larc

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Posts by larc

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  25

  confused

  by conflicted in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i left the jw's 11 years ago and even though i never looked back i'm constantly concerned about the things i do.

  for example, my wife's family is fairly devout in their faith (catholic) and therefore i occasionally have to attend their church, and i am always riddled with guilt upon entering and participating in the services.

  also, every time some calamity occurs around the world i am always wondering if "this is the beginning of the end"?

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  larc

  Lurker, et. al.,

  Earlier on this thread I went on a long rant about statistics, etc., which doesn't have much bearing on anybodies life. However, near the end, I wrote about financial - retirement planning under the subheading of 401k. Any thoughts on this folks?

  LDH,

  You asked about gambling. I know that the Society considers it a sin. However, I have made an extensive study of statistics and I think if you know what you are doing and can practice moderation, it then, is another harmless form of recreation. I know that some get addicted to it, and even though I have my own addictions gambling isn't on of them. I play black jack about once or twice a year. On average over ten years I break even. My son who is better than his teacher has played about once a month for the past two years and wins about 80 dollars per visit using minimun bets. One of these days he and I are going to go with a bigger bank roll and see what we can do. When two play together, the odds are better, which we have not seriously done yet. We still could get wiped out, however, we always set a limit and never go beyond that, i.e., take a certain amount of cash and never use the credit card. LDH, those are my thoughts, but I don't know what you had in mind on the subject.
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  18

  Guess what *I* just got called?

  by LDH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  talking to my cousin just now, she has been inactive for years.... she told me she just started going back to the meetings, hard!!!

  i asked her a one-word question--"why?".

  she immediately flipped out on me, and said because she doesn't want to be responsible for her children's death at armageddon (of course).

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  larc

  LDH,

  Your story reminds me of two incidences with my JW sister. One time she told my wife that the reason I left was because I had hostility towards authority. My wife concurred and added that my reading of the JW history had an impact. My sister sucked in her breath and changed the subject. Her mind went shut. Another time she told me that I had too much pride and that I should humble myself. I told her that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society should humble itself. Another gasp, another mind closed again.
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  64

  Family dynamics and the Org.

  by LDH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have made a couple of remarks regarding family dynamics on other threads, but i thought it's be nice to start a new thread.... i'm no psychologist, but suffice it to say i see some similarities here.

  (please add to/comment on these thoughts).

  the organization wishes to be seen as our mother.

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  larc

  Xandit,

  Could you please tell me the name and location of your kingdom hall? If I am ever traveling in your region of the country, I want to check it out.
• 
  64

  Family dynamics and the Org.

  by LDH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have made a couple of remarks regarding family dynamics on other threads, but i thought it's be nice to start a new thread.... i'm no psychologist, but suffice it to say i see some similarities here.

  (please add to/comment on these thoughts).

  the organization wishes to be seen as our mother.

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  larc

  Folks,

  You have to remember that Xandit is a rich youppie who goes to a kingdom hall where you can pick and choose what you believe and openly discuss it. They play softball every saturday in the summer and have parties all through the year. The children are encouraged to express their indiviuality and develope their unique talents. They are all above average in intelligence with no slow learners among them. They didn't think that 1975 was a big deal. Hell, if I could find a place like that I'd go back.

  They probably have their cleaning ladies go door to door for them. The richest ones in the congregation might hire someone to pioneer on their behalf. Their love of their of the less fortunate brothers and sisters has no limit as is shown by Xandit's sympathetic posts.
• 
  25

  confused

  by conflicted in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i left the jw's 11 years ago and even though i never looked back i'm constantly concerned about the things i do.

  for example, my wife's family is fairly devout in their faith (catholic) and therefore i occasionally have to attend their church, and i am always riddled with guilt upon entering and participating in the services.

  also, every time some calamity occurs around the world i am always wondering if "this is the beginning of the end"?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  larc

  LDH,

  RE: Gambling.

