yeah, i made it.. i volunteered for the us army wayyyy back in october - graduated from basic in december, and have spent the last 20 weeks struggling to get through the officer candidate program at ft. benning.
yep.
i'm going to graduate in about a week and become a 2lt.. the experience has really helped me get a lot of perspective on my former life as a jw, and i am pretty excited about the new life that's in front of me.
Czar, Wow I've been wondering about you too. I'm vah-klempt ahemmmm. You have been through so many changes and put up with plenty of the crap life offers. You are such an accomplished human being and I'm glad to have met you here. Be safe and have a great graduation.
Great BIG Panda BEAR Hugs, Panda and Mr.Panda (aka Yiddle)
i know i'm telling you guys this a bit late, but i really needed to let it sink in.
we told my parents about the baby sooner than we had planned.
we told them last friday.
Nos, You are so smart and funny (re:Nigerian scam); That and the love you have will make all the difference to your baby. Your parents think that they are justified in their nasty attitude. Like most JWs they love to lord it over someone , anyone... and especially to try and make you as miserable as they are. Of course the dubs don't have a lock on this.
I am super happy for you. Once your little Nos is here and your whole world revolves around little Nos, heck you will quickly let the baby erase all the ugly people in your past. Enjoy your life.
i am researching cutting and self-mutilation because i have a close family member who is doing this--she burned her arm last week and it's bad.
i was wondering--i found an article on the internet that talks about support for the person and how some people get relief by using other methods like icing the skin with ice cubs or flicking themselves with rubber bands.. this person is in therapy and in the care of a psyciatrist too but i just wondered how common this is.
her diagnosis isn't even for sure--could be adhd or depression.. any comments on experience with this would be helpful.
My friends ex-H broke their little Italian Greyhound's leg. Then he'd kick the dog when she was around. Her therapist said that he was in fact kicking her (my friend) and that it would escalate. It did. Killing the things you "love" usually has lots more to do with actions you might take against the person who has caused you some supposed distress. This is a real danger sign. If you truly think that another person is responsible for your troubles then this can happen. People get divorced everyday and they don't have to kill anything (pets or people).
Now CUTTING; It isn't just women . Many young men (probably older guys too) cut for the same reasons girls do it. The euphoric feelings of knowing your-self and release --- this is the real me and it looks and feels good. All the medication and therapy in the world will not change how your friends feel about cutting. AND if you pray and don't get healed then what? I don't think that faith and prayer are always the cure for everyone.
(i've been holding out wondering if i was going to post this or not.
keep in mind this is just skimming the surface - there are many more details that i feel should not be touched upon.
but if you've always wanted to know my background, here ya go...).
Josh, You are truly an intelligent and strong person. I also notice that despite your Dad's addiction you seem to have maintained (even as a kid) a good relationship. Why do you think that is?
I agree with you on the WTS saving your Dad from drugs. We quit smoking and drugs to become JWs, so there were some good things.
Thank you for a great autobiography.
yesterday i was right next to my living room closet, which is about 2 feet away from my neighbours living room closet, since we live on the same floor.
let me tell you that i can hear everything on her side and she can also hear everything on my side when we are this close to one another.. so, unexpectedly, i made a very loud fart, and about 2 seconds later i heard my neighbour fooling around in her closet, 2 feet away.
you guessed it, she surely heard my very loud fart
Most of my jokes are lost on the animals around me.
.
daily i look near and far for my witnessing bag, but to no avail.. .
no more witnessing for me.
Think man think. It must've been someone with no idea of the contents ... you may have inadvertently created another sheeeep to be slaughtered... nice move .
i have been in the same circuit since i was 2. that means that most of the 1000 or so in the circuit know me to some extent.. in my "later" days as a witness i kept a very limited close circle of friends.
but i'm still fairly well known.
not "popular" but recognizable.. my mother has recieved a lot of gifts recently (candles, a blanket, cards, candy) and tons of phone calls.
... was it not the parents ultimate responsibility to ensure that he or she was taught according to Jehovahs exacting standards? (Riiiight, nothing at all to do with a flicking draconian organization bent on destruction of any individual personalities in their midst)
... anything more would be assigning that parent too much honour? (yeah, I remember gifts weren't to care for or aid someone --- NO gifts for YOU)OMG DB74 the youth at that KH are in for it now. So many will read your words of psuedo-wisdom and well, someone in Paterson is writing out the phony question from readers as we speak. Those kids parents will put them in lock down for sure. Family Bible studies will increase --- that means more hours to report ,so obviously the great Yawn will be blessing the restraining efforts. Meanwhile, I feel the pain of those who won't be receiving candles and blankets. Actually, I am glad RR's Mom has some emotional support. Why? Because that close friend will see how much RR loves his Mum; how he respects her as a human being.
