by minimus 45 Replies latest jw friends
Leaving reminds me of a scene in the movie "constantine" where Keanu Reeves uses all his energy to escape the demons that are trying to pull him back to hell.
Coming to the realization you have to go back to square one and rewire your brain is the most annoying, leaving is liberating, but dealing with the fact that the fantasy comfort zone is gone can be hard for the unmotivated... DEPRESSION WILL HIT YOU HARD!
Too much love to find to be stuck in a infinite JW tape delay.
Dan
Ruins? Some may think so after some of my depressing posts BUT I'm going to say no, because that is how I truly feel. May have fallen on hard times that have truly tested me.
I have been out of the faith for 6 and a half years. I have had the some of my very best times in that period. I have got to celebrate birthdays, christmas and other special occasions with friends. I have got to sleep in late on weekends, party, drink and smoke weed without the guilt. I think for myself and have read some fascinating books, considered the strangest ideas, all because I am free to do so.
So no, definately not in ruins. It was before I left and I have built myself up out of those ruins, so that even these hard times will not make me crumble ( now I feel like showting: WE ARE SPARTA! )
Not ruined but it was seriously jacked up for a while. It was very difficult at first dealing with several fists punching you in the gut.
1. Realizing that this organization you had beleived in in just a sham
2. Having to deal with a vindictive ex-wife who was tring to get our kids to distance themselves from me because I was going to be destroyed in Armageddon.
3. Having virtually all of your "friends" shun you simply because you can but into the teachings 100%.
4. Hearing all of the lies now being spread about you in the congregation.
BungI Bill: GO FOR IT!
Grumblecakes: ouch. These are the statements that are hard to hear...
BUNGI BILL: If successful, I would feel a certain sense of satisfaction from achieving this on the 40th anniversary of their making me abandon my apprenticeship. Anybody want to wish me luck?
Wow, that is great, good luck to you. I am about your age, and I believe its never too late to be what you might have been. Some doors maybe closed to you, but other doors may open, if you are ready for it. I lost my job several years ago, and I decided to take a chance and have my own business. It has been a bumpy ride and I have had my ups and downs, but I am glad I took a risk. I have scaled back due to health issues, but it is the type of thing I can do part time. I also started recently doing volunteer work. I am blessed to have a spouse who sees the value in both my creative business and my volunteer work. Recent studies have shown that our brains are capable of forming new neural pathways and trimming old ones, no matter how old we are.
The only thing worse than having a religion steal a big
chunk of your life, is having it steal your entire life.
Open Mind:
Very interesting your beginning to "smell a 1914 rat" in the 1980s because I had said the very same thing in a sarcastic letter to them. However, I never expected that it would actually happen.
When they published that gem of a magazine article about "generation" in 1995 I was sucker-punched and never got over it. The religion was over as far as I was concerned and they should have packed it in. I should have walked out the damn door and never looked back. As it turned out, I hung around for another five years and then did a "fade".
In your case though, I am glad you took your instinct as a warning and made real tangible plans to better your situation "just in case". It turned out that you were right. Smart move.
We are all making up for lost time now and I am glad I got out when I did.
