How Do You Feel About Life & Yourself Now That You're Out?

minimus

Personally, I'm feeling better about things. I don't cringe when I see a Witness now. I may still try to avoid contact with certain ones but now I feel more than ever before that JWs are crackpots and whether they look down on me or not, THEY are the ones with the issues----not me! And I'm feeling pretty good about that.

minimus

Hi.

Finally-Free

I used to get this pukey taste in my mouth whenever I saw a JW, but not anymore. Now they usually cringe when they see me. I find it entertaining.

I feel good about myself, and life is good. But it would be better if my job paid me more $$$.

W

candidlynuts

how do i feel about life? like its on hold , waiting for something .dunno what

about myself? better now that i know my doubts werent just my imagination or my " weak" christian conscience

Seeker4

Hello, Minimus:
I'm feeling better day by day. I think I'd be doing great if I had moved out of the area instead of staying where I've lived for 50 years! I run into Witnesses I know quite freqently and I'm getting used to being shunned now. I smile and say hi, or sometimes I just pretend I didn't see anyone.
I'm trying to take that power away from them, that cringing you mentioned.
I wrote in another post that the one thing I do have are dreams about the Witnesses nearly every night. Sometimes I'm like out in service or expected to be on the DC program giving a talk, and I realize that I can't do it because I don't have any belief in it anymore. Sometimes in the dreams I'll be in these discussions with old JW friends. Some of them are very understanding (in the dream at least!) as to why I left.
Last week I had a really strange but very vivid and realistic dream. In the dream I had to meet my ex-wife to exchange cars, and she was at the KH ready to go out in service. For some reason I couldn't take her car, and the car group she was in had to take me and drop me off at the library. An old sister who had long been a friend of mine started a conversation with me about what I now believed. She was the type of character that it wouldn't surprise me if she would actually do that in real life!
Then I was in this room working on some machinary with a group of brothers that I didn't really know. They were OK with me, though things were a bit tense, me being disfellowshipped and all. At one point I pointed at the machine we were working on and said that this is what I believed in, that humans needed to use their intelligence and abilities to solve our problems and not wait for a god to do it all for us. We were all talking about that together.
As the brothers were leaving I shook their hands, except one brother just looked at me in disgust and refused. I asked him why, and he said he didn't like hearing those apostate thoughts. I told him, and I remember the phrase very distinctly, that "only in a cult-like group like the JWs would the free and open exchange and discussion of ideas be considered dangerous and wrong! In the real world, people discuss different ideas all the time, and they're not afraid of it."
Anyone else still have dreams like that? I literally have dreams about the JWs in one way or another at least 4 or 5 nights every week, and I have for years.
Any one want to analyze why?
S4

fullofdoubtnow

Life is great now I'm free. I am happier than I've ever been, and as for the shunning, I am used to it now, it doesn't bother me at all. I have nothing in common with the jws anyway, and therefore nothing to say to them.

undercover

I don't cringe when I see a Witness now. I may still try to avoid contact with certain ones but now I feel more than ever before that JWs are crackpots and whether they look down on me or not, THEY are the ones with the issues----

Same here, for the most part.

I'm of the opinion that most JWs are sincere and really do mean well, but they've been manipulated and indoctrinated to adhere to the WT standards. In doing so, they go against what their heart would probably tell them to do without that influence. So, like you said, it's them with the issues, not me.

Knowing this about most of them, I don't have a problem with running into them or chatting with them. I've even associated with some from time to time.

As I drove by the convention site yesterday as the convention let out and I watched the zombies cross the road in their suits/dresses dragging kids and coolers in 90+ degree heat, I felt more pity for them than anything. They're being used. But you can't help those who won't help themselves, so until they seek answers, we just have to let them continue fooling themselves and work on bettering our own life and getting away from the anger and bitterness and enjoying our new life away from the craziness that is the Watchtower world.

crazyblondeb

It took many years and bumps along the way, but I love being me. I don't have alot materially, but I finally have self-respect. I finally found peace within me. Back in the 80's a song came out "Lovin' every minute of it"--can't remember who did it, but it's playing in my head!!

shelley

xjwms

Time

the more time that passes the better it is.....my wife still sets the example for me. Attends as much as she can for me thats a downer

Met a sister from a neighbor-ing cong....on friday last week.....loaded me up on as much gossip as she could...

who as df'ed ...who was back in.... who was doing what.....even told me a couple is back in town from New York

because bethel is down-sizing....and on ...and on.

FINALLY, .. I got a little close to her face and said..... I know some of the ones you are speaking of....but to be truthful...

I have'nt been to a meeting in five years...I don't miss the gossip.....

SHE went....OH,!! .... oh? ... ooohhhhhhh......and left me alone.

Honesty

How Do You Feel About Life & Yourself Now That You're Out?

I have never felt better.

Some issues that I don't have now that I had 24/7 as a hypnotised Jehovah's Witness:

Depression

Guilt

Fear

Doubt

Uncertainty

Paranoia

How Do You Feel About Life & Yourself Now That You're Out?

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