a couple questions for everyone here

by deservingone26 61 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  deservingone26

  Im just curious about a couple things:

  1. Most of you seem to be pretty satisfied that you left the the witness world but now that your gone what drives you now? what makes you excited about life?(just curious) me myself i am in a stand still where i dont really feel like im doing anything with my life. i live alone, all my friends live for the weekend which all they want to do on the weekend is get f***** up(on alcohol or drugs) the movie groundhog day is a perfect example of my life. So maybe I need to find love lol

  2. Why do you guys post on here so much? I myself kind of feel like this site helps but i know eventually i will move on and not come here anymore but some of you have 1000's of posts mainly complaining about how your life in the watchtower was so bad which i dont mean to judge anyone but what is the need for 1000's of posts and making weekly posts of comments you wont hear at the during the watchtower! lol

  3. Are most of you atheists? I dont agree with the witness world but i still believe in God, if you post on my topic tell me why you do or do not believe in god(if you want) and if you do believe in god are you going to a specific place for worship.

  i dont mean to offend anyone these are just some of the question i have, I feel like i need to get counseling because i dont feel like i really have a direction in life right now. so if you have any advice on that i would appreciate because there are so many counselors out there, or maybe i should just man up and choose for myself the way i want to live my life but your thoughts would be appreciated! thank you
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  Lozhasleft

  Mmmm...how to begin...I think perhaps you are generalising somewhat....I dont think posters just focus on their miserable lives in the WTBS I think if you went through a person's posts you'd find that they comment on all sorts of threads/topics. But you're right in that what we do all have in common is experience with the JWs and that's what brought us here. The forum provides the opportunity for free speech about that experience good and bad, and after the stifling of freedom to think or discuss openly and honestly I think most find enormous relief from unloading their feelings here. I know I did. But after the initial outpouring it seems to me that people move along at different paces and come here to share their life experiences. There is humour and discussion on all kinds of topics.

  The organisation has damaged many of our lives so it's natural that it taints us for a very long time, if not for the rest of our lives. Some spent many decades in there -I spent nearly 30 years there for example - there is bound to be repercussions. Some have lost family and friends like me too. Loss brings grief which is helped by empathy and support, and there's a lot of it available here.

  Yes I still believe in god, no question, but no I dont go anywhere to worship now. I dont feel it necessary to judge anyone re what they believe or dont anymore so it matters not to me where they stand.

  It takes time to build a new life....what about higher education? a career change? hobbies? .... many have benefited from counselling or therapy...it depends on your needs but I doubt it could do any harm.

  I wish you well .... my hubby always says 'Jump in and take a swim in the sea of life!' cos its not a rehearsal...and I hope you can find your way to do just that...

  Loz x
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  Black Sheep

  1. Life. If all of your friends live for the weekend and they have a great time and don't hurt anyone with their antics ..... join them. It's not like a religion where they all get snotty and you lose your family when you change your mind.

  2. I am, currently, not part of the workforce. WT is a part of my life and I have to deal with it. So do my family. I made many mistake when exiting the cult. The sacrifices I would have to make to go back in so that I could rescue my family would be wasted as they no longer 'trust' me. I have fulfilled every warning the WT ever gave from the platform and rags about IDing a big scary APOSTATE .

  I am hoping that my presence here will prevent some people from making the same mistakes I made.

  3. Is not giving a shit whether there is a god or not athiesm? I don't know. I don't care. It's not important to me.

  Welcome to life

  Cheers

  Chris
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  deservingone26

  thanks for your reply i like you quote 'Jump in and take a swim in the sea of life!' cos its not a rehearsal' and your right i am glad they made this site because it is a place where people can get together and share their feeling about different things and some of the post are pretty helpful for me maybe i have just been focusing to much on the negative things. college is something i am looking into now that i am 24 i can fill out my own fasfa without having to have my parents info so I can get financial aid! but I dont know what i want to study lol ill figure my life out eventually i guess lol
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  Lozhasleft

  I can recommend college...I did a teaching diploma in the 80s which I barely used cos of the religion's issues over integrated syllabuses which included Pagan traditions...so now in my 50s I have gone back to Uni and am in the second year of an Honours degree in English & Drama here in the UK. Its been really enjoyable...I've made a lot of new friends young and old as well as the joy of learning and achieving.

