Post by Alan Vandermyden on Sept 13, 2010 12:18:19 GMT -5
We've veered a bit off-topic here in the discussion of doctrine, rather than workers' personal experiences, but I admit these topics are of great interest to me too, and I'm not meaning this as a reprimand to anyone!
In an effort to bring this discussion back to workers' experiences, as well as to reflect on the discussion in this thread, I'm going to refer to earlier comments along the line of "the overseers are put there by God for us to learn." While I don't entirely disagree with this, I do wonder if we don't err in only limiting it to overseers. I seriously believe that many - if not all - relationships in my life have brought me into contact with people who have taught me something - or maybe it can be an entire set of circumstances that has forced me to confront something that's "been there," but kind of in the background.
While in the work, I often talked about things being "for our benefit" or "to teach us." But this always seemed to be in a "passive" sense - we were just supposed to "submit" and "take whatever comes." I do not believe this now. I do not care for a "reactionary" way of dealing with things, but I have certainly made choices that others - including overseers - have disagreed with.
I grew desperately "homesick" when I was first called back to California/Nevada from the Pacific Islands in 1986. I had not only grown to love the people, the foods, etc., but I had also worked on languages, including the Pidgin spoken here in Hawai`i, which greatly helped me in talking with children in the homes, whom I at first could not understand. The following year, on Guam, I learned to hold a very basic conversation in Tagalog (friends there are mostly Filipino), then I went to Pohnpei and gained a rudimentary knowledge of that language's structure, while we also began making visits to Likiep Atoll in the Marshall Islands, and I pursued that language to the greatest degree - In fact, I am now doing Marshallese translations for pay.
I mention all of this because I was putting a lot into learning to understand and work among island peoples, as other workers have also done. Some of course work in foreign countries with large numbers of friends and workers, and the situation is very different in Micronesia and Hawai`i. It did bother me when I was pulled away from the islands, but I was always told "the overseers know best." I see that now from different sides, and I'm not so sure I have my feelings on it entirely sorted out. It was a great frustration to be suddenly pulled away from an entirely different language and way of life, but I do have to say that our California overseers were mindful of my connections there, and I was sent back two more times. But it was also very frustrating seeing others go out to some of these places who didn't feel that connected to the islands, or who made a big deal out of their fishing prowess or brought back lots of "exotic South Pacific" stories.
It seems like overseers felt it was best that everyone be "well-rounded," gaining a bit of experience in many places. There could be some wisdom in that, but it is also frustrating when one feels called and capable of working in a specific setting, and then ends up on the continent, often spending time on convention grounds projects or on "special meeting rounds."
I do feel it was all "planned for my good," or for my learning, now, but not necessarily in the way it seemed the overseers intended it. My time out here also brought me up against certain attitudes and beliefs that I definitely disagreed with. When I challenged certain things done by other workers - things my companions agreed with until I said something to other workers, particularly those "with responsibility" - I was just given a silent kind of stare, like "why are you making problems"? I didn't think I was rebelling, but how can things be dealt with if we never speak up, just deferring to something like "God placed these overseers here"?
Though a lot of these thoughts were kind of there, in the back of my mind, when I left the work, I still generally trusted the workers and overseers. It wasn't until a few years later that I encountered some real opposition, when I stood up for someone else being hurt (here in Hawai`i). I strongly feel that God brought certain people - including me - together for our learning. But for me that didn't meant to continue going to meetings, though I tried for several years, until it became very apparent that there was no way to be "right" with many people - workers and friends - until I basically "didn't know" something that I was very aware of. How does one do that? We tried just keeping quiet, not bringing up the issue, but that didn't seem to be enough for many people.
Some could say I should just "hang in there and take it." I was admittedly very angry for a period of time, and backing away from the situation has certainly helped there. But I also feel it is important to find a place where we can speak and be heard, which is right where I am, for me. I am admittedly rather ambiguous about meetings - I'm not trying to preserve the system, but neither am I attempting to destroy it. But I feel that many people are hurt when their stories are silenced by saying "God put the overseers there," or "the way is perfect," or "it's for our own benefit." If something is of God, it will stand up to scrutiny. If it isn't of God, it needs to be addressed.
I too am veering away from the "worker experiences," and yet, how do I separate it all? Some of this is definitely after my time in the work, but it also relates to me being a former worker and my relationships to many people - primarily "California" workers and Hawai`i and Micronesia friends. I'm not interested in claiming any "place" as a former worker, and I pointedly kept very short in my meeting testimonies for quite a few years after leaving the work, but I had gained a certain respect among the friends here, and that became a threat to someone else, a man who is known to manipulate people.
