"The path of least resistance..."

by logansrun 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  logansrun

  If I could have a dollar for the number of times I've heard an "older, experienced" JW talk about young-ones taking the "path of least resistance" and "going to the world" I would be richer than George Soros. Truth in fact, for some young Witnesses, peer pressure does lead them to forsake the organization and follow (for them) what is the "path of least resistance." My experience is that these younger ones generally have only one parent who is a JW and usually "weak" at that. Leaving the organization, then, is the easier route to take.

  But for others the "path of least resistance" is the exact OPPOSITE of what the society says it is. Indeed, for people like myself -- for younger ones who were groomed for pioneering, Bethel service and the like -- the path of GREATER resistance is LEAVING the organization. It's the harder course to take! The social pressures -- the PEER pressure -- to stay a JW is ENORMOUS. It takes a lot to leave such a mind-controlling -- and behavior-controlling -- group.

  So, in my estimation, the JWs are correct. The problem is, indeed, in younger people taking "the path of least resistance."

  Bradley
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  kwintestal

  Well said.

  It is much more difficult to stay as a JW then it is to leave.

  Kwin
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  gumby

  the path of GREATER resistance is LEAVING the organization. It's the harder course to take!

  Especially for those with close family involved that must suffer the consequences of exiting.

  Their input on this however is concerning 'selfish'pursuits. They feel those who leave want to live for themselves, rather than serve Jehovah using his guidlines for living. This they say is easier.

  As you say...it is not easier. It's not, because reality sets in that you might die one of these days and you never expected to die. This new belief in itself is a tougher course as it tells you to get off your ass and don't expect any miracles from Jehovah any longer.

  It also requires you now have to "refigure" life all over again.

  Gumby
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  Gopher

  That's right, Bradley. Anyone who RESISTS the organization is demonized by it.

  After all, Satan the Devil means RESISTER and slanderer. You shall not resist, it is futile and will lead to your certain death at Armageddon (and a slower social death by shunning).

  Indeed, it would seem to many easier to just stay in the organization.
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  outoftheorg

  For me it was easier to stay in the org., until the pressure to concede to their demands and the mental awareness of their hypocrisy grew too large to ignore.

  For me that was when the s++t hit the fan. Then the explosion cost me some of my family and my marriage.

  This opened up another way of life. Filled with the freedom, love, happiness and understanding that had been preached to me and never delivered by the WBTS.

  Outoftheorg
• 

  czarofmischief

  I remember waking up at around fifteen or so, and saying, "I'm not going to any more meetings." and my dad said, "Well, then you'd better find somewhere else to live." And then I said, "ok, I'll go, but I'll just be faking it." I faked it so well I fooled myself.

  What a waste of life. Sheesh, can't believe people fall for it still...

  CZAR
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  Markfromcali

  You know, if you stop and look at that saying it's really just focused around a certain way of thinking or way of living - anything that deviates from that would constitute resistance. But of course, most reasonable adults would recognize the world doesn't revolve around you, yet in the JW world view that's basically the case, the world is under Satan's power, and he's there to resist you in your effort to be a good Witness and all that stuff. I even remember hearing such an idiotic reasoning that if you're having a hard time, you must be doing something right because that just means Satan is working hard.. Well here's an alternative folks, it may just be YOU. If you really are hard nosed about being a certain way, and the world being as diverse as it is doesn't necessarily support that (the "resistance") then you will most certainly not have an easy time by virtue of your anal retentive ways. Hello? Is anyone home?
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  Mysterious

  In many ways they also hold this true of those who would follow other religious faiths (or perhaps none at all) are also taking the path of least resistance. To me it takes very little effort to follow the letter of the law on everything, to the point where specific movies and books are condemned on assembly parts. Compare that to a close friend of mine who is an atheist. She is a very moral person, the only difference is that her values are based on her own personal beliefs not on what someone decides to impose on her. It's a lot harder to make your own decisions and judgements and live outside the "protective net" of "the society" especially if you were raised in it.
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  Markfromcali

  One way to look at it is your self structure may change when there is the experience of resistance, at least it is easy to see when the issue of self causes a struggle. You basically have a part that wants to hang on to something, and another part that wants it another way. Of course one comfortable with the JW identity may experience it as little resistance, even if they have worldly people who may be challenging in some way - in this case they essentially ignore the outside world and retreat into the JWism of the mind or the congregation. There is another possibility of experiencing little or no resistance though, which is a state of mind that is fluid and without inner conflict, so what might be construed as a self structure is simply a continually changing structure, but not something identified with as self. Leaving the JWs is dropping one self structure, and there may be a lot of effort put into finding another permanent structure - but ultimately no static structure will respond to a changing environment without resistance. So you can see from this perspective, it isn't that there is some external force resisting you, but since your environment changes and you don't, there will inevitably be something that doesn't agree with your static position, somewhere down the line.

  So in a nutshell, I guess you can say what would be most useful is to consider why there is the experience of resistance in any given case, and in general that would be a certain fixed position in the midst of a dynamic world.
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  fleaman uk

  I totally agree with you Bradley!

  I stayed in for an extra 5/6 Years because it was EASIER that way.Then i just ground to a halt and said enough is enough.

  Lifes even easier now though!