My First DC 'Mentally Out' (page 3)

blondie

This reminds of the staged applause...we refused to do so and got a few dirty looks from people sitting nearby.

keyser soze

Part of me wants to go to one where no one knows me, just to hear how stupd it sounds.

I attended the afternoon session of a circuit assembly a few years back, for just that reason. I wanted to listen in from the perspective of knowing everything that I do now. I thought it would be mildly amusing. I couldn't wait for it to be over so I could get out of there and never look back.

sd-7

I think the applause just became kind of a running gag, either that or a tool used to wake people up who had dozed off. It was like, there were specific points in the talk where the speaker would pause, and it was like an APPLAUSE sign turned on and everyone clapped. My brother would initiate the clapping as the baptismal candidates filed out on Saturdays. It became a little joke.

2 years ago was my last convention and I was just then mentally out (though not really prepared to be a free man). It was a lot like being interrogated for 3 days. I felt so screwed up inside and cut off from reality. I think I was close to being reprogrammed then, but having already lost my virginity before marriage, I'd passed the point of no return.

Last year was my first year in decades not attending the convention. I felt so free. R-rated movies, Starbucks, arcade games, and TV dinners at the hotel room. It was perfection! It was more difficult when my wife and stepdaughter were in the hotel room, but...I was free. It helped me realize that I'd been missing out on just being able to be myself and do the things I really wanted to do.

I really don't know how anyone can endure that for more than a year or two. I guess, oddly enough, I was probably lucky my wife turned me in. I didn't have the courage to disassociate myself, more than likely. (Conspiracy theory goes that I married her specifically because I knew she was loyal enough to turn me in. I at least suspected as much, so...it worked out.)

I only wish there was someone I'd been close to at that time who could've taken me under their wing and helped me to get out a bit more safely than I did.

Anyway, I feel really sorry for those who have no choice but to suffer through a convention program. I may end up attending myself, but at least I don't have to enjoy it or take it seriously anymore. Whatever happens, though, I can't seem to fall asleep at any meeting, assembly or convention anymore--after reading Steven Hassan's book, I just got too scared to fall asleep.

Well, if I go this year--3 weeks from now--I guess I'll have my own thoughts to post on it. Sounds like it'd leave me in a really bad mood, though.

--sd-7

wobble

My last D.C was 2006, so I did not attend one as totally mentally out person. 2007 I just could not face going, I had been inactive for months and was waking up bigtime.

I walked away from the K.H, never to attend another meeting again,in spring 2008.

I could not put up with even a few minutes of a D.C now, I have seen behind the curtain, it ain't no amiable old man pretending to be the Wizard of Oz, it is a bunch of lying, hypocritical parasitic bastards who I have no time for, yea I mean you G.B of JW's.

RayPublisher

@Breakfastofchampions - Yes I can totally relate. My first one too that I was wise to the tricks and the manipulation. It struck me as very babyish at certain points, just doling out milk, repeated over and over again.

There was a few good parts, like the syposium on the qualities of Jesus, but those were the exceptions. It is different viewing it with a critical eye instead of just swallowing everything as "the best convention ever!"

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Ray, I agree that the symposium about Jesus had potential. Even as an agnosto-athe-undecided, there are interesting moral lessons that I think could be used for teaching. Unfortunately, it's delivered in the same-ole-same-ole fashion of the save-ole scriptures with a WT agenda, complete with self-serving interviews/experiences/demos. Most around me were sleepy or otherwise distracted. It was as if they wanted everyone to be bored with a discussion about Jesus, so that the final talk about Daniel would be more interesting.

RayPublisher

Yeah I wish the quality of the speakers was better- only a fraction of the speakers had outstanding public speaking talent and that makes it harder to appreciate/listen.

And the final talk was... a n t i c l i m a c t i c to the extreme.

breakfast of champions

RAYPUBLISHER - I could NEVER stand it when people said,"Oh, wasn't that the best convention EVER?!"

This year I made a special point of saying, "Hmmmm... I don't know... I think LAST YEAR'S convention was at least as good, if not better." Got some confuzzled looks and nervous laughs.

BILLYTHEEXBETHELITE - DROVE ME UP A WALL whenever the speaker stated EXACTLY HOW I SHOULD FEEL! Now it's all just silliness.

breakfast of champions

btt for llama, er, uh, I mean, IAMALLCOOL.

Iamallcool

I see it, Thanks!

My First DC 'Mentally Out'

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