Did it cause you to withdraw emotionally?
"I can remember consciously thinking about whether a new friend was going to be around "for the long haul". I hated that! " I wasn't raised as a witness, thank you for posting this. At the end of CoC Ray Franz touches on this p oignantly, I had long suspected it, but until your post have not heard it so clearly defined.
"If they weren't "spiritually strong" it seemed like there was even a better chance that they would be gone someday. (I think this is one thing that contributes to an elitist, clique-ish attitude among many JWs.) " The witness friends that I had were distant and guarded, I was a teenager and all the other teens witnesses wanted me as a friend, maybe they knew I wasn't totally controlled and could be a genuine person. I have long put into perspective that they did not appear capable of forming healthy long-term relationships. (yeah duh!)
"Have I become emotionally distant in general?" Survival mode may be it?
"I'm trying to stay as emotionally close as possible even though I know it will make it that much harder if my family is ripped away." You stay as close as you can, geeze.
Thanks for your post Open Mind. Try not to worry about things you have no control over and never ever give up. Let your family know how you feel about them every day. I sure hope they will eventually get out.
Hang tough.
