How Do You Feel About All The Time You Wasted Being. A Jehovah's Witness? (page 4)

Ucantnome

I don't know that it was wasted time because if I hadn't have been raised as a witness I have no idea how my life would have turned out. Maybe there were things that I needed to do that were small but significant to my life or the lives of others that needed me to be a Witness and the only way I would ever have done them would be because I was raised as a witness. I know decisions that I made were influenced by my faith in the good news that I preached as Witness and decisions may have been better if I'd chosen a different path but I don't know. I have a different view of the preaching work that I engaged in and so I no longer participate that's it. Looking at my cousins who were not raised as Witness they are better educated and have better jobs than I have. The same is true of my father and children. So probably I would have been financially better.

TheFadingAlbatros

Who can go back in his own life ? God has not provided us with a reverse gear. I don't care too much about the past time, even if I have been more than during forty years trapped in the WT's cult. Now I am even not fading anymore, as three months ago I have decided to withdraw me officially from the jw's org. When speaking with my daughter, my son or my wife about active JWs I do not use anymore the terms "sister" , "brother", "elder", etc. , but instead I use the terms Miss so-and-so, Mrs. so-and-so, or Mr. so-and-so. So happy to be now 100 % outside of this cult and free from any manipulation orchestrated by the seven Brooklyn or Warwick puppets.

Xanthippe

Think of yourself as an asylum seeker. You've got away from that totalitarian country, you're not being tortured any more. This country where you are now will let you be free. If you need help to forget the torture then get counselling. You have 20, 30, 40 years left to do whatever you want. Enjoy!

flipper

Having been born and raised up in the JW's from birth - naturally - I have a lot of resentment towards the leaders of this organization and how they suck the life and opportunities for personal growth out of people's lives. Mine included until 2003 when I exited at age 44.

That being said my views are similar to Freemindfade- I'm not going to waste my life living in the past. I have pursued many fantastic new interests since leaving in 2003 with playing music, learned guitar and recording of songs I've written and I enjoy playing music with my son as well. My wife and I grow an organic vegetable garden and fruit garden cultivating our own food. Enjoy hiking in the woods on backpacking trips, photography , and I enjoy getting to meet new and interesting non-JW's and many ex-JW's on this board who have become great friends through the last 8 years or so. There is so much to enjoy in life when we cherish our freedom of mind and free unencumbered thinking ability. Being able to read so many non-WT books has been great as it really has enlightened me towards the real world outside of JW land.

I live in the here and now every day. WT Society robbed enough of my years from me- I'm not going to let them take the rest of those years away. We are survivors of having been in a mind control cult, we should be proud that we escaped and have moved on with our lives. We are the lucky ones. The ones still trapped inside are the unfortunate ones. Not us. Kind of my world view in a nutshell

problemaddict 2

Im conflicted. I met my wife as a JW. Most of my good friends are JW's, long time and newish. I enjoyed my childhood and didn't grow up weird like some others.

On the other hand I didn't go to college, didn't play sports, and wasted some time in "spiritual pursuits".

On the whole I don't regret anything in my life really. I enjoy where I am at. I have good people around me, my family, and profitable work. I can't stand my former religion, and it still affects my life negatively, but i am now in control.

Ultimately we are all responsible for our own decisions on every level. I have decided to live a good life.

minimus

Good....live your life and move on!

FayeDunaway

My grandparents were educated people. There were two valedictorians in my family in that generation, and a class president. They were very active in their communities. All of that came to a screeching halt when my parents became witnesses, before I was born. Suddenly the world was ending and school wasnt important. They never made sure I did my homework. I watched cartoons for hours every day after school. It would have been great, I realized in hindsight, to have SOME parental guidance with that. I didn't start working at school until high school, and it was on my own, because I started to respect my teachers. Who KNOWS what I could have been in another life, what college I could have gotten into, if I wasn't born into this cult. Heck yes, I regret being brought up in this. But my children are wonderful, and without giving them TOO much pressure, because I think happiness is more important than 'success', I make sure they do their homework!!

OnTheWayOut

Although I was exposed to the JW's by my mother as a child, I didn't join until I was an adult. At the time I joined, I was in at a low point in my life and in need of serious help for some psychological issues. But the well-meaning soldiers of Watchtower assured me that the distress in my life was caused by Satan and his world and all I needed was "the truth." I actually had thought, before meeting with JW's, that God had saved me from taking my own life and was guiding my life. Rather than tell me "You need help," the JW elder that started a study with me convinced me that God does just what I thought He was doing and that "He" must have led me to "the truth."

With that background, I can answer your question, "How do I feel about the time I wasted being a Jehovah's Witness?"

20 years after I should have gotten help, I got help. I put a band-aid on a serious problem for 20 frigging years. Watchtower even discouraged the type of counseling I should have gotten. I absolutely hate this dangerous mind-control cult for wasting all that time.

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Edited to add:

minimus I do think that even if we felt like we wasted our time, there's still time left to salvage and enjoy life, right now.

I have to agree. My true personality shown through during my 20-year delay and it wasn't all misery. And now that I got away from Watchtower, I embrace the big and small joys in life. I totally enjoy sharing time and energy and thoughts with others who have their own JW-stories. That's why I spend too much time on this forum and why I meet up with other ex-JW's on a regular basis.

sporece

I went in at 22 and left at 54, It was my choice and looking back i feel i wasted 32 years of my life. Financially i did ok, retired and enjoying life as never before.

Only regret, broken marriage due to my " apostasy " and biggest regret my 3 kids never got a decent education because of " the end is around the corner "

Phizzy

I feel sick that I have wasted my life, and my potential for doing good in the world, all for a Cult that denied me the right to express my real personality.

I love people, and feel for their problems and feel their pain. I could have been a really good support and help to so many, but was not, because the WT did not let me.

I know I was a blind fool, but I was mind-controlled from birth, and lied to from birth.

I do my best now to make up for lost time.

How Do You Feel About All The Time You Wasted Being. A Jehovah's Witness?

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