xero

On the other hand, maybe they interact w/the unpleasant for the same reason some people pick at scabs or watch Dr Pimple Popper - they just want to see what gross junk comes out.

There are some things and some people with whom any interaction is going to be a net negative.

There's a brother I used to do a lot of early morning work with. Let's call him Troy. Troy was quite outspoken, he was also pretty extreme. He was dropping acid and sky diving with a bunch of guys when one of them started to study. That guy eventually dropped, but Troy picked it up and ran with it. Anyway, that's his personality. So I'm taking him on this RV and the guy I'm calling on is a super-catholic and apparently wasn't too happy w/it's take on the church. So Troy butts in and starts trashing the catholic church really hard. The other guy mentioned some priest's name and Troy said "he's probably got some altar boy bent over backwards while we're talking!" So we got kicked out. Unsurprisingly. Then Troy looks at me, grins and says "Got any more calls you want to get rid of?" So we both started saying "Who ya gonna call!" "Call Busters!" Of course that's not an experience that's likely to be shared on an assembly, but anyway C reminds me of that (except he doesn't appear to have a sense of humor about himself which is always a big fat mistake)

People who don't enjoy the door to door and street witnessing are either doing it wrong, or have the wrong attitude.

Living on a forum where opposers exist is like having a house next to the train-tracks. You could move, but then you'd miss the doppler effect of the train as it comes and goes. Also it's sometimes fun to put pennies on the tracks.

I remember that the Israelites also didn't make a straight line out of Egypt or through the wilderness either. Quite frankly sometimes I feel like I'm supposed to nod my head like I understand when some explanations sound like this to me:

1 John 5:7-8 is also blocked.

JWI - "I have many things yet to tell you, but you can't bear them at present." Certainly there was an operation of error w/regard to allowing the people in the 1st century to imagine many things. Take the apostle John. Many thought he would never die. Sure things changed, but there was no divine intervention to quell that thinking. Many no doubt sped up their evangelizing as a result of imagining the whole thing would be wrapped up in their own lifetime.

There are at least nine types of people in the world. Those who can't connect the dots. Those who can but won't connect the dots. Those who connect the dots, but connect the wrong dots. Those who can't even see the dots to bother with the question of connecting them. Those who can and do connect the dots. Those who imagine there are dots to connect and connect these. Those who imagine there are dots, but perversely refuse to connect the dots in their imagination. Those who imagine there are dots, but connect the wrong ones in their imagination.

JWI - On the other hand, one never knows. It could be that Jehovah is letting an operation of error go to anyone for their ultimate benefit, whether that be an individual who feels in good conscience they must depart, or whether it's an individual who decides to remain and sees no issue, or whether it's an individual who thinks unity is more important than being right and is wrong about this as well or even if it is an organization, for that matter. His will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven with or without us. We all have to decide where we're going to draw lines and understand that drawing lines has consequences. Can we do more good inside or outside? Is the good being done more to us inside or outside? I have to say more and more that it doesn't appear to go well for those who choose to go it alone. None of these appear to becoming spiritual giants. Some may have started out well, but the same things that made them useful inside the congregation can trip them up outside when they find so many praising them for their brilliance and insight (are they really that brilliant or insightful?). Remember the slave who said to his master "I really love my master" and had his ear bored with an awl? (Exodus 21:5) Some could be like this. They recognize an element of slavery, an element of tyranny, but these also recognize they wouldn't have what they have w/o it. Not everyone considers it this way, but once again... musing aloud

We used to have a sister who was unbalanced but quite brilliant who'd make interesting observations (not in any WT) during the WT and it was fun seeing the conductor (an old cowboy type, nod his head and let it go). But he never stopped calling on her. Everyone would wake up whenever she was called on. "I wonder what the 'new light's' going to be this week?"

JWI - I can say "all in a perfect world" You reminded me of this commercial Now how in the world am I to contemplate how their conduct turns out, if the ones having the brilliant ideas are keeping it to themselves? These should be like Mikey and sacrifice themselves on behalf of the flock. It's what Jesus would do.

I agree in all points, but like you I look at myself and realize there are some things about me that won't go away. One of them is that I get bored. When I get bored I stir things up. It doesn't matter how many times I think "maybe I shouldn't have done or said that" I know it's futile, I AM going to do it again. I've just given up hiding my deficiencies, and when someone tells me I've overstepped or did or said something out of the way. I don't beat myself up over it, or make rules or vows that "I'll never do that again" (because I've discovered I always will). Instead, I've just become INCREDIBLY AWESOME at "taking counsel". Bro 1 - "Pssst! Look! Here comes xero! Man he is so awesome at taking counsel!" Bro 2 - "Right. And he needs it." Bro 1 - "Maybe he does that so he can become like a bug-zapper for overzealous elders who want to bother the sheep about trifles? They're too busy counseling him and enjoying the experience to over-counsel the flock." Bro 2 - "Maybe. Maybe he's just an egotistical narcissist who likes the attention." Bro 1 - "Could be, but then again, the flock still gets a break." Bro 2 - "You have a point there."

