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It seems that we occasionally get posters who think they have some sort of inalienable rights to things they don't. Here's some friendly reminders. 1) The GSC is a private messageboard that is open to the public. The Admins and Mods determine the rules, and have final say on all disagreements. 2) You don't have any authority to overturn their decisions. You can make a logical case for something. If they disagree, you can either drop it or refuse. 3) Picking fights with staff results in warnings, deleted posts, deleted threads, and temporary or permanent bans. 4) If you don't like the way ANY board is run, you can just go elsewhere. There's other boards, and there's always the option to make your own. All of that is not unique to the GSC. All of that is pretty much standard and generally common sense. Remember that some speech anywhere will not be allowed, for any of a number of reasons. Some speech anywhere will be unpopular and the other posters will disagree and say so. You don't have any kind of "right" to have people agree with you. If you don't make your case, don't be surprised if you're alone on a position. ======================= "I can't remember where I heard this, but someone once said that defending a position by citing free speech is sort-of the ultimate concession; you're saying that the most compelling thing you can say for your position is that it's not literally illegal to express." - xkcd

Great post, Annio ! Your post reminded me of something along the lines of what I shared on Grease Spot years ago – your post got me thinking so I googled “is it healthy to reimagine a past experience?” (which got me to a Psychology Today article that’s pretty much on point - I’ll give excerpts and link below); I also learned there’s a term for it – counterfactual thinking (which led me to a Wikipedia article – I’ll give excerpts and link below). First here’s what I said in a 2006 post about reimagining the time wierwille showed our family corps his doggie-porn video: "I've fantasized about time travel – or maybe it's more like a Quantum Leap episode – where I'm actually back in one of my TWI experiences – but I know then what I know now – and also have the nerve to stand up for my convictions – sort of a new and improved me displacing the wimpified spineless dullardesque core of my being…I can just imagine the re-make of the pajama party incident in my first post: We've just finished watching that sick doggie/women porn video, old Pervertwille is now showing that porn pen to the 16 year old girl. Suddenly I jump up while at the same time bellowing out some primordial roar that has amassed such force that I can no longer contain it. Of course all eyes are now upon me – but my eyes are locked in with his – I can hear Maverick's voice in my head "I've got tone, I've got tone!!!!!!!!!!" And then I slowly…deliberately…with all the emotion and drama of a thespian on steroids I say, "It is a disgrace for me to be here today. Why don't you just pack up all your perverted paraphernalia, Spanish Flies, Jedi mind-tricks – along with your lecherous weird-willie, get on your mobile-sacrificial-altar-for-sex-slaves [a.k.a. the Motor Coach] and get the heck out of Rome City." I know that's kind of weird and strange thinking – but I actually do that sometimes – not to re-write any personal history, or re-interpret an experience to absolve myself of shame or guilt – but use it more as a self-corrective tool. My mom used to say "two wrongs don't make a right", [praise to mothers for passing on such great proverbs]. It's wrong to not get angry at the stuff VPW did! Putting my conscience on the back burner is wrong on my part! It is a sin of omission! I don't know - is there such a thing as hijacking someone's moral compass? Anyway – I'm not one to blame something like this on someone else. I turn that righteous anger on myself sometimes – as I realize how I was not vigilant in the care of my soul – and I let a thief inside…That anger hurts – yes a stinging motivation to change – but as you mentioned from that book on your Righteous Anger thread – in that righteous anger I also begin to see things from God's viewpoint – His creation at war with itself….I see it as a part of the healing process of my conscience. (From TWI's Sedative to the Conscience ) As silly, ridiculous and farfetched as my above quantum leap episode sounds – imaginatively reframing that event the way I did accentuates the importance of having a moral compass, not letting a cult leader dazzle, bamboozle or bully my soul into submission, nor buying into the “freedom” or “spiritual maturity” peddled by a predator who himself was enslaved to moral depravity. I cannot change what happened in the past. But I can choose to learn from my mistakes. As far as what-if scenarios - It goes without saying that if I never took PFAL…or never went WOW…or never went in the way corps…I never would have been so exploited by a cult…and realistically speaking if I would have actually made such a big scene as I reimagined at the Rome City Campus I would have been immediately escorted off campus in my pajamas and back jack . Indeed there’s been a lot of folks who stood up to wierwille, Craig, etc. and lived to tell about it (whether they left "under their own steam", or were thrown out, or reassigned to a Twig in Siberia…or whatever ) – and I say kudos to them !