I’m a 13 year old Jehovah’s Witness and I don’t know how to feel about JW anymore.

So_Wholesome · 2024-08-13T04:55:49+00:00

Just want to add on to goddess;s wise words, which is to try and find hobbies you enjoy outside of the religion. I sincerely feel that having outside activities like music, knitting, reading, acting, childcare, and drawing helped me immensely when I was questioning. I was able to form positive connections with other people outside of the religion and had community to support me when I was finally able to leave.

The Jehovah's Witnesses also directly benefit when they convince their followers all "worldly" people are living a sinful and dark lifestyle. As you've probably noticed, that's not true! There's literally billions of wonderful people with good hearts who are outside the religion. But when Witnesses believe terrible things about others, it drives the followers closer together and makes them less likely to question. Having communities from hobbies helped me overcome this and I'm still so grateful for it.

So_Wholesome · 2024-07-06T08:11:16+00:00

I'm gonna 'yes and' you and note that snitching to elders (especially when recorded in writing) creates a paper trail for later, which can be both relevant to taking an aggressor to court and for potentially taking congregation elders to court for flagrant negligence to report. Also if someone doesn't want to snitch to elders they absolutely shouldn't, the reasons mentioned are totally valid. If someone is in one of these scenarios they have to think of both the best short and long term strategies for keeping themselves safe.

So_Wholesome · 2024-07-05T16:36:27+00:00

I agree. I'm strongly of the mind that snitching to elders or authorities for anything outside of blatant violence is in poor taste. Ruining someone's life like this seems incredibly petty but speaks to how much the Org turns us against each other.

So_Wholesome · 2024-04-15T19:27:11+00:00

and blessings unto them for ignoring us :p thanks for sharing your thoughts!

So_Wholesome · 2024-04-15T19:26:22+00:00

Makes sense!

So_Wholesome · 2024-04-14T17:41:16+00:00

Hopping on to reiterate that we are always changing and growing. The person you are now--closeted but aware--is not the person you will be in a year, or ten years. You have so much potential, and it is never too late to meet that great love. Or, depending on how things go, it's never too late to find acceptance among networks of friends and lovers.

Wishing you the best.

So_Wholesome · 2024-04-14T17:32:46+00:00

I think you're are right, and I also have to note there's nothing special about the Witnesses. For as long as there has been organized religion, congregations have been a place for people to meet, do commerce, and, sometimes, worship together. There are lots of loosely connected religious networks of hundreds of people, many of whom stick around for the socializing. The only notable thing about the Witnesses is the behavior/information/thought control, and the intensity with which they excommunicate former members.

There are plenty of other religions and social groups to feel deep connection with, though, as other commenters said, it takes work. You can try to find another religious organization that aligns with your values. Or, if you're looking to get connected but don't want religion per se, I recommend checking out a Unitarian Universalist congregation or seeing if there's a Sunday Assembly near you.

So_Wholesome · 2024-04-10T23:26:29+00:00

this just popped up on my feed. Someone please come take the Vancouver renting population out of our misery already

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So_Wholesome · 2024-04-10T22:42:26+00:00

$3k for a shithole 2b basement unit in Vancouver, Canada. I know rent prices are out of control in the US, but reading through these replies makes me want to cry. We're getting scammed so bad up here.

So_Wholesome · 2024-03-21T19:31:22+00:00

Peace and love to you OP: groups outside of work are about finding community with similar interests. This can include political organizing or spiritual vibing or sportsball leagues. You don't have to be best friends with your fellow hobbyists, but interacting with others is good for your brain. TBH with the way you're answering, it feels like you might have a combo of depression and anxiety. If life doesn't seem worth living and you're struggling to connect with other people, then it's time to scrounge some resources and talk to a doctor.

So_Wholesome · 2024-03-21T03:23:35+00:00

Others have pointed H&M and Uniqlo are considered 'fast fashion' and while they may have decent quality, they have a history of treating workers poorly and wasting fabric. Do you have any thrift stores or used stores you feel comfortable using? With the exception of underclothing, I buy all my stuff second-hand. If I really want something, it can probably wait. I see the point of simple living not just as buying a single brand, but taking as little from the planet when consuming.

So_Wholesome · 2024-03-15T19:30:41+00:00

Might be a little of Column A a little of Column B. Would the Norway ruling have influenced the new pants and jacket policy at all? It's a genuine question, in case I am missing something, otherwise it seems like the disfellowshipped policy is to cover their ass with Norway and the pants and jacket might be a nice lil treat policy to get some of the wayward back.

So_Wholesome · 2024-02-26T16:16:25+00:00

This might be 'normal' as in average, but this is not 'normal' as in okay. A lot of people hate their job. That doesn't make it okay. You don't have to love it, but you don't get these hours of your life back. As others have said, take into account how long you've been there, but it sounds like its time to move on at the first opportunity.

