I am here to talk about issues because other people just don't understand what it was like to live in that subculture. I have, on occasion, been with people who have brought up the sbject of JWs. Sometimes these people have misconcepts of the belief system, so I end up clarifying or expalining the JWs which is OK to to but not especially enjoyable for me. If it gets past that and I get into to what their problems really are or what I went through, they either don't get it or get tired of the subject and want to move on to something else. You rarly can get a true empathy from those who never have experienced it. It has been a good thing to Have my friend JAVA here in town, and of course, my wife and I can talk about this stuff, but it is nice to have a wider audience of people, as is found here, to share ideas and approaches in dealing with many common frustrations and concerns. Before, finding this site, I have attended BRCI conferences on occasion. I find real life interaction with these people to be very beneficial.