happy about it) have this view. The WTS trained us this life is crap, do your time slave for the lord blah blah. But thats all crap. We've all been waiting for god to fix things, when really its only us. I hear my moms voice now telling me, you'll never have to go to school, you'll never have to get a license, you'll never have to work in this world. That damaged my life, but today is mine. Best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, second best time is now. Get to living!
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  campaign of hate

  Yeah, it's pretty sick in all honesty.

  Everything in WT land is "short term" goal based, and most "goals" that you can achieve, are achieved in 6-12 months with little to no effort.

  I'm pretty sure that's why long term success that actually takes real work, to me has been quite a scary prospect.
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  freemindfade

  They wore out the word "soon" i think no one can stomach it anymore, or take it literal. Crying wolf for too long
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  Village Idiot

  The Watchtower inculcated in us delayed gratification. I myself, when I was young, put off a spinal correction for scoliosis because I thought that Paradise was just around the corner. It's too late now.
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  freemindfade

  when i was 19 i worked with a PA who was on the faculty at Stanford, she thought I was so bright and wasting my time, she offered to write me letters of rec and help me get into Stanford, I smugly said laughed and turned it down, no thanks, those things aren't important to me. FML. 6 years later I went to college. But they screwed me out of that opportunity. Well i screwed myself by believing I guess
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  prologos

  when you get past 80, and reflect on your close calls, Moto rcyling, heart attack, you appreciate, to firmly anker yourself in the "now", fleeting though it is. Watch good engineers, how they linger to get things right before launch, mothers in their contentment to care for babies (that are not crying). I try to deeply feel the Presence of the now, all the while live in anticipation of the next great experience.

  Do not get yourself into the wt-trap! repeat WT-TRAP,  to work for a goal, "get your time in" etc. . Their goal should never be your goal. Their goal is your perpetual time-loss their perpetual gain.   
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  flipper

  CAMPAIGN of HATE- Yeah, exactly, well put, good thread. As JW's we were always told that the alleged REAL life would be in the future or " paradise ". That we were not LIVING a real life right now- in the here and now. So we were wrongly told by the WT Society to NOT put any emphasis on the importance of living in the here and now. That this life was just a preparation for the alleged " new system ". But that was and still is a crock of $hit.

    JW's were told during Rutherford's WT presidency  to NOT worry about getting married or having children as there would be " plenty of time to do that in God's new world ". That was stated back in 1941 - 74 years ago , so if those young JW's followed that advice they are either all dead with never having married or are in their 90's now having been thrown under the bus by the WT powers that be and stuck in corners like an old useless banjo. And young JW's are STILL in 2015 being told this same load of crap to NOT get married or have children today to put the kingdom, er, WT interests first. If these young JW's follow this advice in the year 2089 THEY will be dead or 90 years old with never having married or having any children.

    Bottom line is the WT Society is an unethical, criminal organization designed to ROB or STEAL away JW members lives so they can NEVER live life for themselves or accomplish anything today in the here and now. The pretend " blessings " are like a carrot dangled in JW's faces that runs out when they all die. And they ALL will die. So will we. Everybody does. So today is the first day of the rest of our life and we should value it as if it's the last. My 2 cents 
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  Separation of Powers

  Be here now......
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  William Penwell

  The last 40 year were not supposed to happen in this system. I was told that from a young child that I would not even graduate HS in this system. Forty years on and I am now retired. I enjoy each day as it comes and I do not worry about tomorrow. A religion is fine if one chooses to believe the fairy tales and as long as it doesn't rule every aspect of your life, like the WT does.