…my counterfactual thinking represents how I learned to wake up from a Kool-Aid drunken stupor and grow a spine. I tend to look at my bad cult experiences as some costly battle scars that have made me thick-skinned... armor-plating against ravenous wolves. == == == == Next this article “When Is Reimagining the Past a Sign of Emotional Health? Counterfactual thinking linked to depression and anxiety lacks empowerment” by Barb Cohen (a teacher, writer, and educational advocate with seventeen years of experience parenting an autistic daughter) has a few interesting ideas I wanted to point out. She mentions research that indicates people suffering from severe anxiety and severe depression ruminate over past experiences more than people identified as emotionally healthy and in light of that what’s critically important to our mental well-being is focused reflection on bad experiences but with the intent of learning what we can from past experiences and moving on; counterfactual thinking can be beneficial when we reframe a narrative in terms of cause and effect – which really is just rethinking what alternate action or decision we could have made which would produce a different result. Barb relates an experience of her being mugged and rather than focusing on the prevalence of crime which would deny her any power to change – she focused on what made her an easy target to muggers - and what she needed to change going forward. From her article: “…If only” thought processes have a name: counterfactual thinking. By altering in our imaginations an element of something that has happened, we can learn how to act differently in the future (If I had studied harder for that test, I would have performed better on it. Next time I’ll study harder.), or we can better appreciate what we have (It took me two hours to get home from work, but it would have been worse if I’d been the person who was injured in the car crash that tied up traffic). This all makes sense and seems rather intuitive. What’s interesting is that the parameters people alter are predictable and intimately connected to their emotional well-being. Most people will mentally revise actions rather than inactions, causes rather than background conditions, and controllable events over uncontrollable ones. In contrast, people suffering from anxiety or depression, or those with atypical executive functioning pathways, mutate elements that are likely immutable. Consider the following true story: When I was in college, I spent a semester studying and working in Washington, D.C. The apartment building in which I and the other students were housed sat adjacent to Rock Creek Park in a not-so-nice part of the city. One evening after work I went to the Kennedy Center to purchase a ticket to see Hal Holbrook performing a one-man show as Mark Twain, and then I took a bus back to my apartment. I disembarked at a bus stop about three hundred yards from my apartment at approximately 7:00 in the evening, i.e., after rush hour crowds had subsided. A light rain had begun. Most of the other commuters who got off the bus with me walked down the sidewalk, mostly heading north, but I chose to cross the street and then walk north. As I walked north, alone, on a dark, drizzly night, I kept my head down to keep my face dry. I was preoccupied thinking about the weather and about Hal Holbrook, an actor I’d had a crush on ever since I saw All the President’s Men where he starred as Deep Throat. Before I realized what was happening, three young men were right in front of me, and one was reaching for my purse. I held onto my purse, and another of the young men punched me in the face. The first one grabbed my purse and they fled south. The incident destroyed forever my perception of my own invulnerability. Now, as an experiment in counterfactual thinking, there are a lot of ways this scenario could be changed. On the “grateful” side, the three boys could have dragged me into Rock Creek Park and hurt me well beyond a swollen jaw. On the “learning from the incident” side, I could have held my head up and stayed aware of my surroundings, or I could have walked on the same side of the street as the other people, or I could have handed my purse over immediately. All of these changes involve actions rather than inactions, causes rather than background conditions, and controllable rather than uncontrollable events. And, in fact, I now walk with crowds, scan the streets, avoid walking alone in the dark, and instruct my children to hand over their valuables immediately if they are approached by robbers… … Research shows that people suffering from severe anxiety and severe depression ruminate over past experiences more than people identified as emotionally healthy. Ideally, people learn what