  You're still young, I envy you that, think carefully about what you'd really prefer as a career and then go for it, whatever it takes. One of my sons has gone into medicine at the ripe old age of 28 and is apparently loving it...so anything is possible.

  Now that you have more time for living a 'normal' life instead of attending meetings, studying, and knocking on doors, you can have a good look around at all sorts of options for enjoying your time. Dont deprive yourself of it.

  Loz x
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  cantleave

  I focus on family and making new friends on line and in my community.
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  glentrevette

  most people here have left the social scene of being a witness association with friends and family and when they leave that a gigantic hole in their lives occurs when with nothing to fill it and then they post here because they are now lost and empty with nothing to fill their timewith except blaming the witnesses for their mess they are now in
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  deservingone26

  are you still in glentrevette?
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  Murray Smith

  Hi again Deservingone26 . . . I have just gone back and re-read all of your threads . . . may I suggest you do the same if you haven't recently. The reason being, that many of your questions have already been answered.

  It is clear that you are a young adult . . . please . . . be patient.

  There is so much ahead of you to learn . . . about yourself . . . and the world around you . . . give yourself the opportunity to do so and you will soon find time and experience will provide you with many of the answers you seek . . . and with the right approach (a patient one), you will find the experience itself to be rewarding and enjoyable.

  As for the folks here . . . bear in mind that many are still inextricably connected to WT for family reasons and come here for aid in dealing with issues. I hope it is your experience (as has been mine) that the people here are on the most part very caring and good people. Remember too, that for many of us, the WT experience has been a long and intense one, and feel we have lost a large part of our lives to it. And of course, the posters here are coming and going all the time . . . most acknowledge it's a"half-way house" . . . and many have extended stays in order to be of help to others. Either way . . . the shared experience of WT forms the basis of a strong bond.

  A patient approach in spiritual matters will benefit you also . . . get used to allowing a place for the "unknown", and yes, make sure of all things. Persue such matters with a clean table before you . . . you'll be suprised what you find . . . and a prayer or two to the one who said "Come to me . . ." . . . can be of great benefit too, in my humble opinion.

  Before I began studying almost 30 years ago, I had an avid interest in aviation . . . I spent a few years skydiving and became a qualified pilot before flagging it all for "the truth" . . . since leaving WT I have rejuvinated that interest and made numerous friends of real value.

  Hurling yourself at the ground from a great height may not appeal . . . but there must be something you've always wanted to "give it a go" . . . think about it . . . and "give it a go", whatever it may be . . . meet new people . . . there are lot's of good people out there, contrary to what WT may portray.

  Do not become overly anxious about now . . . things will get better . . . you'll see. So, stick around for a while yet . . . we're interested, really. I sincerely wish you all the best.

  Luvonya
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  mindseye

  1. What drives me now is pursuit of knowledge and art. Deservingone26, you seem to be having the classic existential crisis that usually happens in younger years or during a transitional period. What helped me through this was higher education. Learning many different things in different subjects may give you some direction and meaning in life. Also travel and meeting new people may help as well.

  2. I don't post here that much, but certainly understand why many do. This forum is interesting and addictive! I understand your thoughts, when I began to peruse the many ex-jw sites on the net, my initial reaction was that many people seemed to be stuck in anger and resentment at the organization. But this is understandable due to the hold that it has in many peoples' lives. I was fortunate to only work my way up to unbaptized publisher. I thank GOD I never got baptized. It was the best decision I ever made (I was close to doing it when I was about 15!). Those baptized ones that I know that leave have a much more traumatic experience, of course, and a forum like this is very beneficial to them.

  3. I would say that I believe in the Einsteinian version of God. That is I think of God as the wonder in nature and the cosmos. Bible literalism is a dead end to me, too much of it contradicts science and is too simplistic in my opinion. The God of the Old Testament is a brutish deity that is evidently a product of a primitive and brutish time. I still find much good in the teachings of Jesus, however. There's much I admire in eastern philosophies like Buddhism and Taoism also. I don't really feel a need to go to 'church', to me spirituality is a personal thing.

  Hang in there, Deservingone26. Realize that there are countless options available to you now. That can be scary, but also very exciting.