A poll to scratch my curiosity itch

[CoolWaters]

I've always wondered if twi was a different experience at different levels of the 'way tree', but never thought to just ask the question.

So here's the poll that I hope will ask the question and satisfy my curiosity.

As you know, polls are anonymous, so nobody has to identify themselves or their experiences.

As you also know, the options are limited (I call 20 options 'limited'????), so if you feel I've left off your choice, please do tell.

And if you wanna tell what you chose and why, I'm all ears. :D

Thanks!

[Galen]

I have been told many times here on Greasespot, that the reason that we had a different experience with TWI was due to us never going into the WC. Just running twigs, and moving around a lot, and generally somehow avoiding WC 'hot spots'.

So it was about: helping people, having big meals together, having lots of boarders in our home, and doing word-studies together.

:)

[TheHighWay]

Galen,

To me, it is the attitude and self-confidence you had, (which allowed you to follow your own path thru twi) that has set you apart from so many of us. We were looking for a direction, for someone to lead us along a good path, and we completely trusted that we had found such a group. We may have stood up for ourselves or others at times along the way, but mostly we FOLLOWED. Our expectations were higher than yours, and therefore our disappointments were deeper than yours.

And frankly, "followers" are what twi was/is good at attracting. Even as people climbed the leadership ranks, (especially as things progressed after 1985) they couldn't do so unless they were complete and total "followers".

Yes, I had some good experiences in twi. I had some experiences I probably never would have had if I hadn't been involved. But none of them were life-defining in a good way. Looking back from my 40-something perspective, I would probably have learned better life lessons in another group, or even if I were not affiliated with any group.

So many promises made. So many disappointments. It's just a shame.

Edited March 17, 2006 by TheHighWay

[GeorgeStGeorge]

I voted for "Some Leadership, Glad to have helped." But "AC Grad, valued the learning" would also apply.

George

[markomalley]

I've had to un-learn so much that was ingrained through the PFAL series and collateral classes. I still find myself catching myself in little "Way-isms" from time to time. It is, in all honesty, surprising how insiduous the series actually was, even though its been so many years since I'd abandoned it.

[likeaneagle]

CW- The Adv. Class should be classified. Ive had 2 different versions both where LCM.

[CoolWaters]

Galen...if that had been all there was to it, I'd probably still be around. Sigh.

TheHighWay...you're onto something there...and I'm thinking about what you've said and some other stuff that has come up lately.

GSG...yeah, I knew some of us would find more than one choice to be apropos, but I also figured the poll was lengthy enough without adding 3 or 4 more questions with 20 options each. :D

Mark...insidious is the word! Every single day my hubs and I catch ourselves in one or another of the twi thinking patterns. Sigh.

likeaneagle...I show that I was mostly a vpw era twit in my options...but I hoped that folks would substitute whatever class/structure they experienced and then explain. :)

I chose 'average pfal grad/feel it was a waste of time and money' because the whole twi experience made me, my hubs and my children into people we are not...and it has taken lo these many years to cauterize the bleeding...and it's going to take many more years to heal.

[T-Bone]

Thanks coolwaters - interesting poll. I chose that I found [some] value in the things I participated in and had mixed feelings about it too.

[Shellon]

I need to pick three of them. :unsure:

[CoolWaters]

Thank you T-bone! A poll is useless if nobody responds. :)

Well, Shell, of course you need to pick 3 of them. So maybe pick one and explain the rest?

[excathedra]

today i chose

Way Corps grad/rue the day I fell for any of it

i feel differently at different times. but i never feel thrilled (choke) :)

[penguin]

The only good thing about corpse was I met my honey during my training.

[rhino]

today i chose "Corps grad/ rue the day I fell for it..." i feel differently at different times. but i never feel thrilled (choke) :)

I'm betting this sums it up for corps ... rue the day is right overall, but mixed is right because I met people like excie ... the good folks that were there made it good, but the wickedness of the arsholes made us rue the day ... I mean really, where do you go to meet people willing to commit to Christian service like that?

OK ... another glass of grape koolaid ... ummm, make that grape juice, well fermented ...

[Belle]

The only good that came from my experience with TWI was getting to meet y'all after the fact.

I didn't learn anything of value in TWI and have had to throw a lot of it out with the help of an expensive therapist and anti-depressants.

I honestly can't find one d@mn good thing about the time I was involved.

It wasn't the people because they weren't real friends or they'd still be around despite my choice to leave.

It wasn't my husband because he wasn't really in love with me or he'd still be around despite my choice to leave.

It wasn't my family because I lost years with them because of my obedience to TWI doctrine.

It wasn't the doctrine because I've tossed out all the doctrine I did learn in TWI; the doctrines I do hold to are the same ones I had before TWI.

I still have the same questions I had going in. I've met some great people since leaving and I've been able to help others because of my experience, but I'd much rather be able to help them without having "been there - done that". <_<

[jardinero]

Good poll, CW.

I chose "Corps grad/ rue the day I fell for it..."

I loved God and was studying the Bible prior to my time in twi. My involvement in twi was alienating to family and my inlaws, steered me away from important educational goals, subjected my marriage and children to much uninvited noseyness and criticism, not to mention the "abundance" of false doctrine and horrendous practice to which we subjected ourselves. Those false doctrines and the patterns of behavior I learned in RESPONSE to the practices have been extremely difficult to root out since 1989.