  No I didn't. This is the only place I post. What was the nature of the posts, by the way?
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  9

  Got a Prom dress?

  by EyesonthePies in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was in england on business last week and took the opportunity to visit my jw parents for an afternoon before returning to the london area for a flight today (saturday).

  i had a pleasant time with them but i carefully avoided certain topics.

  i almost couldn't resist saying something at some points but i let it pass.

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  larc

  Dear Promqueenot,

  I am very sorry about what happened to you. I am also glad that you are here, because this is a place of love and comfort for those who have suffered the pain of being part of a rigid, unloving "system of things."
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  5

  Why are K halls SMALL???

  by philo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  why are k halls small?.

  future increase in members they get no money from the rbc.

  i understand all this applies across western europe as well.. * the rbc gets its money from congregation donations within its region and these funds are directed to where the .

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  larc

  Philo,

  It is because they want to keep the number in the congregation small. You can maintain more control and conformity in a small group than you can a larger one.
• 
  25

  confused

  by conflicted in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i left the jw's 11 years ago and even though i never looked back i'm constantly concerned about the things i do.

  for example, my wife's family is fairly devout in their faith (catholic) and therefore i occasionally have to attend their church, and i am always riddled with guilt upon entering and participating in the services.

  also, every time some calamity occurs around the world i am always wondering if "this is the beginning of the end"?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  larc

  Lurking,

  Regarding the prisoner's delema, the "tit for tat" strategy brings total ruin to both parties. The only strategy that works is when both parties have total, complete trust in each other. This is very rare in human systems. That is why it is critical that those who design organizations are aware of the catestrophic dangers that are inherent in a bad system.

  Your 401k

  I think you should visualize your money as going into three pots. The first one is for your fixed costs, e.g., food, clothing, and shelter. The second pot is for short term savings for things like a down payment on a house or car. The third is money that you put away and never touch.

  Now, you don't have to be a Witness not to put money in that third pot, because a lot of people don't. You may never get to that third pot. You might get hit by a truck and never see retirement. Armageddon might be here first. However, it is a good idea to hedge your bets, just in case you might end up, as I did, in my retirement years.

  Please remember, I was born in 1940 and raised as a Witness. I saw a lot of people, including my own parents who retired with almost nothing. You are fortunate as a young man, because you can put a little away now and it will make a huge difference later. The longer people wait to start a financial plan, the harder it is to make a difference.
• 
  25

  confused

  by conflicted in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i left the jw's 11 years ago and even though i never looked back i'm constantly concerned about the things i do.

  for example, my wife's family is fairly devout in their faith (catholic) and therefore i occasionally have to attend their church, and i am always riddled with guilt upon entering and participating in the services.

  also, every time some calamity occurs around the world i am always wondering if "this is the beginning of the end"?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  larc

  Lurcker,

  I think their is a flaw in Descartes two choices, at least as you present them. What is your operational definition of "fun". Being a good, moral person, means that on the average i.e., statisticly, you have more fun than the short term hedonist. On the average, short term hedonism leads to emotional and financial ruin. There are exceptions, of course. I would rather go with the long term averages. As I have stated in other places on the DB, goodness is its own reward (on average, of course).
• 
  25

  confused

  by conflicted in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i left the jw's 11 years ago and even though i never looked back i'm constantly concerned about the things i do.

  for example, my wife's family is fairly devout in their faith (catholic) and therefore i occasionally have to attend their church, and i am always riddled with guilt upon entering and participating in the services.

  also, every time some calamity occurs around the world i am always wondering if "this is the beginning of the end"?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  larc

  Lurker,

  Another author you might look at is David Dreman. He integrates the information on human decision making and human forecasting and compares that to statistical approaches. His first book was "The New Contrarian Investor." I can't remember the title of his updated version, but you could find it on a computer search I'm sure. Since you have an analytical bent, it's a resource that you would find interesting and extremly beneficial for your long term welfare. Some people who have followed his methodolgy with great success are John Neff (Vanquard Widsor) and Walter Weitz (The Weitz Value Fund). On average, they outperform the statistical market averages, and the vast majority of investors do not. Investing over the long term with Neff and now with Weitz meant that I was able to retire three years earlier than expected.