I can say that all alcoholics are miserable despite any exterior apperaces to the contrary.Alcoholism is a self medication that is symptom of a deeper problem. We can't be happy with lingering deep problems, we can only smile and bear through life, but we WON'T be happy no matter what. To claim that there is ANY happiness in the JW organization is akin to saying it's ok in certain circumstances to be an alcholic. That's crazy and enabling the deeper problem.
Sab, you're showing extremist thinking, another symptom of JW upbringing (dualistic, binary, either/or).
Fact is, there are functional alcoholics who don't let it effect their lives, and continue to drink for decades without causing a problem (i.e. productive at work, relationships, etc). The risk is they can cross a boundary, but many seemingly don't. So who's to say it's wrong or bad? It's like the old "if a tree falls in the forest" question, a theoretical harm that never happens.
You operate under the burden of false assumptions you carry as truths (eg "We can't be happy with lingering deep problems, we can only smile and bear through life, but we WON'T be happy no matter what"), when happiness is often simply allowing YOURSELF to put it all aside.
Bottom line is, it's YOU holding yourself back, not anyone else. You have to give yourself permission to let it go, and move beyond.
Fact is, many here are holding themselves back, refusing to accept the responsbility of whatever demons they are struggling with. But in the end, that's ALL it is to the challenge: the individual taking responsibility of their own life, as they're the only one who can change their own life (and they ultimately bears the cost of that decision). That is TTALATT ("The Truth About Life After The Truth)
It's the same idea about seeing TTATT: you cannot live a JW's life for them, or find a magic combination of words that makes them all wake up and see it. Instead, it's a personal insight that one has to be receptive to, or it won't stick.