Over the years, I've also had "mixed" feelings similar to the others stated above about the "love" of the people we met. Yes, we did have some wonderful, sometimes Godly groups of people, some of whom even became friends - - but I have met wonderful people and friends throughout my life's journey OUTSIDE of twi circles, who have provided rich friendships, deep loyalty and love - - not based on my involvement in a particular group. I still have some wonderful friends who are ex-twi folks. I value them and their friendship. My non-extwi friends have certainly been much more loyal, less hypocrytical and judgmental, and have far less baggage to deal with than my extwi friend, to be perfectly honest.

So for me, although life is good, I find myself living life and making up for some lost, misdirected time from during my twi years. I am still harboring a pit of grief in my heart for the casualties that are our collective lives as my mind still struggles to grasp the picture that has emerged of what twi REALLY was (due to sites like this who allow our collective shared experiences to connect the dots).

J.

Edited March 18, 2006 by jardinero

[CoolWaters]

Belle said:

I didn't learn anything of value in TWI and have had to throw a lot of it out with the help of an expensive therapist and anti-depressants.

Jardinero said:

I loved God and was studying the Bible prior to my time in twi. My involvement in twi was alienating to family and my inlaws, steered me away from important educational goals, subjected my marriage and children to much uninvited noseyness and criticism, not to mention the "abundance" of false doctrine and horrendous practice to which we subjected ourselves. Those false doctrines and the patterns of behavior I learned in RESPONSE to the practices have been extremely difficult to root out since 1989.

Gawd you've hit that nail squarely on the head!!!!

And Belle sums it up with:

I still have the same questions I had going in. I've met some great people since leaving and I've been able to help others because of my experience, but I'd much rather be able to help them without having "been there - done that".

I can't even begin to put into words how being in twi changed me from a human being into bag of bones rattling around in a quagmire of absolute insanity.

You two...and everybody else...are giving me the words I've never been able to find.

Thank you!

[rhino]

My non-extwi friends have certainly been much more loyal, less hypocrytical and judgmental, and have far less baggage to deal with than my extwi friend, to be perfectly honest.

So for me, although life is good, I find myself living life and making up for some lost, misdirected time from during my twi years. /b]

Good point ... I think the illusion of superiority and our WOW mission drew wayfers together in a false sense of unity. (I guess some fellowships had people that really cared for each other.) My better friends post twi were average blue and white collar folks that liked drinking beer and playing volleyball (and fishing and sailing). Our volleyball church played along the gulf coast, got together for beer and volleyball fellowships about 3 evenings/week ... LOL Those 12 years or so were so much more fun than the twi times. We partied through a lot of Mardi Gras, and St Pat's parades. I guess Mardi Gras was our ROA ... big parties at the homes of the people close to the big parades ... twi always had some pressure for more ABS or more classes, endless TC or BC meetings ...

My new church centered around having fun ... Dave's place looks like a nice church for fiddling around ...

[George Aar]

I haveto reiterate what Belle said:

"I honestly can't find one d@mn good thing about the time I was involved."

I used to say "Well, except I found my wife there!"

Uh, yeah...

[Shellon]

Whoa!! What in the world is cooking in that soup pot?

Are those the things that have the eyes still in em that my brother eats raw?

:blink:

[rhino]

Whoa!! What in the world is cooking in that soup pot?

Are those the things that have the eyes still in em that my brother eats raw?

:blink:

I never ate them raw lol ... they are crawfish, or mudbugs ... rip the heads off, and sorta twist out the meat ... you can suck the heads, but I learned that is where the heavy metals accumulate most ... I only did this one crawfish tourney, but the bar had them much of the time when they were in season. You get a big sack of them ... alive and crawling ... cook em with a bunch of spices and crab boil, along with corn, potatoes, onions ... then you just lay em out on a big table with newspapers and everyone picks away at them. They's mostly heads ... lotta work to get filled up, but great with beer on a warm day. Edited March 18, 2006 by rhino

[Belle]

MMMMMmmmmmmm....Crawfish Boils!! I grew up eating crawfish and drinking cold beer! Ahhh, the memories!

We'd listen to live Blues sittin' on the dock of the Mississippi River watching the River Boats and the Floozie contests while sucking heads and eating tails. Makes me homesick...

[Tom Strange]

eeewwww!!! CRAWDADS!!!! ...like Lobsters, the cockroaches of the water...

...just not as crunchy!

[mstar1]

Gees Belle-ROFL-some of us aren't all that familair with southern colloquialisms

-but that post woke me right up

I spewed my morning tea on the screen.

Shouldnt that be in your other thread?

Edited March 21, 2006 by mstar1

[CoolWaters]

LMAO mstar, Belle, Tom, rhino! Well, Belle, if a subject is going to change, you sure have a way of making it fun! LMAO!!!

[Belle]

Weeellll.....I didn't even think about the implications of that when I posted it.

I'm still homesick and would love to do that, though.

Sorry for the derail, CW! But I know you enjoyed it. ;)