In hindsight, it would have been better for me if I had never been invited (or appointed) to receive so-called privileges in the congregation, since I would have been less involved with the religion and thus maybe out of the religion much sooner, or maybe even never became baptized into the religion. If had begun having a beard by eighth grade (and thus exercised more of an independent attitude, including of independent thinking), then I probably would never have been: allowed to become baptized (or possibly never allowed to become baptized), passing the microphones down the isles, an assistant in the sound department, in charge of the sound department, an assistant of the magazine counter, in charge of the magazine counter, an assistant of the literature counter/department, in charge of the literature department, assigned #4 talks (I became assigned those talks right after I became baptized), a ministerial servant, an auxiliary pioneer, a regular pioneer, assigned public talks, assigned service meeting talks, an attendant at circuit assemblies, an attendant at special assemblies, an attendant at district conventions, asked to give a prayer to the congregation, asked to give a prayer to the book study group, asked to conduct a meeting of field service, asked to conduct a book study meeting, asked to read paragraphs out loud at book study meetings, asked to read paragraphs at loud at congregational Watchtower study meetings, an attendant passing the emblems of the Memorial, and possibly assigned other JW responsibilities.
If I never had any of the possible responsibilities, then I would have had more time to socialize before and after congregational meetings, and I would have had more free time to do what I really wanted to do.
