You're Not the Only One Whose Made Mistakes..... (page 2)

brinjen

I really lived like there was no tomorrow, because in my heart I didn't believe there would be a tomorrow (or at least probably not another two years--does that ring a bell with anyone?)

Only a couple of hundred...

I would have been around 12 (possibly younger) when I first had thoughts of suicide. The guilt on not wanting to be a Jehovah's Witness, being told by my grandmother that I was a "mental retard" who "didn't deserve to be born", more guilt because I enjoyed this world and saw more good in it than the JW world and of course, yet more guilt for wanting to end my life which is murder... I should be patient and wait for Jah to end it for me.

It's that awkward teen stage when it seems like you just can't do anything right... and that's when they tighten the boot straps and rub your face in every little mistake you make, rather than helping you put it all in perspective, they blow it all out of proportion.

They suck.

palmtree67

I'm taking my turn on the sin wagon right now.

The weird thing is, although my life is in chaos, I feel happier and safer than I ever have before.

Thanks for the insights, ATJ!

WTWizard

I believe everyone does dumb things at times--whether it is an elected official that puts the word "retard" on a bill when "stupid" may have been more scientifically correct, or the person that jumps into a religion without thoroughly looking at it beforehand. And yes, you often pay for those mistakes (especially when they involve getting scammed).

But, often what the witlesses do is turn mistakes into sins. You go too far once, you are hauled to a judicial committee to beat you up. You don't get everyone at home, they hound you for more studies. You get a colored shirt, they hound you to get rid of it. You push the wrong button on the radio and play a Christmas song while out in field circus (you wanted to play a Kingdumb Malady, but hit the "Radio" button instead of the "CD" button because of the traffic situation), you are going to get a hounding. Say the wrong thing at the door, and the call is "murdered". And so on.

To me, there are only three basic sins. Laziness, dishonesty, and envy. None involve simple mistakes--even if you tell something that is not true because you were scammed into believing it, you were not dishonest (merely misinformed). Those who make it so complicated to determine what is a sin and what is merely a mistake are the ones that are deliberately misleading people (that is blatant dishonesty, often motivated by envy which is the desire to destroy what they cannot themselves have).

dinah

It's that awkward teen stage when it seems like you just can't do anything right... and that's when they tighten the boot straps and rub your face in every little mistake you make, rather than helping you put it all in perspective, they blow it all out of proportion.

Yep. I'm so happy my daughter doesn't have to live like that.

It may be a little off subject, but my daughter is much more grounded than I ever was. Probably because the answer to everything she asks to do isn't "No!" When she does make a mistake, God's not gonna kill her for it. Learn and move on, don't beat the kid up for it for God's sake.

chickpea

mistakes are nature's way of
arriving at the right answer!
it took edison 10,000 "mistakes"
to get the lightbulb to work...

you live long enough
you are gonna mess
something up ....
but the operative
word is LIVE (often
confused with existing)

jung said:
nothing has a stronger influence
psychologically on their environment
and ESPECIALLY on their children
than the unlived life of the parent

who really are the walking dead, eh?
the ones most afraid to make a mistake
because of the horrific judgment of others...
whose every breath is drawn in fear of their
humanity being made manifest....

what a wretched existence

Scarred for life

My 3 children are much, much better adjusted, confident and socially skilled than I ever even thought about being. I purposely raised them totally different than I was.

flipper

ALL TIME JEFF- Good thread. I've actually learned from mistakes in my life i.e., ( marrying psycho ex-girlfriends ) , staying in a mind control cult too many years, etc. But at the end of the day I learned to be easy on myself and forgive myself for having been sucked into the JW mold for 44 years. I was raised in it - and now I look at it as a hell of an accomplishment to have walked away from it.

Everything is about perspective in life. We can either accentuate the positive and move on in the future, or be morose and let our past destroy us - I choose the first option

You're Not the Only One Whose Made Mistakes.....