Yep. And we all live with the consequences of our own decisions, don't we?
Ona:
Yep and Yep. The above almost makes me believe in a Higher Power.
Well-said, my friend.
wasasister
JoinedPosts by wasasister
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49
Musings of a new moderator
by onacruse inpart 1 (personal considerations).
first and foremost, i'd like to thank all of you for being patient with me this last week, and for the supportive comments you've sent me need, the constructive criticism you've offered.
i am, after all, only a man, and wts-damaged goods at that.
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wasasister
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49
Musings of a new moderator
by onacruse inpart 1 (personal considerations).
first and foremost, i'd like to thank all of you for being patient with me this last week, and for the supportive comments you've sent me need, the constructive criticism you've offered.
i am, after all, only a man, and wts-damaged goods at that.
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wasasister
Also,MOST important, hounding and pounding your ENEMIES!! (enemy = anyone that iritates you)
RF: Life has taught me this, a lesson perhaps you have not as yet learned...
Nastiness always, repeat always comes back to bite you in the arse.
How's this working out for you, so far?
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Hot Child In The City
by wasasister inis there any greater joy than summer?
it's been 90 degrees (f) here in the pacific northwest off an on for over a week.
i just got back from an extended trip to northern california, where it was nowhere near this warm.
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wasasister
Is there any greater joy than summer? It's been 90 degrees (F) here in the Pacific Northwest off an on for over a week. I just got back from an extended trip to Northern California, where it was nowhere near this warm. The hot weather here is rare indeed.
I revel in this. I hear kids outside playing basketball in the street - shooting hoops until someone's Mom calls them inside for a quick bath and then to bed. My God, how I long for that sometimes. Play from dawn until dark, stopping only to eat and then being dragged inside and forced to sleep, the sun still influencing the western sky. Going to sleep with your heart still pounding and your skin scorched from hours in the summer sun.
I remember the time when Mom didn't worry about where we were on our Schwins for hours at a time. No one thought about child molesters or serial killers. We were kids and we had our childhood assured. Our bikes were chariots and we were invincible as long as the sun held out.
If we only knew how our days were numbered. Not that we had to return to school in September, when it was still too warm to wear our new winter clothes. No, the end of summer comes much later...when we go off to jobs all day, no matter what time of year. No more running around half-naked, no more scraping the dirt off our toes and crawling into bed only to look forward to another day of play ahead, no more letting someone else worry about reality, bills, and meals.
Tomorrow I will get up early and think about the responsibilities of managing a small business. I'll look out my office window and wonder if the kids will be tossing water baloons or plunging down a "slip-n-slide".
Maturity sucks ass, big-time.
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67
How Sad
by Ariell ini have a distant cousin, 15 and in a wheel chair.
she's always saying how she can't wait until the new system comes when finally she'll be set free from her handicap and can run around with joyful glee.
it breaks my heart knowing this is never gonna happen and makes me even more angrier.
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wasasister
NG: I'm glad this topic was brought back to the first page, because I've been thinking about it, and you, for days. Some of the things you said really touched me and I think the subject deserves a new thread, as this one got side-tracked from the original issue (as is very often the case).
What I would like to discuss with you seperately is this:
You have a good history as a JW - your congregation was warm and loving, you were not shunned for being educated, you want that "extended family" feeling back. My past, at least the earlier years, is similar.
Yet, your "hope" of eternal life on a perfect new earth is dependent NOT on scripture alone, but on how the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses interprets scripture. Other religions, Catholics, Jews, Baptists, Mormons, and others have a different idea of the afterlife, the future, and Bible dogma. Also, ALL of these groups have members who have experienced what you and I did as a member of a warm, loving and supportive group.
So then, in order for your individual hope to be based on anything, you must have faith that the GB is correct that:
They are the fulfillment of the Faithful and Discreet Slave, dispensing food at the proper time to God's people
That Christ returned invisibly in 1914 and bestowed above honor on above group shortly thereafter
That there is only ONE way to be acceptable to Jehovah and thus survive at Armageddon - by accepting ALL the teachings of Jehovah's earthly servant.
If any of these things is wrong, then your hope is based on nothing.
It's not as frightening as you think to examine these questions. Let's do so on another thread.
