Oh yes, do I ever remember going to meetings because of being obligated ? You bet I remember. My folks got into the Witnesses before I was born so yeah, I had no choice the first 18 years of my life ! I was tired due to attending school and having to stay at meetings until 9:40 P.M. and get home by 10:30 P.M. or 11:00 P.M. due to my dad's elder commitments - yeah it got old in a hurry. One reason my mom let me sleep through meetings on the floor as a little boy. ( Yay mom ! ) Or attending those gawd awful 6 day conventions at Dodger Stadium sitting in the sun all day from 9 : 00 A.M. in the morning until 9 : 00 P.M. at night was like abuse ! The only saving grace was getting a grape flavored snow cone at lunch time ! For a 9 or 10 year old it was like torture- literally.
Then back in the 1980's when I got older raising my kids up in it I had to pay $ 400.00 per weekend to $500.00 just to eat and get hotel rooms for my family to attend these wacky JW conventions - all the while as my then JW wife who didn't work secularly but pioneered- guilted me to donate more contributions to " Jehovah " to show "appreciation " for the " fine spiritual food " we allegedly received from the WT Society.
And it goes on and on . Having to rush to meetings to open the magazine counter and change out my clothes at work into meeting clothes just to get to meetings on time to do my " responsibilities " - then after the meeting rush to my jobs change back into my work clothes at 10:30 P.M. and work all night while my " brothers & sisters " went back home to their families sleeping like normal humans. Can anybody say " felt like a hamster on a treadmill syndrome " ? These are the things I remember from years ago being " obligated " to attend these meetings. It robbed the joy and spontaneity out of my life. Not much fun. I'm so much happier now
