Posts by gypsywildone

27

The Loss of Innocence.....and Recovering

by Frannie Banannie in

jw
friends

in mulling over the almost 6 decades of my life, almost two decades of which were spent being enamored of just one more false religion, then spending the following decade discovering all of its deceptions, i feel a tremendous loss of innocence.

as though i were a victim of sexual assault, i don?t now believe that i will ever recover an ability to believe or trust in anyone where religion or blind faith in anything is concerned again in this lifetime.

because, to me......that?s what faith is.....blindness.

gypsywildone

At first and for quite some time, I thought it was just part of the aging process....the accumulation of knowledge and experiences just naturally kicking the props out from under most of our youthful enthusiasm for believing in so many things that we came to acknowlege as incredible. But, while some of this can be attributed to a natural awakening, after "looking around" and seeing so many older people that haven't experienced the "cult thing" STILL have a youthful enthusiasm and utter faith

Frannie, IMHO, I think a lot of it is. See Terry's fantasy thread. That's why I said I don't think fairy tales of Cinderella & Sleeping Beauty did anyone any good. Some men might feel that they don't measure up if they can't be that person who "saves" the damsel in distress & be everything. Many women were fed that bs & a part of them still believed in it. Remember that first time you are a teenager in love? Then you get your feelings hurt & learn from it. You never quite look at things the same way again. To me, it is called "wisdom". My daughter has been through it, now the blinders are off & she has a zero tolerance policy for any kind of bad treatment or shit. You watch children go from being naiive, pie in the sky to adults that know a little something.

If you are refering to religious faith, there are many, many people I have met that do not subscribe to faith in things they can't see. Many people I have met that never had contact with the jws. My husband. My dad. My brother in law. A woman I was talking to at a job recently.

I never went to church before my mother got into that cult when I was a teenager, & I never believed a word of their crazy nonsense. For a while, I had an absolute pathological hatred of jws from the eperience, but I never had any blind faith before, or after it. I've always had youthful enthusiasm for many things, sometimes it gets on other people's nerves. And I have faith in myself. I don't pray to imaginary things & I don't put it off onto imaginary powers that are going to solve it.

How were you before you got into the jws? Do you remember? What I am saying is that I don't think you are as different & "damaged" as you think. There are a whole lotta adults you meet that are very jaded & have been married 3 & 4 times. And there are a lot of people you will meet that just get things done, they don't worry about some power or whatever to get help from. I really believe it is common in most adults. The more a person knows, the more common it is.

213

WHAT IF WE DIDN'T POISON CHILDREN'S MINDS WITH FANTASY?

by Terry in

every baby born seems to have a giant helping of fairy stories, talking animals, outrageous exaggerations parading as "fact" and an endless stream of cartoons, science fiction and make-believe.

the laws of nature and physics are violated every few seconds in film and tv!

is it surprising that children are not only ignorant of how things really work-but, they don't have patience and an appetite for fact when they get to the schoolroom.

gypsywildone

I think we could have done without the Sleeping Beauty & Cinderella stories.

93

Is There Anything That You'd Like to Talk About??

by minimus in

jw
friends

what's on your mind?

share your darkest, deepest thoughts with us......

gypsywildone

Ooooh, Gumbgrumpy, who peed in YOUR cherios this morning?

17

What Truths Lie Within Your Character???

by dh in

jw
friends

.

gypsywildone

So Jwbot, on or off the mark?

17

What Truths Lie Within Your Character???

by dh in

jw
friends

.

gypsywildone

Being a sensible person, you prefer to research any situation before taking action. You don't trust anyone's opinion but your own. You handle your money carefully and accumulate it in small, but secure, increments. That, in particular is so true.

Preferring a more casual appearance, you are more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt than in a suit. You don't like over dressing for any occasion, although you never look scruffy. Couldn't be more right on!

Variety is the spice of life! You are comfortable in any crowd or situation, and always come away with new friends. True.