I strongly believe we need to look at these complex relationships - they all involve "power" in various ways and degrees - instead of simply deferring to an "authority" up there somewhere, such as an overseer. We can respect those who take on responsibility when it's necessary, but people get hurt when we just "submit" to a title or an office.
In an effort to bring this discussion back to workers' experiences, as well as to reflect on the discussion in this thread, I'm going to refer to earlier comments along the line of "the overseers are put there by God for us to learn." While I don't entirely disagree with this, I do wonder if we don't err in only limiting it to overseers. I seriously believe that many - if not all - relationships in my life have brought me into contact with people who have taught me something - or maybe it can be an entire set of circumstances that has forced me to confront something that's "been there," but kind of in the background.
While in the work, I often talked about things being "for our benefit" or "to teach us." But this always seemed to be in a "passive" sense - we were just supposed to "submit" and "take whatever comes." I do not believe this now. I do not care for a "reactionary" way of dealing with things, but I have certainly made choices that others - including overseers - have disagreed with.
I grew desperately "homesick" when I was first called back to California/Nevada from the Pacific Islands in 1986. I had not only grown to love the people, the foods, etc., but I had also worked on languages, including the Pidgin spoken here in Hawai`i, which greatly helped me in talking with children in the homes, whom I at first could not understand. The following year, on Guam, I learned to hold a very basic conversation in Tagalog (friends there are mostly Filipino), then I went to Pohnpei and gained a rudimentary knowledge of that language's structure, while we also began making visits to Likiep Atoll in the Marshall Islands, and I pursued that language to the greatest degree - In fact, I am now doing Marshallese translations for pay.
I mention all of this because I was putting a lot into learning to understand and work among island peoples, as other workers have also done. Some of course work in foreign countries with large numbers of friends and workers, and the situation is very different in Micronesia and Hawai`i. It did bother me when I was pulled away from the islands, but I was always told "the overseers know best." I see that now from different sides, and I'm not so sure I have my feelings on it entirely sorted out. It was a great frustration to be suddenly pulled away from an entirely different language and way of life, but I do have to say that our California overseers were mindful of my connections there, and I was sent back two more times. But it was also very frustrating seeing others go out to some of these places who didn't feel that connected to the islands, or who made a big deal out of their fishing prowess or brought back lots of "exotic South Pacific" stories.
It seems like overseers felt it was best that everyone be "well-rounded," gaining a bit of experience in many places. There could be some wisdom in that, but it is also frustrating when one feels called and capable of working in a specific setting, and then ends up on the continent, often spending time on convention grounds projects or on "special meeting rounds."
I do feel it was all "planned for my good," or for my learning, now, but not necessarily in the way it seemed the overseers intended it. My time out here also brought me up against certain attitudes and beliefs that I definitely disagreed with. When I challenged certain things done by other workers - things my companions agreed with until I said something to other workers, particularly those "with responsibility" - I was just given a silent kind of stare, like "why are you making problems"? I didn't think I was rebelling, but how can things be dealt with if we never speak up, just deferring to something like "God placed these overseers here"?
Though a lot of these thoughts were kind of there, in the back of my mind, when I left the work, I still generally trusted the workers and overseers. It wasn't until a few years later that I encountered some real opposition, when I stood up for someone else being hurt (here in Hawai`i). I strongly feel that God brought certain people - including me - together for our learning. But for me that didn't meant to continue going to meetings, though I tried for several years, until it became very apparent that there was no way to be "right" with many people - workers and friends - until I basically "didn't know" something that I was very aware of. How does one do that? We tried just keeping quiet, not bringing up the issue, but that didn't seem to be enough for many people.
Some could say I should just "hang in there and take it." I was admittedly very angry for a period of time, and backing away from the situation has certainly helped there. But I also feel it is important to find a place where we can speak and be heard, which is right where I am, for me. I am admittedly rather ambiguous about meetings - I'm not trying to preserve the system, but neither am I attempting to destroy it. But I feel that many people are hurt when their stories are silenced by saying "God put the overseers there," or "the way is perfect," or "it's for our own benefit." If something is of God, it will stand up to scrutiny. If it isn't of God, it needs to be addressed.
I too am veering away from the "worker experiences," and yet, how do I separate it all? Some of this is definitely after my time in the work, but it also relates to me being a former worker and my relationships to many people - primarily "California" workers and Hawai`i and Micronesia friends. I'm not interested in claiming any "place" as a former worker, and I pointedly kept very short in my meeting testimonies for quite a few years after leaving the work, but I had gained a certain respect among the friends here, and that became a threat to someone else, a man who is known to manipulate people.
I strongly believe we need to look at these complex relationships - they all involve "power" in various ways and degrees - instead of simply deferring to an "authority" up there somewhere, such as an overseer. We can respect those who take on responsibility when it's necessary, but people get hurt when we just "submit" to a title or an office.