Posts by HintOfLime

i have pretty much funded this entire thing, spent untold hours coding, getting artistic renditions for logos, working with suppliers, contracting out work, etc.

I agree with the above - if there is no contract, and no actual work peformed, tell them you are at a point where you absolutely must move on. People who are 'all talk' will usually excuse themselves when given a hard-set deadline. "I absolutely must have x done by this date. If you cannot sign this contract and commit to this date, then I'm sorry, but I'll have to find someone else - really, this should have been done already."

If you want a successful business, you have to turn 'family mode' off. People who are not highly motivated, "doers", or 100% committed will kill your chances as an entrapenuer. They may mean well, but most people don't have what it takes to really be an entrapenuer.

- Lime

24

A new term for 'just around the corner'...unbelievable. sad.

by tresdecu in

jw
friends

heard this from a friend of a friend via an email locally circulating.

are you ready?

take a deep breath.... "the end of this system is just a whisper away..." from a ca talk i think, maybe even from the dc, i can't remember.

HintOfLime

Since when was 'whisper' a measure of time?

- Lime

22

I need help! i am in social limbo!

by Free!! in

jw
friends

i was wondering if some of you can give me some advice in how to get over the fact that i feel so inadequate when trying to make new friends!!

since i left the borg i have only made about 2-3 close friends... the wts ruined my social skills and i am so depressed because i am afraid of the real world... i know i am ready to move on... but i dont know how.. i feel like i dont belong in there but i dont belong out here either... i am in social limbo.. and it sucks to have no friends.. .

when i was in i hated the weekends because i was basically forced to go to service, now i hate the weekends because if the few friends i have are busy w their families or partners i am stuck all by myself... :( please give me some pointers i feel super lonely!

HintOfLime

I think the cult mentality is far easier to put on than to take off. For all their talk of "new personality" and crap - all JW's really offer is a hole to hide your head in and avoid real social development. It is an 'easy way out' from a complex social system. We humans are social creatures, and part of reaching human maturity is finding and accepting one's place in the complex and changing social hierarchy.

The first step is to free your mind from hate and judgemental thinking - starting with yourself. Look at yourself, and accept yourself for who you really are. It can take a while for your personality and uniqueness to recover, to regain the confidence to just be what you are, and love it.

Until that time - until you really rediscover and love your inner self, it may be difficult to make the right friends.

A few years ago, I would have been embarassed to admit my whimsical passions, my fantasies, and my faults... and in the spirit of good ol' JWism, I was 'keeping people out' - putting on a pretense and lying to myself and others about what I am.

Once you can accept yourself and your flaws, and accept flaws in other people, you won't feel like you 'don't belong' anymore. Ex-JW or not, everybody has a story to tell. What is your story?

- Lime

151

Why do I no longer get attacked and persecuted by the demons, since I left JW,s ?

by pedal power in

jw
friends

most jw.s really believe that they ( as we once did ) are promoting gods will, but what if they really are ?

is it possible that god is supporting them even though they (governing body ) lie, because most jw,s are ignorant of the lies told on their behalf, ?.

when i was a jw i got attacked by the demons bigtime, but not now, and i can only assume that they (demons ) are happy that i am no longer a jw and are now leaving me alone, cant think of any other reason, has god ever supported a group who were similarly found wanting ?.

HintOfLime

The Watchtower ingrained in us the belief that if you leave the "Truth", that you're making yourself subject to harrassment by demons and Satan.

Yes.. a cruel thing. Good parents comfort their children, teaching them that blowing curtains and the occational "bump in the night" (typically due to thermal contractions) aren't things to be afraid of - that the "Boogeyman" doesn't exist.

In WT culture, ALL authority figures in a child's life conspire together to tell the child that the Boogeyman IS real, is a terrifying magical thing with near limitless magical powers, and that it IS out to get the child. The only 'out' the child has is to use the "magic words" ("Jehovah" is magic!) and subscribe to the religion.

Thank goodness those good JW's don't lie to their children about things like the "Tooth Fairy"! That might mess a kid up!

- Lime

151

Why do I no longer get attacked and persecuted by the demons, since I left JW,s ?

by pedal power in

jw
friends

most jw.s really believe that they ( as we once did ) are promoting gods will, but what if they really are ?

is it possible that god is supporting them even though they (governing body ) lie, because most jw,s are ignorant of the lies told on their behalf, ?.

when i was a jw i got attacked by the demons bigtime, but not now, and i can only assume that they (demons ) are happy that i am no longer a jw and are now leaving me alone, cant think of any other reason, has god ever supported a group who were similarly found wanting ?.

HintOfLime

Heh heh..

When I was a young kid (around 6-8, not sure my age, just the house I lived in), I saw the old B&W War of the Worlds movie.