You make sure that your possessions will boost your image, no matter whether it's a necessity or not. If one of your friends has it, you must have it as well. This is the only one that is off. WAY off! I don't give 2 shits about image or what other people think, I just like red cars

A good listener. You are comfortable allowing others to take the spotlight and share their adventures. You are protective about your friendship and ensure the best for your friends. Very true of my true friends! In fact, I can't stand people who are always trying to be the center of attention & stealing everyone's thunder.

You are very strong-willed, even bordering on stubborn. You like to take care of yourself before helping others, although you will never let people down. All true

40

What is your earliest memory?

by doodle-v in

jw
friends

i can remember drinking out of a bottle.

and i remember when i was 2 1/2 my mom carrying me around on her hip at the assembly hall in puyallup wa.

how far back in your life can you remember?

gypsywildone

I remember a 3 legged dog named Patches that I was maazed by, I must have been about 2. A little mixed dog missing one of his legs, but running around just fine, the neighbor was babysitting it for the lady that sold us our house, & I was 2 and some.

I remember Christmas, when I was 3 & I hit the motherload! All kinds of cool, wonderous presents, & my mom kept telling me to open the big box, but I saved it for last, & it was a big, way cool doll. Thankfully, I have 2 old albums of pictures of all this & of that time period in my life, & the woods I roamed.

Around that same time, I was always outside, hated being inside (I'm still the same), & I used to get up earlier than my parents & go outside with the German Shepard. The old lady down the hill would walk her collie & ask me if my parents knew I was out there in the rain, & I always said yes. She would go in & phone my mother, & that would spoil my rain party. But I would just go right back outside again, they had a hard time keeping me in all bottled up

31

Do You Need Praise From Others To Feel Validated?

by minimus in

jw
friends

is that what makes you feel good about yourself?

can you take criticism without taking it personal?

gypsywildone

I hope I was Mac ( I can't figure out which one is the little guy that blushes)

But really, once you let other people determine your worth & self esteem, you will be extremely unhappy. Once you start trying to please other people instead of knowing who you are & being happy, you might become a nervous wreck! If you even figure out what other people want, they will move the measuring stick, guaranteed. It's better to know who you are & what you want, & become s self contained person.

And if a person actually NEEDS this board for "unconditional love & validation", well, that 's just lacking. Sure, the people with common experiences are nice to find, & sometimes boucing things off people to get a different perspective can be productive, but you have to get your love from within, to start with. Then it goes out into the world, & it all comes back to you.

Yes Mac, I think we are on the same positive page & upswing in life. Be Here Now.

31

Do You Need Praise From Others To Feel Validated?

by minimus in

jw
friends

is that what makes you feel good about yourself?

can you take criticism without taking it personal?

gypsywildone

Not at all. There have been times in life where I have run a decision by close friends of mine, whose judgment I trusted, but I get my "strokes" internally. The minute one starts depending on other people for reinforcement of what one's gut instinct tells them, game over!

Once you start depending on external influences & opinions, you diminish yourself as a person. I highly doubt anyone is floating around the internet or this board to obtain "validation", & if they are, something must be terribly lacking in their home life or their internal psyche in general, and they will find themselves disappointed.

Criticism? If it is from a source that I respect, I will consider it. As for personal attacks, see Minimus thread a few days ago, those I don't pay attention to or trouble myself with.

14

MY BEST FRIEND KILLED ON A MOTORWAY IN ENGLAND LAST MON

by nightwarrior in

jw
friends

my friend was killed last week on a motorway 250 miles from home while visiting his girlfriend .

a 44 ton lorry on the opposite side of the motorway crashed through the steel barrier and demolished 2 cars .

therfore 2 familys lost there loved one, my friend left 3 children aged 18 years upwards , .

gypsywildone

So sorry to hear that! Big hugs to you & I am wishing you the strength & courage to get through this.

18

Loathing Reflex

by czarofmischief in

it has struck me lately that i probably have a lot of unresolved issues.

shocker, i know.. but what i am going to toss out to you is a possible scenario, a concept i haven't read about before.

one of frannie's comments got me thinking about it.. my anger and irritation is a constant.

gypsywildone

This is when I really enjoy this site. People trying to get healthy & other people trying to offer suggestions.

Terry, I have been reading your posts, very interesting & thought provoking I love reading stuff posted by someone with something to SAY!