they can from past experiences and move on. In fact, replaying a counterfactual scenario repeatedly usually results in the counterfactual seeming less plausible with each replay… … What accounts for the nature of a person’s counterfactual thinking? Agency. For upward (how things could have been better) counterfactual thinking to be functionally beneficial, one needs a coherent story of cause and effect. Then the cause must include a personal action or decision. If this criterion is absent, it’s time to make peace with the event in a Buddhist sense of acceptance or to stay mired in it unhelpfully. Finally, an actor needs to have the ability to effect a change in future behavior. That’s a tall order… … Framing a story is an act of will. When we build a narrative (and we each have a multitude of correct narratives), we are implicitly building a story of cause and effect for our lives. I choose to blame my lack of vigilance for my mugging, because I can change that. If I chose to focus on the prevalence of crime, I would also have a valid narrative, but it would deny me any agency. It would be true, but not as useful as some other versions of the truth. Counterfactual thinking is a powerful instinct. Whether or not we grow with it is like choosing at a fork in the road. What was down that other path?” End of excerpts from Psychology Today – when is reimagining the past a sign of emotional health == == == == And here’s some excerpts from Wikipedia on counterfactual thinking which I found interesting. Basically I think we’ve all practiced it many times in our lives – since it’s how we learn from our mistakes and try to avoid dangerous and undesirable scenarios...who knew - it's a real thing with a name....anyway here's Wikipedia: “Counterfactual thinking is a concept in psychology that involves the human tendency to create possible alternatives to life events that have already occurred; something that is contrary to what actually happened. Counterfactual thinking is, as it states: "counter to the facts". These thoughts consist of the "What if?" and the "If I had only..." that occur when thinking of how things could have turned out differently. Counterfactual thoughts include things that – in the present – now could never happen in reality because they solely pertain to events that have occurred in the past… Counterfactual thoughts have been shown to produce negative emotions, however they may also produce functional or beneficial effects. There are two types of counterfactual thoughts, downward and upward. Downward counterfactuals are thoughts about how the situation could have been worse; and people tend to have a more positive view of the actual outcome. Upward counterfactuals are thoughts about how the situation could have been better. These kinds of thoughts tend to make people feel dissatisfied and unhappy; however, upward counterfactuals are the kind of thoughts that allow people to think about how they can do better in the future. These counterfactual thoughts, or thoughts of what could have happened, can affect people's emotions, such as causing them to experience regret, guilt, relief, or satisfaction. They can also affect how they view social situations, such as who deserves blame and responsibility… One may wonder why we continue to think in counterfactual ways if these thoughts tend to make us feel guilty or negatively about an outcome. One of the functional reasons for this is to correct for mistakes and to avoid making them again in the future. If a person is able to consider another outcome based on a different path, they may take that path in the future and avoid the undesired outcome. It is obvious that the past cannot be changed, however, it is likely that similar situations may occur in the future, and thus we take our counterfactual thoughts as a learning experience. For example, if a person has a terrible job interview and thinks about how it may have been more successful if they had responded in a more confident manner, they are more likely to respond more confidently in their next interview… Another reason we continue to use counterfactual theory is to avoid situations that may be unpleasant to us, which is part of our approach and avoidance behavior. Often, people make a conscious effort to avoid situations that may make them feel unpleasant. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes find ourselves in these unpleasant situations anyway. In these situations, we continue to use counterfactual thinking to think of ways that that event could have been avoided and in turn to learn to avoid those situations again in the future. For example, if a person finds hospitals to be an uncomfortable place, but find themselves in one due to cutting their finger while doing dishes, they may think of ways they could have avoided going to the hospital by tending to the wound themselves or doing the dishes more carefully…” End of excerpts from Wikipedia – counterfactual thinking sorry for the long post, folks - but I thought there was a lot of helpful information to pass on. good night - sweet dreams everyone

