by redredrose 630 Replies latest jw friends
I am stunned, and so sad for his pain and his childrens loss.
There are so few words that can be said when you read this sort of news.
This is another reason this fight against the WT and all the cults and high control groups must never let up.
RIP Oompa, I too will miss you here.
oz
Thanks for posting the picture Palm! It was a fantastic night - one to remember forever.
Oh Eric, Im so sad that you couldnt hold on any longer, the pain was too bad. I truly hope you are in a wonderful place where you can feel all the love we have for you here and there is no pain, only peace.
I want to throw in my experiance of Eric. A few years ago I ran an ex JW meetup group here in Charlotte, NC. At the time my screenname was burgertime (I was banned for awhile). Anyways Eric contacted me about coming to the meetup. I gave him directions and he showed up. I would explain Eric as a force to be reakoned with. He had ton of energy and was a very happy go lucky guy on the surface.
Just to tell you what kind of guy Eric was, at the time I didn't own a vehicle I took the bus or walked everywhere. The place we were meeting was a ten minute walk from my house. Well Eric met me at my house at the time and had non of it. He forced me to ride "bitch" on his motorcycle. He then asked if I wanted a moped since he owned a store that sold them. I said sure, and that I would pay for it. He argued that I shouldn't pay for it and I argued back that I should. We came to a deal that I would pay what he paid which was around $400. To be honest I figured he was just talking to be talking and trying to be nice but would never follow through. Well two weeks later he shows up with a brand new Scooter in tow to drop off. He told me I could pay him whatever for however long it took. To say I was shocked didn't quite put into words how I felt. That same day he dropped off my scooter I gave him my copies of In Search of Christian Freedom, Apocalypse Delayed and Crisis of Concious so I like to think it was a fair trade lol. Anyways I paid the scooter off in like a months time and I hung out with Eric another time outside of that. He was someone who cared very little about himself and wanted nothing but to please everyone.
All that being said, looking back I can see that he probably suffered from being bi-polar or more than likely was manic depressive. My Dad was diagnosed bi-polar and him and Eric are very similiar, though again my guess would probably be manic. When that is a factor it's no wonder he was pushed over the edge. I don't think the WTBS is totally to blame but again it's obviously a major factor...if nothing else I'm sure it stopped him from getting help when he should have which would have been early on in his life.
I haven't talked to Eric since probably 3 years ago, but I'll always remember him. So here's to you my wild friend. Hopefully whever you are you're riding your motorcycle and having a laugh.
This is so sad. My deepest condolences to his family. RIP Eric. You were valued far more than you gave yourself credit for.
very sad to read this
looking back I can see that he probably suffered from being bi-polar or more than likely was manic depressive. My Dad was diagnosed bi-polar and him and Eric are very similiar, though again my guess would probably be manic. When that is a factor it's no wonder he was pushed over the edge. I don't think the WTBS is totally to blame but again it's obviously a major factor...if nothing else I'm sure it stopped him from getting help when he should have which would have been early on in his life.
I can relate to your comment. We've had family members diagnosed with bi-polar and witnessed the extreme ups and downs with them. Eric seemed similar. He was way up or way down at times.
While the WTS isn't to blame for genetics, they are to blame for setting people up to believe in some utopia that doesn't really exist except in their mind. Pull that rug out from under them and it can be catastrophic for someone who is bi-polar or manic depressive. From my limited time with Eric, I gathered that when he was 'in'...a believer... the thought of being in a true brotherhood and having a support group consisting of all JWs kept him pretty stable. Once that support system failed... even though he knew the reason... it sent him crashing into some self destructive behavior. I thought he was rebounding and coming to grips with it all. I was wrong...
That is terrible news! Oompa was one of the first few people I met when I began posting here 4 years ago. He will be sorely missed by those of us on this forum.
I personally don't think we need to speculate on whether he had 'legally labelled' mental illness or not. There are a great many people who have been pushed to the depths of despair in their life and who act out accordingly. Oompa appeared to have been unable to deal with the loss of his life as a JW and the absolute shunning by all of those he thought of as family and friends. This is not unfamiliar territory for most JW's who leave, especially those born in, raised in, married in....it isn't just walking away, it's the realization that nobody cares, that your life was an illusion, that you are trapped with the 'either or' scenario of going back or trying to exist outside - there are so many factors and so much destruction when most walk away. There are people I know that have 'left' physically years ago but who, once you talk to them, realize that they haven't left it all behind mentally or emotionally. The feeling of abandonment is a strong human emotion - and some people just have a harder time dealing with the pain.
He was who he was and had value in being himself. He was very clear about his demons - and those included his treatment of JW's including his parents and his wife. His value was tossed away by the very organization he had given much of his life too - sammieswife
I'm just reading about this now. This is horrible news. I loved oompa's posts. He was one of my faves. I was kinda shitty to him the last time I interacted with him on here. Wish I had a chance to tell him I'm sorry:(
RIP brother!