RitchieRich, When I DA'd I was told by another friend who faded later that my very best friend (who introduced me as her sister but quit talking to me) cried out and fell to the ground when my DA was announced. She died about 6 weeks later so, I'm sure I got the blame for that too. 5 others who'd been our friends left within the next year, including MrPanda which makes 6, no doubt all under my Satanic influence. The point is that you will be amazed at the influence your escaping the bORG will have on others.
i have been in the same circuit since i was 2. that means that most of the 1000 or so in the circuit know me to some extent.. in my "later" days as a witness i kept a very limited close circle of friends.
but i'm still fairly well known.
not "popular" but recognizable.. my mother has recieved a lot of gifts recently (candles, a blanket, cards, candy) and tons of phone calls.
rICHIE rICH, So now you've made a new friend locally. Someone w/o fear and superstition... good going young warrior. panda
any comments or advice gratefully recieved.
diehard pioneer wife etc...
ba
Balaams Ass, Welcome to the board. You will certainly find plenty of support here. My husband faded and we moved so no one has come calling. I DA'd while my husband was still an elder. A "female " friend called soon after that to talk and ask if He (Mr Panda) ever got a chance to speak with me or see me ? Well said my husband, I sleep with her every night and talk to her everyday. Gotta love that guy. So eventually the elders asked him to "standdown". He kept going to meetings for awhile, but apparently no one knew how to treat him. Gotta love the hypocits! Eventually he picked up Crisis of Conscience and read it. Like most of those who've read it and still been active it was very hard to realise that the WTS was in fact destructive. I never talked about leaving for him, he did it on his own, no fan fare just stopped going.
Moving was actually a good thing for us. It may be for you too. Is your wife pioneering for reasons of guilt or family pressure? If you have a caring relationship you'll be fine. Like I said my husband stayed in after I'd left but we were together and cared for each other.
i'm usually the first one to stir this particular pot but it get's so frustrating to keep coming up against the same old arguments.
the phrase "banging your head against a brick wall" springs to mind.
how many times have believers argued for a designer but refused to answer the obvious question of the designer's origin?.
My goodness ... such a non-debate... yeah I know no one ever said that. Anyway about Darwin; he built on the theories and careers of those naturalists who preceeded him; just as scientists in the fields related to natural selection have built on Darwin. We are able to learn more because these men have built on observable facts; facts and experiments which are repeatable. Within the last 40 years we have not only recognised the structure of DNA (2 English scientists if I'm not mistaken); but also decoded the human genome. None of this would have been possible without the previous scientific work. We now have nuclear genetics, something Darwin could only dream about. So can science answer everything right now, of course not. but aren't you glad that the genes for cancer, MS, diabetes, auto immune disease, and other illnesses have already been recognised; someday no one will suffer from these sorts of illnesses. Think about this, what has religion done that even comes close to good? Most of the 21st century genocides are religious (Beslan); the 20th century genocides were religious ... sheesh just look at the Holocaust (shoa) ...
Why is progress possible with science it is because science is a constant building, experimenting and learning AND THEN absorbing the new proven theory which will be built on further; while religious organizations which claim the same Holy Book can't even agree on the contents of said book. And while new discoveries are made of ancient writings many religious folk deny the value of those ex., The Book of Thomas, The Gospel of Mary, The Gospel of Judas, Why is that?
Religion is belief. Atheism is not the opposite of belief. Atheism is the strong conviction that god in fact does not nor ever has existed. I don't need to have faith or belief when there are the facts for all the world to see and investigate. Proof in science is specific and it doesn't only happen once. Myth is just that, stories made up about how life came about and usually traceable to their sources, which are of course mythical. If the ancients had the advantage of science they wouldn't have needed to make stuff up. But I must admit that in studying anthropology I found religion fascinating. That really got me thinking about my beliefs as a JW, which of course led to my freedom faith and belief.
Ya' know I have yet to have an atheist try to convert me (when I believed in god) and there were plenty of them at college; now I find many theists all over the chance to show me god's love and goodness.