I am leaving on a business trip for a few days and will return Sunday night. I will be available to respond at that time.
Until then, best wishes.
Wasa
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This is the Farkel I know..
by avengers infarkel
re: caught in a web of lies.
post 5271 of 5488. since 14-mar-01.
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wasasister
This will be a thread that only a few will post too as most here disagree......
Speak for yourself only, please.
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67
How Sad
by Ariell ini have a distant cousin, 15 and in a wheel chair.
she's always saying how she can't wait until the new system comes when finally she'll be set free from her handicap and can run around with joyful glee.
it breaks my heart knowing this is never gonna happen and makes me even more angrier.
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wasasister
NG: thank you for at least trying to see the point. You said:
But you see in the end I am paying for my strongheadedness
Yes, but in your case, you are both "paying" and being "paid" due to the fact that you at least received a valuable education. Isn't this worth your strongheadedness?
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67
How Sad
by Ariell ini have a distant cousin, 15 and in a wheel chair.
she's always saying how she can't wait until the new system comes when finally she'll be set free from her handicap and can run around with joyful glee.
it breaks my heart knowing this is never gonna happen and makes me even more angrier.
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wasasister
That or we chose not to hear and just went on our merry way.
That may be the most important point, NG. The fact is, these "policies" have been applied unevenly, depending in large part on the leaning of your body of elders, the prevailing atmosphere of where you live (large cities as opposed to small towns), your own family status in the congregation, and many other factors.
How is that being "fitly united"?
A countless number of faithful JW's have foregone an education that might have provided them with secure jobs, medical benefits, and retirement funds, just because of how strictly a body of elders enforces the Society's guidelines. Imagine how those people would feel when observing you and your family in a completely different situation because YOU were not sanctioned and did not suffer any consequences?
Food for thought?
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67
How Sad
by Ariell ini have a distant cousin, 15 and in a wheel chair.
she's always saying how she can't wait until the new system comes when finally she'll be set free from her handicap and can run around with joyful glee.
it breaks my heart knowing this is never gonna happen and makes me even more angrier.
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wasasister
All I can say is none of us were admonished for our decisions or suffered any bad consequences. That's my story and I'm sticken' to it.
NG: I'm sorry I did not get back to you on those quotes, but it looks as if others have more than given you enough evidence.
It matters little that you have anecdotal experience of NOT being sanctioned or shunned because of additional schooling. Myself and others could supply an equal, or greater amount of stories about the reverse being true.
What really matters is not what one body of elders decided to do (or not do), but what official Watchtower policy was/is. I think the above quotes pretty much show you what we mean.
Have they softened their position recently? Perhaps, but what does that mean for all the 40 and 50-something Witnesses who did without an education and the income benefits resulting because they thought they were following God's direction? Now they have to watch the next generation getting degrees and working in meaningful and rewarding jobs?
How do you feel about the others, NG, or is it just yourself and your own family you care about? Still "stickin' to it"?
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The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by GinnyTosken inthe tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.
just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate.
if you're looking for fascinating and lively reading about social epidemics and how and why ideas spread, i recommend malcolm gladwell's the tipping point: how little things can make a big difference.. gladwell explains:.
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wasasister
Ginny:
It is truly good to see you back here. Your insights, and your flawless research, have been missed.
Even when you think you know someone well, they can surprise you with a new layer.
You ROCK!
Wasa/rockin along
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67
How Sad
by Ariell ini have a distant cousin, 15 and in a wheel chair.
she's always saying how she can't wait until the new system comes when finally she'll be set free from her handicap and can run around with joyful glee.
it breaks my heart knowing this is never gonna happen and makes me even more angrier.
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wasasister
OK, NG. give me a few hours to pull up quotes from the CD-rom. (Anyone else want to pitch in is welcome.)
Did you read coffee's post above? Recently, the Society softened their stance on higher education - mostly due to the fact that they had no skilled labor pool to draw from and many high-school educated JW's are barely able to earn a living.
While the publications may not have been absolute about not pursuing a college education, a person who chose to go against the prevailing thought could lose privileges, be restricted from pioneering, and viewed as "weak" by the congregation.
It appears to me that you have not been associated with JW's for very long, because your ignorance in this matter is profound.
Wasa