tried to send a pm to my old friend hillary_step...lost his email and telephone number.. does anyone know what happened to him?.
thanks.
h.
I agree Vampy that we can never be free of those family attachments, but we can be free in our own minds. Eventually, with every life decision we make that wasn't made with the borg in mind, we get closer to that place. Don't give up on your family. You never know what could trigger them to wake up one day. HS's wife realized it wasn't the truth after 10 years!
Even if it never happens, they are still your family and you can still love them. What family agrees on religion and politics anyway?
i'm admitting to be very pissed off.....and bitter.
i'm sick of having no job security (i know its relative), but mostly because i did not go to college....... has anyone gone back to school post 40?
how was the experience?
Clarity: Thank you for the encouraging words. I have been psyching myself out lately and having anxiety attacks watching all these young healthy creatures in my class. I do cope with it by staying in the moment and reminding myself that no matter what the future brings I will not regret any of the education I've received so far, it is all useful info.
I'm also heartened to see there are so many post 40 grads here on JWN. I'm in fine company indeed! I always thought this place was full of the smartest people I've ever encountered. Not to mention some of the bravest for leaving the org.
tried to send a pm to my old friend hillary_step...lost his email and telephone number.. does anyone know what happened to him?.
thanks.
h.
Curtains: admittedly it is easier for some than others. Those who still have close family members in the org still find it affects their life more than they wish it to. HS was fortunate in that he was not born in, no longer has other family in, and always kept his non-JW friends on the side. I think that makes it easier for one to move on.
Our biological attachments to family can be very strong and those who have to keep one foot in the door in order not to lose theirs are not to be looked down on for this. I know HS was active 10+ years past the point when he no longer believed because his beloved wife was still in and he had no regrets or apologies for that.
We each have our own individual journey in and out of the org and we cannot judge another's for we do not know what we do in their shoes. So, whatever your situation is vis a vis the borg, honor the place you are at on the journey and honor those you care about. That's the only thing important in life, I've come to believe.
james bond composer john barry turned 77 the other day.. in honor of his birthday i decided to compose a tribute to his wonderfully evocative music for the early bond films.. this is an original composition that uses the style and thematic vamps which make the bond films so enjoyable.. a walk down bond street.
Great piece! Expecting a bond villain to pop out any minute now!
tried to send a pm to my old friend hillary_step...lost his email and telephone number.. does anyone know what happened to him?.
thanks.
h.
I had lunch with Hillary today. He was as witty, charming and kind as ever. He has moved on with his life and I hope he will forgive me for speaking for him, but I think he no longer considers himself an "ex-JW" with ties to that community but just a person trying to live his life. In the end, that's what we're all aiming for isn't it?
Cog
i'm admitting to be very pissed off.....and bitter.
i'm sick of having no job security (i know its relative), but mostly because i did not go to college....... has anyone gone back to school post 40?
how was the experience?
When I was 38 I began a degree in Nursing and after two years injured my back and came down with Lupus. I had to take three years off before I was diagnosed correctly but I was still unable to return to Nursing due to chronic back problems and fatigue from Lupus.
In 2007 I returned to try and finish my degree in business. I was able to use all my academic nursing credits as electives which lightened my course load each semester by one class. I'm in my 3rd year of business right now, majoring in accounting. I'm not sure if my health will hold out and I'll be able to compete for a two year required position with an accountant before I can pass the licensing exams.
It doesn't matter though. I don't regret one course I've taken in nursing or in business. Each one I came out wiser and more informed about the world and how it works. I wouldn't trade my education for anything. Smartest thing I ever did with my life, regardless of how much it pays off financially in the end. Whether I become certified or not, I will still have a better job with my degree than I would get without it.
I will probably be 48 when I graduate, if all goes well. I am also not the oldest person there. Never to late to learn something new in life.
i was disfellowshipped when i was 21 (raised as a witness).
my mother who is now 80 and a diehard witness always hoped that i would return.
she is concerned that she will soon pass away and the arrangements.
I was going to suggest the same thing as OTWO. Respect your mother's wishes and give her the JW funeral she believes in. You don't have to attend if you don't want to, and you don't have to tell her you won't be attending. Just have her local elder's arrange it the way she wishes.
Then you arrange your own service to remember your mom in a way that would be meaningful to you and have your closest friends and family there for your support.
One is to honor your mom and the other is to honor you and your grief. She doesn't even have to know there will be two services. It might give her more piece of mind if she doesn't.
i was doing some investigation on google maps for a trip i'm making to pittsburgh, pa next week.. come to find out the the place i'm going is only a few mile from the assembly hall i spent allot of time at as a kid.
looking at this pictures bring back allot of memories.
some good, some bad.. anybody else attend this assembly hall in coraopolis, pa?.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=assembly+hall+of+jehovah's+witnesses&fb=1&gl=ca&hq=assembly+hall+of+jehovah's+witnesses&hnear=Nanaimo,+BC&view=map
&cid=10454764242532828537&iwloc=A&ved=0CG
http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=assembly+hall+of+jehovah's+witnesses&fb=1&gl=ca&hq=assembly+hall+of+jehovah's+witnesses&hnear=Nanaimo,+BC&view=map&cid=10454764242532828537&iwloc=A&ved=0CG4QpQY&
i was watching a movie on cable this week, and was impressed.
it was about a woman who chose prostitution, in part to live out a life of lust.
the movie is more about her journey to learn about herself.
Great post Jeff:
I've had a rough week, with non-stop tears of grief over my past and non-stop anxiety attacks for my future. With the help of a few good friends, ex-JW's who have been where I am and made it through to the other side, a little light is beginning to show through the doom and gloom.
You are absolutely right. We cannot mourn a past we never had. There is no alternate parallel universe somewhere where everything turned out perfectly for us and we had the life we think we should have had. If we are mourning the past, we are mourning a fantasy we had that never existed.
I'm 47 and in my 3rd year of college. Many times, I've been the oldest person in my classes. Sometimes I think, what am I doing here, trying to compete with these kids who are younger, faster, healthier and better looking than me. But you know, next year I'm going to be 48 regardless. I can be 48 with a degree or I can be 48 without a degree. Those are my only two choices. The rest is just psyching myself out with old WT mind conditioning bullshit. After I article for two years with an accountant, I'll be 50! But the way things are going these days, that is 20 years of working as a well paid professional under my belt before I have to retire.
If I tell myself I'm too old and quit, then I still have 22 years ahead of me, but doing what? Working a low paid clerical job? There is no magical "other world" out there. There is just this moment and the choices and opportunities before us, right now. Pick one and work it like there is no tomorrow, because there may not be.
farkel.
verb: to post a terse, witty, unexpected comment on a thread.
frequently a non-sequitir or personal attack.. example: ellie486 farkeled me on my comment about women.... .
When I first joined JWN I got in an argument on a thread with Farkel. I thought he was being a jerk to a newbie (he was!) and told him so. He called me "cognizant dummy". Then the thread turned into some kind of war that had nothing to do with the poor newbie That was my first thread I posted on that got locked! So I guess I was farkeled. Ahh, the memories.....