Rocky, wow!! I read that book several years ago. What a great book, but it isn't an easy read. EW won the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1988(?). His books often portray his time spent in concentration camps, during WWII. I don't think I could have ever forgiven my captors, for all the horrendous things, they did to me, let alone what they did to my family. I think VPW, was a coward, for dodging the draft during WWII. My father served in the Army, during that war. And then, VPW had the nerve, to teach that the Holocaust never happened!! Boy, was I upset, when I heard his teaching on this in the AC in 1985!! Not only, was he a coward, but he was also Anti-Semitic. Six Million died because most of them were Jewish. I think he denied the Holocaust, because his family was German. He claimed he didn't fight in the war, because he didn't want to fight the Fatherland. Bulls--t!! He was a coward, and knew it. The military is a hard life, but VPW wanted to take the easy, and safe way out, by staying out of the war. When I found out that he was a Draft-Dodger, I lost what little respect, I ever had for him. And when, he claimed the Holocaust, never happened, I stopped listening to whatever he said.

A day of celebration in the UK and commonwealth, of the end of hostilities in the east. It's not a public holiday, but there are always commemorations, parades, and the laying of wreaths. There are different celebrations in the US. Extract from Wikipedia about VJ Day Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day[1]) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on which the initial announcement of Japan's surrender was made – August 15, 1945, in Japan, and because of time zone differences, August 14, 1945 (when it was announced in the United States and the rest of the Americas and Eastern Pacific Islands) – as well as to September 2, 1945, when the surrender document was signed, officially ending World War II. August 15 is the official V-J Day for the United Kingdom, while the official US commemoration is September 2.[2] The name, V-J Day, had been selected by the Allies after they named V-E Day for the victory in Europe. On September 2, 1945, a formal surrender ceremony was performed in Tokyo Bay, Japan, aboard the battleship USS Missouri. In Japan, August 15 usually is known as the "memorial day for the end of the war" Extract from Wikipedia about "Victory Day" (USA) Victory Day is a holiday observed in the United States state of Rhode Island with state offices closed on the second Monday of August. Furthermore, in 2017, WPRI-TV claimed that Arkansas and Rhode Island were the only two states to ever celebrate the holiday, though Arkansas's name for the holiday was "World War II Memorial Day."[1] Originally, the official name was "Victory over Japan Day" and "V-J Day", as proclaimed by then President Harry S. Truman and was officially observed on September 2 nationwide. At some point, the name was changed to "Victory Day" in light of the modern post-war Japan emerging in economic importance. Further name changes were attempted later, but were unsuccessful, at which point, the name "Victory Day" remained the official name. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of World War II and is related to Victory over Japan Day in the United Kingdom. Rhode Island retains the holiday in tribute to the disproportionate number of sailors it sent and lost in the Pacific front.[3] In 2015, the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama honored 500 veterans on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war.[4 Whatever day you choose, do remember the "Forgotten Army" and the huge cost in lives for the men who were captured and held in the east, notably Burma (Bridge over river Kwai country), where conditions were worse than atrocious. It's 75 years ago now, before most (all?) of us were born. We still benefit from what they did. And remember the families of men lost, killed, maimed or otherwise damaged, are still around: women who lost spouses, children who lost fathers. War is a horrible thing.

Twinky, General William T. Sherman said, "War is Hell." I feel like the US is at war with itself. I pray 2021, brings us a better President, and a safe vaccine for covid.

The only time I ever recall hearing anything about this theologian/philosopher was on the game show Jeopardy. I found a review on Goodreads of Provocations: Spiritual writings of Kierkegaard that stirred me. Soren Kierkegaard's radical idea: what would happen if someone were to introduce Christianity to.... Christians? He doesn't actually state it as such but that is the essential thrust of the writings collected in this volume. His work is an antidote to a factory assembly line version of Christianity; a reminder that spirituality is not outwardly conforming to a certain manner of life (ritual) or inwardly acquiescing to a certain set of intellectual propositions (theology) but is instead a lived out experience (faith). "There are many people who reach their conclusions about life like schoolboys; they cheat their master by copying the answer out of a book without having worked out the sum for themselves." - Soren Kierkegaard The title for this collection was very aptly chosen. I have a friend who once shared with me that she takes a certain amount of pleasure in poking egos with a stick. I'm going to commandeer her phrase because it is such a perfect description of what this book does - it pokes the ego with a stick. “Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.” - Søren Kierkegaard Another reviewer stated it far more pithily than me: the purpose is to inform in order to transform. ***** It occurs to me (Rocky) that Wierwille was one of those people described above who cheat their master by copying the answer out of a book without having worked it out for himself... even though VPW made plenty of claims to the contrary. If you've studied any Kierkegaard writings, please share your impressions of his ideas. Thanks

Rocky, I have never read SK, but I thank you for your wonderful post!! When the libraries open up again, in DC, I will have to read him.

Hey, catching up here, and wondering about something that is healing and fun to envision, I think with some Reality to it anyway - how a small but effective #MeToo movement might have influenced twi starting at corps week/ROA in '80? I can envision myself having recently been seduced by Pa#l Virgil#o, hearing him be excused by vpw from the front stage during the public confrontation at that big top corpse meeting. (Hence this thread.) Huh! So at that point, I could have sought and kept seeking doctrinal and emotional support from ppl like the two women leaders (one a limb leader, the other a large branch leader) that I heard upholding Biblical morality saying that fornication and adultery are wrong, (one earlier in '80; the other in '83 when she accusingly confronted me about having sex with my limb leader, which incidents I had reported myself... Oh well.) Maybe sound clear sexual doctrine could have had some influence; maybe some ppl tempted to follow vpw's example/teachings/inferrences would have received the doctrine/reproof/correction and controlled their libidos; maybe some ppl would not have been sexually abused and avoided that suffering. Maybe folks would have come back to following Jesus, and His oh-so-clear teachings on self-control, the sanctity of marriage, etc... And Paul's teachings too!!! Of course, one way or another we most likely would have had to leave the organization; Jo#n Schoenh#eit was fired less than 6 years later... But I think much good could have come out of declaring and living The Truth, and looking back, such a splinter group could have provided many Godly benefits that Christian movements did give young ppl during the '70s and '80s. My fantasy(?) continues - Maybe some faithful brothers would have joined... Maybe more and more women would have come on board... Maybe a Top Leader or two or three would have repented or spoken out for the voiceless, and begun teaching sound doctrine?? The End. Blessings to you Cafe bro's and sis's.