...and if you could think "Let me do it Hemingway-style while I do it. Better yet, in the form of a short equation, like E = MC**2." Remember Paul said "if the trumpet sounds an indistinct call, who will get ready...?" Also you have to steel-man your opponent. If you can't do that, you're less convincing as you appear to not understand the opposition.

I believe we had an article, or was it a letter, I don't remember right now where failure to discipline was referred to as mistaken kindness. The same could be said about not speaking your mind. Failure to do so shields both you and the ones you could be speaking to from what you really feel is the truth. (You could be very wrong, but not speaking up could take everyone on a trip to Abilene). On the other hand, there's no need to tell people things they obviously already know. In this case they just shouldn't be shielded from the consequences of their own actions.

What I liked about it was there was no music. Just the sounds that were there. Also it was pretty high resolution. At one point he stops and you can see three rays flying in the water. This is probably one of the most relaxing videos I've seen in a while. BTW This is what I miss about not having in person meetings and conventions. I love the feeling of being around huge numbers of Jehovah's Witnesses. It feels better than a giant family reunion. Watching people smile at each other in the intermissions and engage in small talk. Seeing young people cruising the halls. *sigh*

Apparently this island is for sale. Only 39 million.

A visit to Bora Bora is in order. Yup. No opposers or long winded idiots here.

Of course anyone who feels that because they had a bad experience once in life is a get out of jail permanently card is a jerk.

What's interesting in all this discussion is the pretense that people make that they don't consider themselves superior in some respects to others, and in this I say these are lying to themselves which is worse than lying to someone else. If you lie to yourself, there's a double insult. You lift yourself up as superior to the rest of humanity who are afflicted with the competitive spirit - nay! not I!, which is deception and moreover you insult your own intelligence by believing the lie. No. It's better to say "Yes. I DO think I'm better at X, Y or Z than another person. But NO that doesn't make me a better person in Jehovah's eyes." You absolutely need to admit of this, as failure to do so is a lie. Interestingly you at times hear boasting on the part of some that they haven't acquired a secular education, or something else of that sort. I call these "The proud humble". It's a great gig. You can feel superior for indolence and lack of accomplishment. This does remind me of the Doctrine of Total Depravity with which I'm sympathetic to... https://babylonbee.com/news/i-am-a-depraved-wretch-says-calvinist-smugly (I tell people this when someone says "You JW's think you're better than everyone else." I reply "Not better than, but better off as is anyone who takes the Bible seriously and tries their best to live by it. Never better than.")

I liked the fact that there wasn't a lot of emotional incontinence at the meetings of JW's when I first started going. I always found that emotionalism to be incredibly self-indulgent and narcissistic. Jesus would have said (actually he did) "get a room!" 6 But when you pray, go into your private room and, after shutting your door, pray to your Father who is in secret.+ Then your Father who looks on in secret will repay you - Mt. 6:6 ...One brother I know seemed to always have these charismatic types turn on him. His family has a bunch of pentecostals and apparently a group of them (cousins) (hey I don't remember the back story...but somehow they were on the beach in Florida) chased him down in their car on the sand, bumped him w/a car door and tried to pray the demons out of him. (because he was one of JW's). I studied w/his older brother and it didn't take (never got baptized). I was wondering what happened to him and found his mug shot out there.

And you're right in may ways these ARE superior, but then again no one is superior, just different. Satan knows scripture as well no doubt and although I think the IQ of angels is a bit overrated, as I think their abilities to do certain things may be instinctive like our digesting our food or elements of our autonomic nervous systems I'm sure he's not a low IQ moron. Of course none of this was any value to him was it. Power is neutral, but the purpose to which it's employed is key the same as intelligence. Intelligence wrongly used or in the hands of a moral pervert is a dangerous weapon whose use brings nothing good to its holder or to anyone else for that matter. Opposers strike me as the kinds of people who have imagined their (arguable) superior intelligence makes them right in all things. They mistake the ability to argue a position with being correct. (1 Cor. 1:19 comes to mind)

I've been told that. It's a baked-in personality trait. I have high-low self esteem. My biggest fear is that people will be too stupid to realize how brilliant I am. This reminds me of an elders meeting where one brother said to me "Other people have ideas too!" and my response was "Well if we could knock it off with the fake humility and speak as men, maybe we could get these meetings done more quickly. Just spit it out already." Edited to mention I remember one brother (was it me?) who said in a meeting in response to the phrase "speaking as men" ..."Oh, you mean like now when we're being rude and tactless?"