God vs. The Girls Scouts of Genesee Valley
During my tenture at ---- bank, I have come to know people from various walks of life.
(That is a very serious opening sentence, isn't it?)
Today I helped a couple of Girl Scout troop leaders get some financial matters squared away. That the gentle reader may know, girl scout bank accounts are practically a work of art- if you take away aesthetics. They are scary paperwork monsters.
My boss was laughing at my ill-fortune in being the new go-to person for girl scout accounts in our area.
This is where the story starts to get good. This is when you realize, ahhhhhh....this has all just been prefatory information.
My boss asks me if perhaps I was a former girl scout and that's why all the girl scout leaders were drawn to me. I assured him that, heavens, no! Jehovah's Witnesses wouldn't allow their children to get involved with bad associates like the girl scouts! Goodness knows what seemingly innocuous, but no doubt vile, moral indiscretions I would have been witness to had I been a part of such an ill-reputed, egregious group as the Girl Scouts!
It's funny. I used to spend so much time trying to defend my "beliefs"- which included a staunch stance on such things as having wind chimes, feng shui, joining the girl scouts, attending a prom, etc. Such useless time spent having to feel like a jerk because I wasn't 'supposed' to say, "You, too", when nice people wished me a merry christmas or when i couldn't attend the funeral of a friends' loved one because it was at a "church". Every other church unwittingly worships satan, you know- the poor bastards. What a bunch of arrogant bullshit!
I miss feeling like my parents might at least have nice thoughts about me, even if they didn't feel comfortable expressing them. I miss having my parents say nice things to me in my imagination and being able to actually believe that in real life, it could possibly happen. Now, even if I imagine having a nice conversation with my parents, I can't enjoy it because I know it's a sickening reality that they would never have a normal conversation with me. I can't imagine my way past it. It turns my stomach.
Somehow little pieces of life get wrapped up in the issues that trouble us. When that happens, you start to see girl scouts and have moral dilemmas and biting pangs of heart. I don't recommend putting yourself in that situation.
(That is a very serious opening sentence, isn't it?)
Today I helped a couple of Girl Scout troop leaders get some financial matters squared away. That the gentle reader may know, girl scout bank accounts are practically a work of art- if you take away aesthetics. They are scary paperwork monsters.
My boss was laughing at my ill-fortune in being the new go-to person for girl scout accounts in our area.
This is where the story starts to get good. This is when you realize, ahhhhhh....this has all just been prefatory information.
My boss asks me if perhaps I was a former girl scout and that's why all the girl scout leaders were drawn to me. I assured him that, heavens, no! Jehovah's Witnesses wouldn't allow their children to get involved with bad associates like the girl scouts! Goodness knows what seemingly innocuous, but no doubt vile, moral indiscretions I would have been witness to had I been a part of such an ill-reputed, egregious group as the Girl Scouts!
It's funny. I used to spend so much time trying to defend my "beliefs"- which included a staunch stance on such things as having wind chimes, feng shui, joining the girl scouts, attending a prom, etc. Such useless time spent having to feel like a jerk because I wasn't 'supposed' to say, "You, too", when nice people wished me a merry christmas or when i couldn't attend the funeral of a friends' loved one because it was at a "church". Every other church unwittingly worships satan, you know- the poor bastards. What a bunch of arrogant bullshit!
I miss feeling like my parents might at least have nice thoughts about me, even if they didn't feel comfortable expressing them. I miss having my parents say nice things to me in my imagination and being able to actually believe that in real life, it could possibly happen. Now, even if I imagine having a nice conversation with my parents, I can't enjoy it because I know it's a sickening reality that they would never have a normal conversation with me. I can't imagine my way past it. It turns my stomach.
Somehow little pieces of life get wrapped up in the issues that trouble us. When that happens, you start to see girl scouts and have moral dilemmas and biting pangs of heart. I don't recommend putting yourself in that situation.
posted by la fille du fromage at 6:57 PM
16 Comments:
Im afraid that you are going to force me to stop reading this blog of yours. I find myself very distressed and aggravated at the same time. I understand not wanting to do it anymore but to bash people who are is another thing. Why don't you stand in front of the conventions dressed like satan like all the other lunatics? Its funny that you actually feel so passionate about something. I just wish this wild thinking of yours would stop. I dont care how good an idea in your head sounds. We can convince ourselves of anything if we really want to believe it. Thats why I wish you could let the facts, things that are proven, speak for themselves. I know that you know them. But I guess you ignore them to make yourself feel better. If only you were as passionate about so many other things. But I guess the life you have now leaves you no room for any change or improvement. Congratulations on your advancement at work. Finally on the other side, huh? Please dont let people push things that you know out of your mind. And please stop the bashing attitude. Your hopeful friend,
I've got to let you know how much I identify with what you write here. I really appreciate you saying so.