That night when I walkied into my bedroom for bed, I vividly remember seeing one of the alien probes straight out of the movie in my room. I freaked out, and refused to go into the bedroom, crying at my parents attempts to make me go to bed.

A few minutes my dad walked out and reassured me that the "alien probe" was just the desk lamp - but to this day I vividly remember seeing something else.

The point being... one can't trust childhood memories too far. Especially when they revolve around a budding fear instinct that is still learning what is and what isn't a threat.

- Lime

PS: (Stranger still, my brother insists it was he that went into the bedroom and saw the lamp and freaked out.)

64

What's Your Objection?

by 1975 in

when i come to this forum and read the topics of the day, it disturbs me that some always have objections and comments that are negative.

what source of encouragement is there when one breaks down the story of others?

what's your personal gain, what's the satisfaction?

HintOfLime

I think it's too easy both online and off to perceive a disagreement or critism as "negative" or as being a personal attack. I suspect that with the exception of a few posters, that is rarely the intent.

We certainly can't expect everyone else to always agree with our every religious, political, and personal opinions and stories... what would be the purpose of such a forum? You rarely learn anything from those who agree with you.

- Lime

151

Why do I no longer get attacked and persecuted by the demons, since I left JW,s ?

by pedal power in

jw
friends

most jw.s really believe that they ( as we once did ) are promoting gods will, but what if they really are ?

is it possible that god is supporting them even though they (governing body ) lie, because most jw,s are ignorant of the lies told on their behalf, ?.

when i was a jw i got attacked by the demons bigtime, but not now, and i can only assume that they (demons ) are happy that i am no longer a jw and are now leaving me alone, cant think of any other reason, has god ever supported a group who were similarly found wanting ?.

HintOfLime

I also have "sleep problems" Lucid dreams and sleep walking. I'm sure one or two of my demons were "bad dreams" I still get them, but never think it is a demon.

I studied and induced lucid dreaming intentionally for about 4 years. From those experiences I've come to the conclusion that a lot of ghost stories can likely be explained by people becomming conscious in the physical phases between awake and dreaming. The so-called "hypnotic imagery" state can be extremely jaring - and much more vivid and emotional than a regular dream... as can sleep paralysis.

- Lime

151

Why do I no longer get attacked and persecuted by the demons, since I left JW,s ?

by pedal power in

jw
friends

most jw.s really believe that they ( as we once did ) are promoting gods will, but what if they really are ?

is it possible that god is supporting them even though they (governing body ) lie, because most jw,s are ignorant of the lies told on their behalf, ?.

when i was a jw i got attacked by the demons bigtime, but not now, and i can only assume that they (demons ) are happy that i am no longer a jw and are now leaving me alone, cant think of any other reason, has god ever supported a group who were similarly found wanting ?.

HintOfLime

Demons = Dreams, Drugs, and Depression.

Dreams: Because the human memory gets a LOT of things wrong (video tape a person experiencing an event, and then quiz them on it.. and watch how many details are distorted). Over time, humans can confuse first-hand reality with dreams, fantasies, and stories they've heard second-hand.

Drugs: Often dismissed by the teller with "But I wasn't taking drugs when the event occured."

Depression: Depression and other mental illnesses can cause all sorts of vivid non-real experiences. Often these experiences can be 'embraced' by the person who experienced them as an opportunity to get some social attention, or to re-enforce a feeling of being 'attacked'. The story becomes exaggerated and over time, even the teller can convince themselves that events really happened as they have exaggerated it.

Just remember: just because you think you see or hear something does not make it real. One of the things that makes humans so capable - our vivid imaginations and ability to process visual information - can have the perverse effect "teetering" between perceiving reality as well as non-reality.

To answer the original poster's question: Perhaps the reason you no longer feel 'attacked by demons' is that you've taken a mental stand "apart" from a particular fantasy. Your brain may be extropolating that desire to discount other fantasy notions as well.

- Lime

25

How can I get past the anger?

by Rocky_Girl in

jw
friends

i have gotten through so much of the anger i felt toward my parents for their part in my screwed up childhood.

i know they were just doing what they thought was right.

but now, as i celebrate holy and special days with my children i feel a new anger because i cannot give them the big family celebration they deserve.

HintOfLime

Time. It takes time, and building of a new social structure. Personally, I have friend who is also now an ex-JW, we were in high school together, and I spent a lot of time at his house growing up (he didn't come to my house so often - he was always bad association because he dressed too 'trendy'). We now get together a few times a year for christmas, etc. Half of his family has left now, including his parents - so I've sort of adopted them as my family when it comes to the times of year we all want to get together and share some good food.

It took me a few years to really exhale all the hurt, and find those connections, and in the meantime I felt extremely lost. I still feel saddened that I can't enjoy a special day with my own family - but they are not bad people, just gullible.

Take care,

- Lime