We were all passengers on the same Titanic, but each of us was on a different level of the ship. Some of us found succor in lifeboats, while others struggled in icy waters until the Carpathia arrived.
Suffering, panic, loss are profoundly subjective experiences. How we cope and adapt and what we become in the long run as a result, may well be a measure of our character more than our trauma.
I kind person before the iceberg is probably a kind person still.
An a**hole may be even more so in the aftermath.
Ex-Jdubs have something in common in the sharing of delusion, the blind trust, the thrill of absolute certainty, and the confident assurance we hold the winning ticket---then, only discovering to our inestimable horror, not only was the rug pulled from under us--there was no floor!
What happens next is a strong desire to minimize the confusion.
Our rational mind--the part still functioning--wants clarity.
By sharing our experiences and sampling the consensus distilled on this discussion board, we little by little minimize vagueness.
Some turn to Authority once again. "Just stick the needle in anyplace, Doc--I need relief!"
Others turn amateur sleuth or dilettanti detective. Like JFK conspiracy nuts, they seek the most fantastical solution to the crazy speculations.
In the end, there is not there there.
It is only us here. Now.
The path we take is of our own making. The same brain-machine inside our skull which caused us to fall victim to the cult is STILL THERE.
Unless we replace the parts, one by one, we surely end up in the same place again, and again, an again with different labels attached to the same delusion.
For my part, I simply pretend to be an activist wrenching victims from the burning building.