Uhhh Raf, you forgot to use the sarcasm font

Yes – I hope it does too – though it is hard to resist wondering what are the real reasons why the website removed certain material: “The group has drawn media interest due to Judge Amy Coney Barrett's association with the group. Numerous media outlets have reported that Barrett is a member. In the wake of heightened interest in the group and its members following her nomination, People of Praise removed some materials from its website: "Recent changes to our website were made in consultation with members and nonmembers from around the country who raised concerns about their and their families' privacy due to heightened media attention” ( from Wikipedia - people of praise ) Saying stuff was removed over “concerns about their and their families' privacy due to heightened media attention” seems odd and suspicious to me since they consulted with members and nonmembers. ....Grease Spot is transparent to members and nonmembers – there’s nothing to hide; but then again Grease Spot is not a male-dominated religious organization with intrusive and controlling tactics as another excerpt from the Wikipedia article seems to suggest: “The highest office a woman can hold in the community is "woman leader" (formerly "handmaid"). Women leaders "teach women on womanly affairs, give advice, help in troubled situations" and lead specialized women's activities. The term handmaiden was chosen in 1971 as a reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus, who, in most English translations of the Bible, described herself as "the handmaid of the Lord" or a woman who is close to God. The community teaches that husbands are the head of the household as well as the spiritual head of their wives. While it emphasizes traditional gender roles, the organization encourages women to pursue higher education and employment. In much of community life, men and women work together without distinction. Both men and women prophesy and exhort at community meetings, teach together in the community sponsored schools, serve together as counselors at community camps, or as members or heads of music ministries, and evangelize together in inner cities. Still, there are some significant distinctions in the roles of men and women. As noted above, women are not able to be coordinators. The community, which refers to itself as a "family of families," sees this patriarchal tradition as following the biblical model of the family. Men and women meet separately each week in small groups called 'men's groups' or 'women's groups.' The purpose is to build deeper relationships as brothers and sisters in Christ by discussing their lives and other issues with the goal of gaining wisdom, deepening friendships, and encouraging one another to be faithful to God. Traditional roles are reinforced by encouraging men to do most of the heavier physical work involved when a family is moving to a new home or re-roofing a house, and when setting up for meetings and similar tasks. Women are encouraged to provide food and childcare and run an effective household. However, these distinctions are not absolute. For example, women have also labored side by side with men in the construction work involved in the community's Allendale outreach.” Yeah….makes me think of the extreme-legalistic-intrusive-controlling phase of TWI in the years after I left – something I only know about from others who experienced that and shared on Grease Spot…and there’s some personal-prophesy-momentus-intrusive-manipulative vibes suggested in this article too ( obviously I held onto my Top-Ultra- Secret-To-The-Nth Degree-Max-For-Your-Earballs-Only-Cult-Speak-Decoder-Ring and put it to good use occasionally ).

Yes, that's it. Thanks WW. Here's a related reference from Goodreads: "This is all I have known for certain, that God is love. Even if I have been mistaken on this of that point, God is nevertheless love. If I have made a mistake it will be plain enough; so I repent- and God is love. He is love, not he has love, nor, he will be love, oh no, even that future was too slow for me, he is love. Oh, how wonderful. Sometimes, perhaps my repentance does not come at once, and so there is a future. But God keeps no person waiting, he is love. Like spring-water which keeps the same temperature summer and winter- so is God's love. His love is a spring that never runs dry." And a related book, Love Matters More: How Fighting to be Right keeps us from Loving like Jesus.

it's classically known as gaslighting. It's psychological abuse, plain and simple. A form of intimidation or psychological abuse, sometimes called Ambient Abuse where false information is presented to the victim, making them doubt their own memory, perception and quite often, their sanity. The classic example of gaslighting is to switch something around on someone that you know they're sure to notice, but then deny knowing anything about it, and to explain that they "must be imagining things" when they challenge these changes. A more psychological definition of gaslighting is "an increasing frequency of systematically withholding factual information from, and/or providing false information to, the victim - having the gradual effect of making them anxious, confused, and less able to trust their own memory and perception. Your spouse begins telling you things that never really happened. For instance, he says that last week he told you he was going to go to the bar with his buddies this Monday night, but you never remember him telling you that.

