Going Back to School
It’s hard to joke about it really. After all, the entire situation is on the side of bitter, rather than sweet. My father has informed me of his application to attend the Ministerial Training School – interestingly, now named the ‘School for Single Brothers’.
Besides the fact that the new name so accurately says a lot more than what they perhaps intended, I am heartbroken. Of course, call that an exaggeration all you like, but I remain feeling so nonetheless. I wonder at the power of critical thinking and at the worth of education and feel deeply saddened by the masks of it that organisations like the Watchtower so easily wear.
I no longer cling to anonymity like I once did with this blog. My name is Joel, I am 22 and I attend a university in the south east of England. I am certainly not ashamed of my lack of belief, but always avoided giving my name for fear of being too easily found by my relatives, at the helpful hands of Google. Also, I am admittedly quite a sensitive fellow, full of insecurities and to take criticism on a first name basis is always hard. But oh well, into the fire – despite whatever in my mind follows me.
Upon seeing my father today, amongst many of the family feuds and news to report, he gleefully told me about his plans. I have to smile, I have to agree and acknowledge with kindness how passionate he is about this stuff. He has said that he no longer seeks the Paradise promised in his faith – rather, he just wants to just proclaim “the Truth” – because my brother and I will not be there. He is half right.
Paradise isn’t coming, whether he seeks it or not. As products of heartless and unconscious evolution, we are here because our genes allowed us to do so and, much in line with what the Society so often says, we will never achieve a utopia with human government. Human is a silly word, it raises us above the animals. But why? Because we are sentiment? Because we can ask ‘why’? Of course, it is a wonderful ‘gift’ of nature and we should be eternally appreciative, but the mere fact that we can investigate should not give us an ego. We’re the infants of a sentient species. If we manage to progress beyond the self-destructivism that seems to run parallel with our progress as a species, we will continue to evolve, I hope, into far more impressive members of the animal kingdom. I could write an essay on why we are not impressive at all, but we’ll let it lie.
So, what is his possible acceptance into this academy of lies and deceit going to accomplish? I really am not sure. I will leave this to my more experienced readers to comment and inform me below.
Hello Joel. My name is William Enoch. I relate to this post in the spirit of separation by religion. I’m seeking a solution to right this unnatural wrong in my life and yours.
Joel, as a long time – a very long time – ex myself, I can empathise with you in this situation. There are no easy answers. Keep in touch with your father as much as you are able to, and hope that one day you will be able to rebuild a closer relationship with him.
Joel, I ditto Robcrompton.