Nice experience from Reddit……
Let’s call him brother Jones since I don’t want to use his real name. Forty years ago he was big and tall, imposing with a commanding voice and presence. His hands were gigantic, all us little kids would shake his hand just to see our hand disappear in his. He was a kind man, never a hint of anything inappropriate, at least not to me or my family, but boy was he scary! He had talks on every district convention, we joked that he didn’t need a microphone. His voice boomed as he spoke of Armageddon with authority. He and his wife had no children, they were waiting for the new system to arrive.. A story went around the circuit that a young sister had once called him “Jehovah” by mistake, he was so gigantic and imposing. He was, in my mind back then, a spiritual and physical giant.
Fast forward 40 years. I saw him at one of my last meetings in 2013. Bent over and using a walker, shriveled up, he was less than half his size. It was shocking, I didn’t recognize him at first. Of course we all grow old. But he said we wouldn’t, we were so close to Armageddon back then. And he would be one of the princes. His face now reflects defeat, sadness, he seemed even embarrassed to be seen. What happened to all of his power and strong faith and confidence? Gone. Just gone! He doesn’t give talks anymore, he just sits in the audience, he is still an elder in name but he’s a shell of his former self.
Second experience.
Let’s call her sister Zealous. Twenty-one years old in 1981. Regular pioneer. Strong, pretty and confident and smartly dressed, she strode onto the platform with great posture. I saw her get interviewed on the circuit assembly many times. What a sense of humor, she even joked with the speaker on stage! She said she worked part-time in a menial job and pioneered. She was planning to move “where the need is great.” Yes, she wanted to marry but she wanted a “perfect” man. Everyone in the audience laughed. Of course, she was AAA, Available After Armageddon. What an interview! What fine faith!
Fast forward 30 years.
I saw her in 2011 at a DC. Didn’t recognize her at first. Someone mentioned to me that she was still pioneering and still single. She had given up on her smart outfits, she looked frumpy and tired. She was with her two Bible studies, both with special needs. She didn’t really interact with anyone. I saw her taking notes during the program. Someone else, another young person was now being interviewed on the program about their pioneering.
It’s just sad. There are some nasty people in the organization, but there are some very kind people too, and some who would have made a great impact on their communities had they been given a chance. But they had “faith” in the organization so they made sacrifices, delayed marriage or children or careers or traveling. Look at them now!
I hope I don’t sound condescending. Please correct me if I come across that way. I know I am getting old myself. Of course we all get older. And I know many people prefer to stay single or childless or work at a simple job and that is their choice and that is great.
But in the organization many brothers and sisters did want those things ( lead a normal life), they made sacrifices because Armageddon was so close. They had huge potential and they had great personalities and they were fun and exciting and they made the conventions ALIVE with their vibrant faith as they told us all to get out there, preach, pioneer and make sacrifices because the end is so close. Oh, how we applauded brother Jones’ talks and talked about what a man of faith he was and how his voice boomed! And how we applauded and laughed at sister Zealous and her funny personality, confidence and sacrifices.
And now they are shells of their former self. What happpened? False promises and false hopes. Dreams not shattered but slowly faded. I bet there are tens of thousands of examples like what I mentioned.
It’s just so sad.
Those of you raised as Witnesses, do you know of JWs like these?
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End Quote from ExJWs Reddit.
I feel sorry for those still trapped in the cult. They will gradually have the life sucked out of them as they continue to be depressed daily by the cult. They will never know the joys that we experience simply by being “in the moment” – living for the life that we have now, not for that imaginary world yet to come (that never does).
Reasons We Left The Watchtower 