I don't know if I was considered "popular" but I sure tried hard. My mom was single with three kids and we were poor. Not a good start, but I was friendly and had had an interesting childhood before becoming a dub which made me somewhat of a curiosity. There were very few teens and we weren't allowed to group together without adults. I was considered bad association for the elders kids because of my far-out hippie childhood. My mom was mostly interested in the "lowly ones"; the very spiritual, the elderly, and the sick. She didn't care about popularity.
Our congo consisted of the "inner circle" made up of elders and their families and anyone they were trying to encourage in "the truth". They went out in FS together, out to dinner, and on vacations. We were rarely invited at this level and I felt very excluded by this group since I was a young wannabe.
Then came the MS and their families. I hung out with them as a teenager because they were young and fun. They also knew what it was like to struggle; many were recent converts with families to support and lots of cong. responsibilities. Not well-established holier-than-thou elders. Some of the wives were not much older than I and we did alot together.
Then I graduated from HS and had to get a job. I think I was pretty cute back then but no witness guys were interested. I grew up and away from the congregation and became a nobody. A couple years later I successfully faded. None of my "friendships" continued.
Do I miss it? Sometimes I miss the camraderie of feeling we were part of a special group. We were young and we had the "truth". But the real world collided with the fantasy. As I matured and realized the truth about the truth. the whole thing became very boring and routine. I had grown but everyone else seemed stuck and I had to get out.
Even out here in the world, popularity is an ever-shifting concept. Some years are booming with lots of friends and social activities. Other years are quieter.
Eva
Posts by evita
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66Were you a popular Witness?
by Brigid innever fit in.
never cared to.
most witnesses bored me to absolute tears.
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evita
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52
Rock Songs Anyone?
by Wild_Thing in.
name any song ... new or old ... that has the word "rock" in the title or main lyrics.. obvious one: old time rock n roll - bob seger
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evita
We Built This City on Rock n' Roll - Jefferson Starship
Rock The Casbah - ? -
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Update....starting over (Anybody in Orange County CA?)
by mandivided inwell i have some good news.
after being df'ed last summer (i can still feel the warm summer air making me feel stuffy in my suit as i met with my tribunal, i mean judicial committee.
the last time i've worn a suit, by the way!
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evita
Hi mandivided
Just wanted to wish you the best as you begin this new phase of your life.
Eva -
51
Hello everyone
by zerimar ini'm not sure if this is the right place to introduce oneself, but i just, well, wanted to introduce myself!
i'm 29, raised in the truth.
i'm an ex-ms. my dad is still an elder .
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evita
Hi zerimar
Welcome to the board. It sounds as though you are successfully "fading" from the Jw's.
Wish you continued success...
Eva -
19
Somewhere past numb~
by alamb inas a loyal jw, i was ready for my whole world to come to an earth-shattering halt and for life as i knew it to be gone...at the hand of my loving god.
i would sit in school in my mental bubble and numb myself to the world around me.
i grew older and entered the adult world and was aloof in my thoughts that i could not attach myself to any workmates or neighbors and put out my hand in friendship as they could be dead tomorrow and i would have to be ok with that.
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evita
alamb
Thank you for posting that. It was lovely.
After I left the Jw's I was moved to tears when anyone "wordly" showed kindness or empathy to me. I also was touched by normal displays of love and affection. I would tear up when having conversations with people. I felt open to the world in a newborn sort of way.
Eva -
98
I think many of you will return to the religion one day
by free2beme ini don't mean this as an insult, more of a life experience thing.
i saw a lot of people leave in my years there and a lot were angry with the religion and the people, and some even protested the kingdom halls and wrote things in the newspapers.
a lot though, came back in time, as it was just the comfort zone they felt at ease in.
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evita
I have been out for over 20 years. My mom died in 2004 and she was my last tie to the JW's. I will never go back.
Eva -
73
What Went Thru Your Mind While Sitting at The Meetings?
by minimus ini used to listen but not really.
i'd look at the platform/speaker stand, look like i was paying attention, get antsy, and find another elder to "discuss" something ith.
i just got to the meeting----right before it was to start and if the talkative po decided that his last part was going to go overtime, i'd put on my coat and look at the big clock on my way out in front of everyone and leave for the local bar.
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evita
During the week if I started to have a good fantasy I would stop and tell myself to save it for the meeting. I didn't want to wear out any good ones.
Other than that it was routine stuff:
How can I avoid Sister Blab-on-and-on.
Can I figure out a way to walk past Bro Available and show off my new outfit.
I better pay attention and try to understand this stuff.
Maybe I should try to be more "spiritual" so Bro Available will notice me.
I better answer before the meetings over so my mom won't be mad at me.
After I realized it wasn't the "truth" my thoughts became more desperate:
How in the world am I going to get out of this mess and live my life? -
73
What Went Thru Your Mind While Sitting at The Meetings?
by minimus ini used to listen but not really.
i'd look at the platform/speaker stand, look like i was paying attention, get antsy, and find another elder to "discuss" something ith.
i just got to the meeting----right before it was to start and if the talkative po decided that his last part was going to go overtime, i'd put on my coat and look at the big clock on my way out in front of everyone and leave for the local bar.
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evita
During the week if I started to have a good fantasy I would stop and tell myself to save it for the meeting. Mostly stuff about pop stars or cute brothers. I didn't want to wear out any good ones.
Other than that it was routine stuff:
How can I avoid Sister Blab-on-and-on.
Can I figure out a way to walk past Bro Available and show off my new outfit.
I better pay attention and try to understand this stuff.
Maybe I should try to be more "spiritual" so Bro Available will notice me.
I better answer before the meetings over so my mom won't be mad at me.
After I realized it wasn't the "truth" my thoughts became more desperate:
How in the world am I going to get out of this mess and live my life? -
42
My 70th Birthday Tomorrow
by Undecided ini just discovered that my daughter is having a birthday party for me at her new house tomorrow at 7:00 pm.
it is supposed to be a secret but i found out from an e-mail.
it should be fun.
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evita
Happy Birthday Undecided
Hope you have a terrific day and a fun party.
Eva -
12
The Better Days...
by Blueblades inmy mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cuting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't get food poisoning.
my mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter and i used to eat a bite raw sometimes, too.
our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper, in a brown paper bag, not in ice pack coolers, but i can't remember anybody getting e.coli.. almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool ( talk about boring ), no beach closures then.. the term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school pa. system.
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evita
When I was 9 I cooked dinner regularly for my family. I ate lots of raw meatloaf and cookie dough with raw eggs. Used one cutting board for everything.
We never worried about what we ate. The hamburger was loaded with fat, mayo in everything, lots of bread and butter. When you invited people for dinner you had a big pot of spaghetti and everyone ate everything. We did have some vegetarian friends but they were considered extreme.
We lived near a river and went swimming there regularly with no adults to supervise. I'm surprised we didn't drown as we did many dangerous things.
We never wore seatbelts in the car and often rode in the back of pickup trucks. My dad took me for rides on his motorcycle with no helmets. I never wore a helmet when riding my bike, even when flying down hills, feet off pedals.
When I was 8, I walked to school and the library alone. This was in San Francisco in 1967 during the "summer of love". My sister was 7 and went regularly to Golden Gate Park alone to play, or took our 5 year old brother.
It really was a different time.