One of the most important things (to me of course) that I've learned as an ex-jw is that having doubts is a good thing. Before, if I had doubts about one of the teachings, that meant that my faith and my loyalty towards Jehova (and the Organisation) weren't strong enough. And that was my fault obviously. I had to work harder to get rid of those doubts, I had to study more, I had to pray more, and of course I couldn't stray away from the informations that were given to me. All the other sources, other than the watchtower, were of Satan, I couldn't trust them. There were only lies outside this particular religion and outside the organisation.
Outside of this toxic, controlling environment, I was very happy to be able to use these other sources and what I learned will prevent me to be brainwashed again in that way forever.
The thing is, if I hadn't been so scared of doubts, if I had acted on them and asked my questions, did my research etc... I could have been able to leave that place long before I did, and I don't know If I would have been a better person than I am today, but I surely would have been a person who made their choice with their head.
A reasonable Doubt, is what make us grow. It makes us grow as individuals, it makes us grow as a society. It makes us wonder why things are the way they are, and if we see that something "normal" is wrong, it makes us fix it.
Let's be doubtful of the world we live in, and let this doubt fuel our curiosity and our desire to improve the world
Israel has cut water, electricity and food to Palestinians in Gaza. They are buying 10.000 M16 rifles and plan to distribute to civilian settlers in the West Bank to hunt down Palestinians. They're bombing the only way out of Gaza through Egypt, after telling refugees to flee through it, and have threatened the Egyptian government in case they let aid trucks pass through. Entire families, generations, are being wiped out and left to wander the streets hoping they don't get bombed.
Palestinians are using their last minutes of battery to let the world know about their genocide and are being met with a wall of "What about Hamas? What about the beheaded babies? Killing children on either side is bad!" even though the propaganda claims have been debunked over and over again. How cruel is it to ask somebody to condemn themselves before their last words? Or before grieving the loss of their entire families? When there's no such disclaimer to Israelis even though their government has shown over and over genocidal intent? Like who are you even trying to appease? What will your wishy washy statement do against decades of zionist thought infiltrating evangelical and Jewish stablishmemts?
Take action. Israel will fall back if public opinion turns its tide. The UK fell back on its bloody decision to cut aid to Palestine under public scrutiny. The USAmerican empire spends $3.8 billion dollars annually solely on this proxy war while its people suffer under a progressively military regime as well. News outlets are canceling last minute on Palestinian speakers while letting Israelis tell lies unchecked. Palestinian refugees are being targeted in ICE establishments and mosques are already being hounded by the FBI. Europe, Canada and the US have banned pro-Palestine protests but people are still resisting. You have the chance to stop this from turning into repeat of the Iraq war.
I want to do something but there's hardly anything for me to do from Brasil besides spreading the word and not letting these testimonies fall on deaf ears. I'm asking you to do this same ant work from wherever you are.
Follow:
Eye On Palestine (instagram / twitter)
Mohammed El-Kurd (instagram / twitter)
Decolonize Palestine (website with a chronological explanation of the occupation and debunking myths)
Muhammad Shehada (twitter)
Plestia Alaqad (directly from Gaza. Many of her videos are interrupted by bombs)
If there's a protest in your city, please attend. Here's an international calendar of events:
Friday, October 13
ALBUQUERQUE, NM (US) – Fri Oct. 13, 3 pm, UNM Bookstore, University of New Mexico. Organized by Southwest Coalition for Palestine.
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA (US) – Fri Oct 13, 6 pm, Sproul Hall (Vigil), University of California Berkeley. Organized by Bears for Palestine.
DOUAIS, FRANCE – Fri Oct 13, 6:30 pm, Place de’Armes.
GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN – Fri Oct 13, 5:30 pm, Brunnsparken. Organized by Palestinska samordningsgruppen Gothenburg.
GREENSBORO, NC (US) – Fri Oct. 13, 4 pm, Wendover Village, 4203 W Wendover Ave, Greensboro, NC. Organized by Muslims for a Better NC.
LONDON, ENGLAND – Fri Oct 13, 5 pm, Keir Starmer’s Office, Crowndale Center, 218 Eversholt St, London. Organized by IJAN UK.
MEANJIN/BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – Fri Oct 13, 6 pm, King George Square.
MIAMI, FL (US) – Fri Oct 13, 4:30 pm, Bayfront Park. Organized by Troika Kollectiv.
NAPOLI, ITALY – Fri Oct 13, 4:30 pm, Piazza Garibaldi, Napoli. Organized by GPI and Centro Culturale Handala Ali.
NGUNNAWAL/CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA – Fri Oct 13, 5:30 pm, Carema Place.
PERTH/BOORLOO, AUSTRALIA – Fri Oct. 13, 5:30 pm, Murray Street Hall, Boorloo/Perth. Organized by Friends of Palestine WA.
PORTLAND, OREGON (US) – Fri Oct 13, 3 pm, 1200-1220 SW 5th Ave, Portland.
PORT RICHEY, FL (US) – Fri Oct 13, 7:30 am, Route 19 and Ridge Road, Port Richey. Sponsored by: Florida Peace Action Network; Partners for Palestine; CADSI
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA – Friday, Oct. 13, 7 pm, UP Main Campus, DSA Building opposite Thuto. Organized by PSC UP.
WITSWATERSRAND UNIVERSITY (SOUTH AFRICA) – Fri Oct 13, 1 pm, Great Hall Piazza, Flag demonstration. Organized by Wits PSC.
Saturday, October 14
ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – Sat, Oct. 14, 2 pm, St. Nichlas Square. Organized by Scottish PSC.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – Sat Oct 14, 2 pm, Aotea Square, Queens St, 291-2997 Queen St. Organized by PSN Aotearoa.
