Been a long time folks. Howdy.
Here's a question: What has most surprised you about your life after leaving the organization? Is there any disconnect between what you thought it would be like and how it actually is? I realize this question probably can only be answered adequately by those who have been out of the organization for awhile. Here are some surprises that I noticed:
1) The world is a lot more COMPLEX than I had thought. I remember leaving the organization still carrying with me a style of thinking that can best be described as "categorizing." I still fight this tendency, although my experiences have directed me to realize that the world -- universe, society, culture, even my own mind -- is far more complex and subtler than I had originally thought upon leaving the society. It took me a long time, for instance, to see that not all religious believers are "full of shit" or that one's political inclinations cannot be simplified into a neat dichotomy.
2) There are a lot of things outside the organization that are just like things inside it. For instance, gossip: pretty much the same outside as well as in, in my experience (I'm just waiting for the "ohh, that's not so" crowd to start railing at this one!). Another example: hierarchy and "do-gooders": same. Ditto for "unwritten rules" (just work in an office or go to a university and this will easily be borne out).
3) To be frank, I thought some things would have been easier and some things much harder once I was outside the organization. For me: making lasting friendships -- harder; dealing with JW family -- easier.
Hmmm....I'll think of some more. Care to share?
B.