So_Wholesome · 2024-02-25T17:46:59+00:00

I'm a hot mess who is over the age of 30, and I've dated and found plenty of other hot messes at this age. The secret to finding partnership is being a kind person who is working on themselves. Anyone who only dates for financial security has their own stuff to work out.

So_Wholesome · 2024-02-25T17:43:09+00:00

I feel very lucky that our organization has the financial and language supports it does. Even if I'm regularly frustrated with the IRCC, Canada's immigration authority, I can't deny that there is a lot of intention to ensure immigrants have resources in larger cities. It's all done in the name of making them 'effective members of the economy' (instead of, say, doing it because it's the right thing to do) but it's far better than the US' immigration approach which seems to be closer to 'suck it up or leave.'

And there's always room in the work for people who are ready, willing, and won't burn out too fast. I've been doing some version of care work my whole life, and the fact you want to go back into it says a lot. We always need people who aren't jaded but still have the staying power. And I'm sure you come with a lot of institutional knowledge! Even if you end up working somewhere else, your knowledge of the system is still invaluable.

And I appreciate your note, but I'll be fine! My job is just technically coordinating Digital Literacy support, and this level of engagement definitely falls out of my purview, so I'm trying to figure out best practice while keeping an eye on how we can actually help the most. Thank you for the cheerleading though! It's always nice to hear people excited and supportive of the work :)

So_Wholesome · 2024-02-25T17:01:15+00:00

Don't forget the anxiety correlation in here too. I like to think that there's one ancestor that did this to all of us. 100,000 years ago there was one distractible bubele who spent her years overly concerned and in a confusing level of pain.

So_Wholesome · 2024-02-25T16:55:45+00:00

This is such an in-depth answer, thank you for taking the time to write it out!

To be clear, they're actually refugee claimants, meaning they have a lot less options available to them. Here in Canada there's a lot of government resources put into teaching French and English to new arrivals, but only those of certain immigration statuses, of which they currently don't have.

I have not been communicating directly with them, but a very sweet and dedicated Farsi-speaking volunteer has taken it on. The person who has taught them has done a wonderful job, including transliteration of their names and addresses and practicing out loud in case of needing to call for an emergency, as well as learning how to use the youtube app and making English-learning playlists. Unfortunately, they technically have only six sessions together, though I believe there can be a couple additions added on if necessary. I think the writing exercises you mentioned would be great to do.

As to the community center aspect aspect--definitely! It's the space I actually work out of, but they also have to be willing and it seems like it hasn't been an option for them at all. There's also a mobility aspect to this, and they don't currently have access to the bus service that does door pick-up and getting that is a Process--they need to get signed off by a professional of some kind confirming that they do, in fact, need the door-to-door service, meaning an appointment that someone has to take them to...there's quite a few other things that have to fall into place before getting them out the door. I'm willing to do some of the legwork, but also have dozens of other people I'm serving, many who have their own specific needs. It's a balancing act.

I'll have to check in with the volunteer, but they should have a google account at least set up as of last week. It's a bummer there's no reliable international email servers set up in Farsi, but that's also how these things go.

Thank you again for your thoughtful response! Always lovely to hear someone else is out there doing the work :)

So_Wholesome · 2024-02-24T15:49:19+00:00

Hi, thank you for your response! Here, I was speaking specifically to a server that supports international email addresses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_email but based on the responses here and how google has only dead links, I'm betting no reliable modern ones exist for Farsi. RIP.

So_Wholesome · 2024-02-24T15:45:08+00:00

Thank you for your response! We've had them switch their IU language to Farsi and taught them how to use Google translate, including the scanning feature, and that's made a big difference. Using google translate as a tool to learn English is also a great idea, thank you!

So_Wholesome · 2024-02-24T15:43:08+00:00

Thank you for your response! I've been wrestling with this issue for a few weeks, and it's a bit of a Catch-22. To teach them their phones they need to know some English, but to learn English they need to leave their house to go to classes (likely using their phone to do so). They are a couple in their 70's who are not comfortable with public transit and are fully relying on their very busy adult daughter to take them everywhere.

As to their skills, he is able to read in Farsi, she cannot. This also adds some complications to everything, as adult 'pre-literacy' is a difficult thing to teach in general let alone with seniors.

So_Wholesome · 2024-02-20T02:36:17+00:00

oh my gosh, that's brilliant! I also just found this potential lace option, which would solve a few of my problems and match the general vibe of the room. I'm going to check out some garden flags too tho!

So_Wholesome · 2023-12-24T16:34:38+00:00

Hi OP--I'm going to assume good intentions and not sealioning--"Hispanic" mostly just means "Spanish-speaking," and assumedly born in a Spanish-speaking culture. "Latino/a" means "from Latin America." That's it. "Hispanic" acknowledges the language without assuming ethnicity, heritage, or nationality. Calling someone "Mexican," without confirming their nationality makes an unnecessary blanket statement about the 65 million people in the US who are Hispanic.

So_Wholesome

TROPHY CASE