Shoot, you guys in the USA as at 20 mins ago are here. Please stay safe, keep your distance, wash hands. Lockdown is temporary. Your finances will improve. Death is permanent. You can't take your money with you. Deaths 71,148 +877

Stay safe, stay home and wear a mask when you need to go out in public. Maintain a physical distance as much as you can and practice good hygiene and health habits. Also, avoid anything recorded by Donald "Duck" Dunn in order to maintain a positive level of musical self esteem.

I was in the last draft lottery. My number was very high. There was no way I was going to be drafted, but I had two uncles who were career USAF NCOs. Funding for college was a big issue for me at the time. I enlisted in the Air Force, with the good fortune that I was able to select a career field (according to qualifying tests we took in high school) that pretty much assured that I would never be directly exposed to combat. It was the best series of decisions I made as a young adult. Of course, no young adult goes long without making plenty of bad decisions. Thankfully, none of mine have had as long lasting impact as the one I made to get involved in a religious cult... in O-HI-O. Even that one I no longer regret... due to the greatness of how a person can take tragedies/mistakes and turn them into life changing triumph.

That was a crazy time. I remember in late ‘69, the US held its first draft lottery, which gave young men a random number corresponding to their birthdays. I got a really high number from the lottery and so was never drafted. I think I have something like survivor’s guilt... whenever I meet and get to talking with a Viet Nam vet – at some point I get teary eyed and choked up. The last time that happened to me was a few years ago – on vacation in Westcliffe, Colorado. I paid the check for him and his family at this little bar & grill…To all you vets and current military, thank you for your service!

"Drive-By Posters"...ah, those were the days! Greasespot Cafe is one of the things that helped me to get a post-TWI life. From the early days, when I was still an innie, venting about various nonsensical Way things, to being an almost daily poster and moderator; commiserating with other posters who were getting divorced from hard-core Way cultists to eventually moving on to other things. I've had the privilege to meet 30 or 35 of you over the years at the Jack Daniels Weinie Roasts, a wedding, my Oakspear 2002 North American Tour and some of you stopping in Lincoln for a cup of coffee or a beer on your way to somewhere else. A few of you I stay in touch via Facebook or Twitter. Since I got out I've changed careers, started a small business as a wedding officiant, as well as developed a photography hobby into a (money-losing, alas, I get paid in CDs and band t-shirts!) side gig. I'm coming up on 15 years of marriage in a few months - best decision I've ever made! Life is good!

Yeah I got a life...just so happens Grease Spot is an enjoyable part of my life. Raf, cheers to you and Paw and the moderators and everyone else that keeps this place going. stay safe!

Cheers to you, as well.

Thanks for those links, Rocky...Guy Winch’s emotional first-aid talk - when he got into feelings of loneliness and failure that really struck a nerve with me, reminding me of how I initially felt after leaving TWI. I had such a connection with the group (emotionally & socially) and had hopes of achieving great things with them. I guess the mounting questions and doubts I harbored were a big chunk of why I decided to sever all times...something I didn’t anticipate though was the social void that left me in ; I think there was an interim time of ...alienation (?) when I was neither here nor there (in TWI) - between worlds ? ...anyway there’s also the long and drawn out process of unpacking / sorting out the mental baggage. But there’s something to be said for the indomitable spirit within us. That ties into the link you gave on emotional resilience. Great article ! The following is a quote from it: “Psychologists have identified some of the factors that make a person resilient, such as a positive attitude, optimism, the ability to regulate emotions, and the ability to see failure as a form of helpful feedback. Research shows that optimism helps blunt the impact of stress on the mind and body in the wake of disturbing experiences. And that gives people access to their own cognitive resources, enabling cool-headed analysis of what might have gone wrong and consideration of behavioral paths that might be more productive.” What is life Like after TWI? reconnecting with old friends and family...making new connections on the journey...mentally rewriting a different narrative for my time in TWI...always developing critical and creative thinking skills.

I used to think I was a critical thinker. The more I think of it, the more I question that. Learning logical fallacies and recognizing when you've employed them is humbling.