Peace.
Gar: do you mean what i wrote or what anonymous wrote?
A close olleague of mine at work is a J.W. I speak to him often about common points of interest (beer, God & family). Last Monday I received word that his wife had died that morning, just after midnight...I never knew she was sick! She was battling breast cancer for 10 years and I never knew! I went to the viewing Friday night and he didn't even acknowledge my presence. I wasn't there for his acknowledgement. It is a strange game that we sometimes play with our religions. It is important to be THERE.
I never trusted those girlsscouts. Some of those skirts allow you to see their entire ankle. This is hardly ladylike. I hear that what happens at girlscout camp, stays at girlscout camp.
Maybe in the 50s it was a wholesome group, but after the keebler elves burst onto the scene with there plan for global cookie dominance, things went downhill quickly; to survive the jihad mentality of fundamental keeblerists, the girlscouts have had to enlist the aid of the russian mafia just to survive.
First you get the sugar, then you bake the cookies, then you get the power!
I like the other anon's comments. It makes jw seem like the xfiles of religion...the truth is out there!
Well, on a serious note, I do sympathize with you; there is simply no 100% satisfactory course of action for you, whatver you do. In life I suppose that is always the case, but much more so in this case.
I guess it could be worse - you could be me! There is basically no course of action for me that is even 1% satisfactory that I can think of. It seems like I should have everything I need, yet somehow I have completely failed in every aspect of life and can't seem to achieve even the most basic goals in life. It is kind of freeing to be able to across the board check yourself off as a loser in ever area, though...it certainly takes the pressure off. I thought of carving a big L into my forehead, but I realized it was pretty much redundant.
What you wrote. Anon is a kook.
um ... Anon #1, I mean.
See? You anonymice have got to sort yourselves out.
Fille,
It's not only the JWs that do this. You have to trust your own judgement, because taking anything on "faith" may prove to be the wrong thing, and there's no way to know which is which. I think there's a clause written in somewhere for those of us who've been mind-fucked. We will each recieve a patent guidance, designed for us and us alone.
Don't worry. Be happy.
Sorry for assing up your comments, though I guess that's to be expected with the new title. I am not sure all of what I said came off in the spirit of humor....
I also can't believe I used 'there' there. I am not a big grammar tard, but that is a mistake enough people make in earnest that it always makes me cringe.
Ho hum, back to life as a digital janitor. I need some sort of antiboredom pill to make it through the day. Such as a .45 slug.
Well, for the most part it should be easy to tell us apart since I am the one posting from the interzone.
Maybe we should both just leave out poor cheesygirl to post in peace, though, or maybe I will start blogging again and post registered.
Or sign yourselves as something. Anything.
dear anon. #1 (aka my hopeful friend):
hi. i apologize. i didn't mean it so much in a bashing way as just an odd realization of something. but i certainly could have expressed things respectfully or not at all rather than the sarcastic way that i did. i don't think i've ever seen an apostate actually dressed as satan, though. i also feel that i should say that i am not ignoring facts anymore than i think you are. i can, however, give you my word that i won't let people push things on me and that i'll keep the attitude in check.
gar: thank you. where have you been? i miss your writing.
brendar: thank you for your comments. sorry that it took me so long to update my link to your new page on here. thank you for being a nice friend to your JW coworker. poor fellow.
odd religious games indeed.
anon#2, who i believe has teeth made of cobblestones: hilarious!!!
jeanne: ooooo.....you said the "F" word!!!!
Oops.
Having been in the same situation as the girl of cheeses I can assure everyone that what she is saying is accurate. It was a small town with what felt like extreme beliefs, which can make a person stay bitter for quite some time. Childhoods are missed out on, higher education is dropped for reasons such as, "they teach evolution in science and that’s just not something someone needs in there head", so go be a construction worker or something else that really doesn't pay well because you wern't allowed to go to college. Also things such as the Girl Scouts, and prom, and football games, and band, and track,and ect. that teach you things like people skills and group managment are replace by such activities like knocking on your door on Saturday mornings and interrupting a really good cartoon, like Spiderman. I think you are starting to catch my meaning. Now dont get me wrong I feel religion is inherently a good thing however, in certain environments it can be taken a little far.
P.S. I did finally make it to college. Still paying off the loans.
Please, we need more posts ... my random thinking is starting to order itself. The 2nd law of thermodynamics apparently has a loophole.
Post a Comment
<< Home