What happens if everyone you care about suddenly wake up?

by StarTrekAngel 4 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  StarTrekAngel

  I've been at this quest for a good part of two years. I've experienced every negative feeling a human body and mind can experience. I have, at times, become consumed. So much so that I have entire weeks where I have no work to show for. Fortunately those times are behind me. Yet, I press on because I am convinced I've seen the real personalities pop out every now and then and I can see they are genuinely the persons I felt in love with.

  One of my kids is turning 13 soon and she is starting to show that teenager attitude, where we have less and less in common. One of the things we still do together is watch the X-files. She got hooked on it so I make it a point that no one can watch another episode unless we watch it all together.

  Mulder and Scully are constantly fighting each other's assessments while Mulder continues to feed on this hope of ever uncovering the truth. While he is convinced that he knows what this truth kind of looks like, he can not get his partner to come close to his position. In some occasion, the question has been presented to him... what are you going to do once you find it?

  That got me thinking... what would you do, if suddenly, in a short span of time, all the people you care about wake up from this cult. You may spend some time healing by sharing with each other what the journey felt like but eventually it will be over. Sure I agree that the best revenge is living a happy life but I am not talking about revenge. I am talking about coming to the sudden realization that you no longer have a fight. Something that you did for so long that it became a habit, a way of life. Where at times you have lost the real sense of purpose and you were just looking for the next WT fiasco to analyze with no real idea as to how that would help your goal.

  Some have resorted to doing charity. That seems like an idea. I just wonder how you can take in anything that involves a "cause" without the fear that you are going into the next Watchtower.

  Has anyone asked themselves the same question?
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  LisaRose

  Yes, of course you do tend to worry about being taken in again, but the reality is that cults are quite easy to spot once you know what you are looking for. At the heart of it they all tend to use the same techniques. Do they claim to have special knowledge of some sort? Do they try to isolate you from former friends or associates? Do they monopolize your time? Are there negative repercussions if you leave?

  Most charities or other organizations do not do this.
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  JW_Rogue

  I think it would leave a void for sure but one that would soon be filled with other things. We would probably have a lot of discussions about things we never talked much about like politics, philosophy, and science. It would definitely be interesting to find out what people really think. With more time we would be able to delve into our hobbies and dreams. We would all be our real selves for better or worse.
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  scratchme1010

  Interesting post, very interesting questions.

  That got me thinking... what would you do, if suddenly, in a short span of time, all the people you care about wake up from this cult. You may spend some time healing by sharing with each other what the journey felt like but eventually it will be over.
  

  It's family, there will be an entire life to share. I definitely don't need preaching nor any of the JW activities to feel close to my family. Making up for lost time can be great. What would we do is the least of my concerns. There's an entire life there to live and explore.

  Sure I agree that the best revenge is living a happy life but I am not talking about revenge. I am talking about coming to the sudden realization that you no longer have a fight. Something that you did for so long that it became a habit, a way of life.
  

  Talking about my own experiences, the "after the fight", no longer feeling angry or reactive to my JW upbringing has been the best part of my life. Once I discovered that life is nothing like what I was taught, that it's not about preparing for some future destruction, nor that there's no need to be in survival mode all the time, I have been great. I have pursued many of my passions, formed my own family, have a career, wonderful friends and family of choice.

  Where at times you have lost the real sense of purpose and you were just looking for the next WT fiasco to analyze with no real idea as to how that would help your goal.

  Some have resorted to doing charity. That seems like an idea. I just wonder how you can take in anything that involves a "cause" without the fear that you are going into the next Watchtower.

  The charity work I have done, I did after I took care of myself, at a point where I felt that I was doing that out of the kindness of my heart, NOT as a substitute for my JW life. My purpose in life has nothing to do with my contributions I've made to make this a better world.

  Has anyone asked themselves the same question?

  Not me personally. When I walked away from the JWs, I was very clear that I needed to do a lot of work on myself. I was born in, so I needed to get to know me first before making any decisions around life purpose or anything like that, Those things were not priority. I learned self love, learned who I am, and I accepted myself and felt comfortable in my skin before thinking about doing anything for anyone else.

  I feel fortunate for having that clarity as I left. Part of the trauma and the negative influence from the WT is making people feel like having a "purpose" and having "a place to go" should be the most important thing for people to do, where the reality is that none of those things matter if there's no love for the self first. I din't buy into any of that nonsense. I matter, my well being matters more than looking for any purpose or whatever I decide to do that doesn't help me and my needs first.
  
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  pepperheart

  a cause in it self is not a bad thing but if its a faith based cause i would be WARY of groups that say WE are the only way and also that any group is not puting to many demands on your time that you are not happy with