DETROIT/DEARBORN, MICHIGAN (US) – Sat Oct 14, 2 pm, Ford Woods Park, 5700 Greenfield Road. Organized by SAFE, PYM, SJP, Handala Coalition, more.
DUNDEE, SCOTLAND – Sat, Oct. 14, 2 pm, Place TBA. Organized by Scottish PSC.
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – Sat, Oct 14, 2 pm, Princes Street at Foot of the Mound. Organized by Scottish PSC.
FRANKFURT, GERMANY – Sat Oct 14, 3 pm Hauptwache, Frankfurt am Main. Sponsored by Palestina eV, Migrantifa Rhein-Main and more.
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – Sat. Oct 14, 2 pm, Buchanan Steps. Organized by Scottish PSC.
HOUSTON, TEXAS (US) – Sat Oct 14, 2 pm, City Hall, 901 Bagby St. Organizd by PYM, PAC, USPCN, SJP and more.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – Sat Oc 14, 12 pm, Church St. Organized by FRFI.
LONDON, ENGLAND – Sat Oct 14, 12 pm, BBC Portland Place, London. Organized by a broad coalition.
MILANO, ITALY – Sat. Oct 14, 3:30 pm, Piazza San Babila. Organized by Young Palestinians of Italy, UDAP, Palestinian Community, Association of Palestinians.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – Sat Oct 14, 3 pm, Lake Eola at Robinson and Eola, Orland. Organized by Florida Palestine Network.
TORINO, ITALY – Sat. Oct. 14, 3 pm, Piazza Crispi. Organized by Progetto Palestina.
VALPARAISO, CHILE – Sat Oct 14, 6 pm, Plaza Victoria, Valparaiso. Organized by Comite Chileno de Solidaridad con Palestina.
WASHINGTON, DC (US) – Sat Oct 14, 1 pm, Lafayette Square. Organized by AMP.
Sunday, October 15
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – Sun Oct 15, 2 pm, March from Dam Square to Jonas Daniel Meijer plein.
NAARM/MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Sun Oct 15, State Library Victoria.
TARDANYA/ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – Sun Oct 15, 2 pm, Parliament House.
AUSTIN, TEXAS (US) – Sun Oct 15, 3 pm, Texas Capitol. Organized by PSC ATX.
GADIGAL/SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – Sun Oct 15, 1 pm, Sydney Town Hall.
SANTIAGO, CHILE -Sun Oct 15, 11 am, Plaza Dignidad, Santiago. Organized by Comite Chileno de Solidaridad con Palestina.
I think one of the biggest things the org took away from me was my ability to see the good in things, to recognize that even though there is injustice and suffering in the world, that people are also kind and compassionate. that having a body can be painful and tedious, but it can also feel so so good, to feel sunlight on your back for the first time in the spring, to sit by the ocean, to lay in the grass.
they would always tell us that nothing good could come from this world, that it was rotten through and through, and that our only hope at living a fulfilling life was to make it to the new world, but that was all lies. this life, right now, is real, and it is good, and it matters.
I was born within religion. As in almost all christian religions, I too was taught that people were to be loved unconditionally... under certain conditions. I left that world now, with great cost. I feel privileged nonetheless, because the price that I paid wasn't as high as the one that other people, from the same religion, pay.
Every day, I'm amazed by the fact that a person can love unconditionally despite any diversity. We have the Incredible opportunity to love and to celebrate our differences, as the world is connected like never before. I never felt so free to love before, and I hope to experience this feelings throughout all of my life, and that others, now blinded by hate, will reach this realisation, if not in this life, at least in the next. There is nothing more freeing than loving unconditionally, and hate is nothing but a heavy boulder chained at our feet.
thinking that what happened “wasn’t bad enough” is a sign that it was.
your brain wouldn’t be trying to protect itself from the reality of what happened if what happened didn’t hurt you.
questioning if your trauma “counts” as trauma is a sign of trauma.
This Juneteenth as we celebrate and reflect on the progress we've made and look to what we can do to improve equal rights for black folks I want to bring attention to an issue far too closet to my heart- environmental racism.
I had a friend who died, far too young. It's been many years so newer tumblr users won't know him. His name was james and he was a popular tumblr user when he was alive @kumagawa . I idolized him like an older brother, and still do. He lived in Flint, Michigan. He was around 27 when he died. He was a healthy man, other than the fact he lived with dirty water in Flint, Michigan.
I'll never fucking forgive the US government for killing my friend, my brother. Why did James die? Because Flint, Michigan is 56% Black. Because it would be expensive to fix the lead pipes that gave my friend lead poisoning and killed him.
As of April 24,2024 the city of Flint, Michigan still hasn't replaced all the lead pipes that are poisoning the people living there.
https://www.aclumich.org/en/press-releases/residents-still-waiting-city-flint-replace-all-lead-pipes-10-year-anniversary-water
If you can help, give money to Mari Copeny's go fund me.
Mari Copeny, better known as Little miss Flint, is now 16 years old and over the past few years has raised nearly a million dollars for her community.
She has a website to links for other ways to support the community
Please reblog this post if you can't give any money... It would mean the world to me if I could use my friend's memory to help promote environmental racism and the issues still facing his community today.
Israeli army shells reach us. They saved the lives of me and my wife, by making a financial donation through my PayPal wallet.
You should be furious that people trying to escape genocide in Gaza, Sudan, Congo all need raise an absurd amount of money just to survive
You should be furious at how these people went through atrocity after atrocity and still need raise tens of thousands of dollars to get away
You should be furious at this insidious thing that completely encapsulates how capitalism feeds off of blood