If I had never been a JW, I would have been an earlier version of what I am now.
I am proud of the strength and skills I developed after leaving the organization and the way I have endeavored throughout my life to learn from my JW upbringing.
Many, many people can look into their earlier years, whether in a religious environment or not, and see unfortunate experiences that could ruin their lives. Yet, these were also experiences that have made them who they are.
Camile Paglia said that success stems not from having an absence of obstacles in your past or current path, but discovering ways to accept what has happened and to overcome current obstacles - and some of the most amazing progress people have made is in the face of an unsupportive environment.
None of this belittles what people have been through in their younger years - but speaks to the resilience of the human spirit.
The only point I would add is that no one would chose to endure terrible and even traumatic experiences. Yet given these sorts of experiences have been experienced, what a shame not to learn valuable lessions from them that will help you improve the quality of your life to the best of your ability.
