joelbear	Re: Why DO they stay?
	My parents have nowhere else to go. They have given their life to the org and are now just waiting to die. They haven't lived and they know it. They are so ingrained that the Kingdom Hall is their existence. What is odd is that they have no witness friends. They seldom socialize. They actually don't really like most of the witnesses in their community. Most of my old Valdosta friends are in the same boat. They don't have any alternatives to the org, so it doesn't really come up as a decision making process. They live more than my parents do, but are really content with their very simple lives. Most of my old Jacksonville friends stay for social connections. Most of the people I knew there hadn't really changed their lifestyle much to be witnesses, unlike my Valdosta friends who shunned college and careers, my friends in Jacksonville were all educated and lived in upper middle class to upper class houses and subdivisions. Other than not celebrating holidays, they resemble their "worldly" counterparts. But they have lots of witness friends and so its easier for them to stay as witnesses.
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