Upon learning that WT was not "God's Organization", I was devastated. For two decades I had spent valuable time building friendships, mostly with JWs. During my stay at Bethel, I made many fine friends, some of them very close. 'Take a bullet for them' close.
I flew around country with these friends, vacationed with them, met their parents, etc. We shared good times and times of loss. We were as close as any blood relatives. We had similar values and similar interests.
Before exiting, I attempted to share what I had learned about WT with a select few, close friends. As most of you know, this was futile. Whatever allegiance they had for me was nothing in the face of the fear/guilt/thought reform that blinds them to any information critical of mother. It was like running into a brick wall. Perhaps, what hurt the most, is having your "close friends" not even give you the benefit of the doubt and simply hear you out. They wouldn't even listen to what I had to say.
So, I decided that my conditional friends weren't worth placing my future and my freedom on hold. I disassociated myself. Many of my former friends are young men and women. I'm hopeful that as "real life" doesn't match up with the WT fantasies they hold so dear, some or even one of them may begin to 'awaken' and exit WT. If that day arrives, I'll be happy to assist them, as my door remains open.
In the meantime, I'd rather have new friends than conditional friends. Sure, I miss a few of my old friends. This is only natural. However, their friendship comes with a price that I'm no longer willing to pay: Spiritual and Mental Slavery.
No thanks. Never again.