Some Bits and Pieces from the Past

[FreeFall]

Hi all,

I don't really have anyone to share my experiences with, so thanks for giving an ear.

Going backwards,

Much of my immediate family is in offshoots of some kind. One of them is pretty isolated and seems to have lost a bit of his sanity being faithful to the Word. He only goes to meetings once a month. Another two others run "fellowships." They tell me about how great it is that their new people are speaking in tongues. I cringe inside but smile and pretend to share their joy. The only other one is into more new age religion and knows its all nuts. She got hooked on painkillers after breaking away at fifteen.

I left a couple years back, but things have been tough. I was raised to be a hardcore believer - homeschooled and all - and shied away from "the world" as best I could. I wish I had watched more TV though, it would be nice to be more in tune with pop culture now. I moved a lot after I left my parents house. I did splinter-group training, and though I'm now glad that I never "spread the Word" all that well, I hate how rude and insensitive I was for those years. I wish I could live without knowing that others probably took at least some of my "teachings" to heart and were worse off for it.

Ah, life goes on, I suppose. Mines not so simple as I wish it was though.

I'm still a social missfit, but I'm glad I can still chat with my old "believer" friends, and the real world makes more sense as the months go bye. Workaholism seems to help me keep my mind of things, at least for now.

Glad you all are here, let me know if you want to chat.

-FreeFall

[excathedra]

awww freefall hi. i'm a social misfit and i'm 54 years old

when i first got out around the time of the psychogeer paper after the big MOG died, i was a much much worse social misfit

fortunately for me i never could get into any splinters or churches even. i had my fill.

people seem to like me in the real world so i guess there's hope lol

do you want to chat in the chat room? let me know

i also have an email address here excathedra2000@yahoo.com

and i think you're more normal than you realize but of course coming from me who the helllll knows?

take care of yourself and thanks for posting

[waysider]

If you're a social "misfit", what, exactly, is a social "fit"?

Kick off your shoes and stay a while.

[penworks]

Welcome to the cafe! Good for you on breaking away from others' control. I'm sorry to learn of your family's suffering in Way world and offshoots, though. Life can be hard, but now that you're re-grouping, at least you can weigh options instead of following orders. Life does get better the longer you are away from the old dogmas.

Take a look around here and if there's anything I can help you with, send me a message.

Cheers!

Penworks

[FreeFall]

Thanks guys.

[Twinky]

Hey there FreeFall. This is the place to explore where you're really at and develop some new ideas. Let yourself get mellow. You're among friends here, well, most of us will be friends.

Hard for you with family still in. Especially if you were born and raised in the Way. Sounds like you didn't have any life outside it.

It's OKAY for you to explore new things. We are supposed to be in the world. We're just not "of" it as regards the basis of what we think and what we do. If a person can't relate to people in this world, however could that person help others through their problems? Life is to be lived and enjoyed, not hidden away from.

But before you go out into the world, enjoy this nice snug Cafe (it's cold outside) and have a drink. or two or even three (there's no two-drink limit here) .