Stability to Chaos - A Survival Guide (page 2)

daystar

While it is terrifying to leap into the unknown, the inevitable freedom that is born from that metamorphosis is incomparable.

!!

Arthur

If we have attempted to keep up a facade, for the sake of family, or other personal reasons, then we have the continual battle of cognitive dissonance and living a double life of disparate thoughts.
Many here have expressed feelings of anger, depression, or in some cases even a desire to commit suicide, dealing with an often subconscious grieving process that includes the whole range of human emotion.

It is indeed a horrible emotional roller-coaster. It can feel like being a ping-pong ball, bouncing back and forth between emotions of rage, depression, and intense fear.

Thank goodness for this website! Thank goodness for the support of all of you out there.

When connecting with long-time ex-JWs, they almost all express the same thing: "You sure don't seem like somone who's only been out a year or so." While it's true that I wholeheartedly believed in the WTS, when I awoke from my Watchtower sleep, there were only two primary things with which I was preoccupied...

1) The question of how I would possibly deal with my exit from the organization.

2) The extraordinary sense of freedom.

It's true: this experience has been a bit of a lifequake. I mean...I'm actually going to die one day, right? But now the troubling flashpoints that bothered me all my life and produced an uncertain man have faded. Now I use my own mind. I make decisions that make sense to me--instead of submitting my life to a group of men. I feel more confident and whole.

I too have often turned to poetry (of the simple rhyming sort,) and have noticed (as you mention in your poetry thread) that most don't respond to it. But some do seem to enjoy it--and I suppose it benefits me more than anyone else.

deeskis

Music plays a huge part in my life, I'm in two bands (mainly jamming). and involved with a couple of theatre/charity performing groups.

I love writing songs, i guess that's kind of poetry.......

Shiver, but I'm not cold. Shiver running through my soul
senses reeling, wings unfold, shiver makes my spirit bold.........

myelaine

dear Little Toe...

your thread title made me think of Isaiah 64:8-12...

But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand. Do not be furious, O LORD, nor remember iniquity forever; indeed, please look--we all are Your people! Your holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised You, is burned up with fire; and all our pleasant things are laid waste. Will You restrain Yourself because of these things, O LORD? Will you hold Your peace, and afflict us very severly?

just thought I'd say so...

love michelle

plmkrzy

LT

We knew what we were doing, why we were here, where we were going,

!

For me that is the true definition of what a jw really is. Regardless of what the beliefs and doctrines are, it is that very way of thinking and believing that kept/keeps us there, when that is crushed, many of the doctrines begin to take on “new light” and just fizzle away.

Knowing exactly where you’re going and why is a very powerful tool to pull people with. Where else can anyone find that level of certainty about life? The doctrines are secondary. Isn’t it that very idea, knowing what’s in store for the future that is used in field service?

I took up oil painting. It became a wonderful escape/exercise in my battles with depression. I loved it. I should start again.

plum

MegaDude

Stability guide for me:

Hard work

Music, music, music

Became a film whore

Read good books and more good books. Digested a literal Mt. Everest amount of information off the Internet.

Being in nature and the outdoors, exercise

Became more proficient in my job

Became a student of life because I realized I knew nothing about it. Paid particular attention to people who were happy or peaceful, had a stable life. Had no problem asking them personal questions about their personal philosophies. Most were surprised. Almost all were helpful. This ran the gamut from cold hardcore Satanists to Atheists to raving Charismatics to the New Agers.

Justin

I think being more aware of what is happening in the larger culture (or "the world") helps us to realize that we are not alone in our chaos. By viewing movies, art, reading books (both novels and heavy duty), we see a world which is traveling from one fad to another, accepting whatever happens to be politically correct. We see liberals vs. conservatives, and vice versa. It is a world which has lost much of its own stability in traditional morality and religion. An old paradigm has been lost, and no one knows what the new one will be. We are conscious of what we have lost, but the larger culture is not. Still, our experience is just a special case of what is now commonplace. As part of our re-education, we need to have a broader view of the larger culture.

DanTheMan

Comedy has helped me cope a lot...I love funny shows, funny commercials. I don't feel ashamed or unholy when I watch the Simpsons or South Park or Family Guy and laugh my ass off. The photoshopped WT & Awake cover threads on this board are absolutely the best:

See, when I was a JW, it all came to be like a big joke that I was scared to death to laugh at. So you can imagine my delight at discovering this forum, and finding that I wasn't alone, and that laughing at it is the best revenge.

FlyingHighNow

Comedy has helped me cope a lot...I love funny shows, funny commercials. I don't feel ashamed or unholy when I watch the Simpsons or South Park

Cartman has got to be the most funny character ever created. He's at his best being a cop on his big wheel: "You must respect my authori- TIE!" Oh yes and singing, "Come Sail Away."

Chaos: how'd you know?

Stability to Chaos - A Survival Guide