Thanks for the post! For me, it was also a revelation that it was possible for me to force a little gear-changing and go a little deeper and wider. I would be interested in more examples of how this model has improved your life. Your posts have always had the quality of healthy introspection. Where else do you see a difference, other than in writing?
Tapioca
JoinedPosts by Tapioca
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Why I believe the quality of my posts has improved.
by The Rebel in" thinking fast and slow" is a self help book by d kahneman.. according to my simplified understanding of the above self-help book we have 2 brains, which the author calls system 1 brain and system 2 brain.. system 1 brain is the brain that make the decisions, that we do as routine.. system 2 brain is the brain that uses conscious reasoning.
thinking that requires conscious effort.. now the interesting thing is system1 brain is often making decisions system 2 brain isn't even aware are being made.
this is because system 2 brain requires conscious reasoning, and thinking that requires effort.
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Tapioca
For a second there, I thought that the punch line was going to involve the god of the bible (you know, a "Christian"), but either way, this is hilarious.
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Now I'm Convinced There Probably Is No God
by pale.emperor inyesterday i made a visit to the museum in my city.
the top floor is the planetarium, which has a connecting room with a huge dome ceiling where they project lessons and lectures and you have a 360 view of the night sky etc.. this particular lecture explained about our galaxy, and how it's only one of billions in the universe.
and then we learned about each planet, some of their moons and the sun.
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Tapioca
Thank you so much,baker for the post.
I really enjoyed both the music and the visuals. It was also helpful (for another reminder of scale) to have the retracing at the end. I believe we should all watch this video every morning just after we wake up and while we are having coffee/tea. It would keep us awe-stricken and humble. What a lovely, lovely production. Thanks again!
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Williams sister got engaged to some guy from Reddit
by wozza inso is he a witness or if not what are gb going to do about it since she identifies with the watchtower society?.
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Tapioca
It matters to the extent that some individuals are treated differently than others--and it's so blatant! It's an opportunity to get those "still in" thinking about what it means if they bring it up for discussion. Get that ol' friend cognitive dissonance working for us anti-cultists!
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Greetings and would like some advice about a potentially fun idea
by towerwatcher inhello fellow apostates!
my first post and a long time lurker here.
i would like to thank all of you for the existence of this board as this has been instrumental for me in leaving the place i once knew as "the truth".
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Tapioca
These are hilarious! What wonderful color saturation...just takes me right back! LOL These are the best. Ever.
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Question for those that have been Disfellowshiped for apostasy VS succesfully fading
by NikL inthere are quite a few here who have been disfellowshipped for apostasy.. then there are those that have successfully faded.. why the different outcome?
are the ones that got df more out spoken?
or does the discrepancy lie with the elders?.
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Tapioca
There are several factors that inform different outcomes. One of those factors is time. A closely related one is distance. Those factors are definitely used in a successful fade.
The other factors are more difficult to control because they involve others' attitudes. (See Blondie above--either the elder is a bully or permits bullying.) Sometimes you'll have a vindictive relative or former friend who needs to make a self-righteous point using your life. Sometimes other recent incidents render a body of elders more likely to be strict constructionists, hardliners, or---sometimes softer, more amiable. In some areas, having lots of truth-y relatives nearby could be good; conversely, it could be a terrible trap.
And you have already identified the most important factor---your own self. If you can control yourself, if you don't have some old scores to settle or some point to make, you can simply say (see Cobweb above) depression, illness, personal issues...
Three main factors: yourself (which is entirely in your control, ha-ha!) time/distance (which you can control with forethought and patience and resources such as worldly friends and enough cash to move out of the area) and others (over whom you have little or no control).
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You Need to Heal
by TheLiberator init has been awhile since i posted.
but i wanted to say a few things that may help those recovering from the watchtower, especially if you have just discovered ttatt.
it is with humility that i come here to express these thoughts.
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Tapioca
YOU MUST ALLOW TIME TO PASS IN ORDER TO HEAL.
This is so important. oh my, we look at the "wasted" weeks, months, years, decades...we become impatient. TIME is not our enemy. It is our friend. Unfortunately, we have so many TIME constraints that we sometimes want to throw them off in order to be free. But there isn't any telescoping (shrinking) our basic needs for introspection and healing. We have to do the work. We have to take the time.
TheLiberator, you are so doing the right thing! Have fun with those grandchildren! Take all the time you need and allow others around you to see how much you are enjoying this time...YOUR TIME. In order to heal. Cheers!
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Christmas is Coming!
by Drifting Away inso, this will be a time of much confusion.
being a born in, and wanting to celebrate my first christmas is confusing, nerve wracking, and difficult to comprehend.
how have others dealt with there first christmas after leaving?
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Tapioca
You get things started in a thoughtful way, and oh-my-gosh...your kids are going to love it! They will totally take it away for you. Congratulations on the big step! Wonderful!
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Your work is not in vain! Thank You!
by de-opresso-liber inbeen lurking since early this year.
there are many of us out there (at least in this area, central u.s.) who are waking up and crossing the line to talk to each other about it.
in our area, several elders, ministerial servants and pioneers are actively and openly sharing info with each other daily.
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Tapioca
Welcome to reality, and thanks for the feedback regarding this forum. It IS so helpful to be able to read the experiences of others and the distilled wisdom (sometimes masquerading as wise-cracks!) from others' lives. I have near and dear relatives who recently woke up and left. OMG. The vituperative reaction from family and "friends" in the borg only served to cement their decision and reveal it as their best move ever. Reactions were so hateful and vindictive that those who now know TTATT will never go back.
Won't it be fun for you to finally experience life as it is meant to be lived!? Wonderful!
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According to one JW there can only be 1 of 3 reasons why you left.
by Bonsai ini asked an old jw friend of mine why so many baptized individuals leave the jw religion.
"did it ever occur to you, old friend, that maybe they know something that you don't know and have valid reasons for leaving?
", i asked.. his response set me back for an answer.
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Tapioca
I have to agree with JeffT. Who has done a qualitative/quantitative study of ex-JWs? From what I've seen on everyone else's post---and from my own experience (and that of my friends)---the anecdotal evidence points to other reasons for motivation to leave the borg. Maybe sexual repression and pride are catalysts for the change, but the reasons for the change involve character and morals and deeply held life-views. We feel a great freedom in following our own moral compass rather than simply blindly obeying old white men who have told us that they represent the creator (ha!).
Sometimes I think that people don't even know the reasons they leave, well, at least not at first. This would make an excellent topic for a doctoral dissertation, or a master's thesis in organizational behavior, yes? After the research, then we could identify which motivations seem to appear more often than any others. Maybe even do a longitudinal study, i.e. follow several people for many years. I'll bet that would be some kind of paper!