Rocky

It was indeed to skyrider. Of course, it's wonderful that anyone can share here. He may have stolen more from me than I realize, but I've moved on and don't have much of a sense anymore about what I lost in the 12 years I was involved with twi. I've had other traumas in my life since, including divorce. I can count it a victory that despite a horrendous two years of litigation (that ended 15 years ago) I'm friends with both my-ex (who never was in twi, but now is a committed mormon) and the judge who finally got to sign the divorce decree. I enjoy my life now. I feel like I've found my calling and it isn't in being subject to an emotionally abusive cult. I can say, however, that I draw on the experience in twi when I analyze situations, groups and public figures about whom I write. Anyway, enough about me. Hmmm.... well, I can't say I've felt like I've gotten to know much about you from your posts, so I don't really know what to say to that comment other than I hope you didn't really take anything I wrote as personally addressed to you.

Yeah... I hear that. Last time I saw JAL in person was when my daughter was just a couple of months old... I was highly unimpressed. I'm doing well. Have found a calling, in a way to positively impact my community. Hopefully I have a few more decades to make a difference. :)

That's probably a good idea, if you're using those memories and reflections to work through the personal issues the experience ultimately meant for you. I've agreed with a lot of your more or less psychoanalytical parsing of the experiences, especially in the 9th corpse. But 30 years is a long time to stick it out if you actually understood so early in your time in twi that Wierwille and the organization he built was so evil. In one sense, we can look back with bitterness at the way Wierwille stole our youth from us. But if that's only as far as you get in re-evaluating the memories, you might be keeping yourself locked up in that same box longer than necessary. Do you believe yourself to have found a particular calling to minister to others with similar experiences in spiritually abusive organizations? Or do you have other interests and passions for serving or contributing to society in other ways? We're approaching 60 (if you're the same age as I am). You could possibly have another 30 or more years to do something for others. I hope you can make the best of it.

That's not necessarily why writers write. Would it be a worldwide best selller? Probably not. Is there a niche market of people who need to know your story? I'd bet the answer to that is yes.

Why did you stay in so long? I'll grant that I did not recognize Wierwille's less than godly dark side when I was in the corpse. I've tried to figure out why I didn't see it and all I can come up with is that I was young and naive. It also occurs to me that having spent a few years in military service, I had been conditioned to follow orders. Yet, I knew I didn't like following orders enough to make the military a career. But eventually, not long after turning 30, the light came on. A confluence to events led me to realize twi wasn't what I originally understood it to be. Among those things, while I was (finally) going to college in my late 20s, I was still interested in the Bible. I figured out that Wierwille had the whole concept of accountability bass-ackwards. He was the one, like Paul, who was supposed to be accountable to those who supported him. Instead, his "Way Tree" was all about adulation for the MOG. When I realized that, I was out of there. Why did you stay when you had misgivings about him?

ithink in his NOT so subtle way, he was setting people up for dependency. The converse is that one can not go beyond what he learns. Learning is up to the learner to seek out opportunity. That's what you can't go beyond. Find the resource that will teach you the next thing you wish to learn. Be it a book, an experience/advencture or another teacher.VPwas all abvout we could not go beyond he would teach up. that's bogus.

The main idea of the song is "it's a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack." :)/>

Yep.

I'm unfamiliar with AD&D, but relate completely to your analysis and comparison to Big Bang Theory. And I agree that evil is about the exercise of power, but would add that it generally involves deception. Exercise of power, or authority, in and of itself, is not necessarily evil. I think you've got the right idea regarding reflecting back on our experience in TWI.

They certainly were. And wasn't a demand for loyalty made part of LCMs reign of terror during the "fog years?"

Hey Tom, Since I don't see you on facebook, I'll have to wish you a happy birthday here.

We probably all fell prey to Wierwille's personality. But I no longer hear his voice in my head and haven't for at least two decades. Your reflections about "Thus, some find profit..." etc. seem to be TWI-centric. Some just move on with their lives as they see fit. That's what self-determination is about anyway, isn't it?

Here's a TED talk that you may or may not find interesting. I see some parallels with TWI.

Wierwille's cult was extremely short on empathy... which is kind of understandable for an organization built by a sociopath. Understandable now that we're on the outside looking in. But that doesn't mean I think it was ever acceptable. It seems to go to the heart of why we have needed to reclaim our identity in the first place.

No, Raf. It can't.. Perhaps as a reflection on religions, cults, or other organizations IN GENERAL, your statement may have merit. But there's no way TWI ever reignites as a movement that stirs the excitement of young people... or even old ones.

:)

Winning through Intimidation It's ingrained in American economic culture, unfortunately.

That's Box 328 New Knoxville, OH 45871 ----- By the way, nitpicking about whether some statement of "wisdom" contradicts something written in the bible misses the essence of what this is and should be all about for us. We were conditioned to put limitations on what we could accept as valid knowledge, understanding and wisdom related to how we should or even could direct our own lives (and those of others, btw). There was a vastly overwhelming amount of truth/fact/reality that such mental and emotional restrictions prevents people from benefitting from. There can be immense amounts written on what we realized after leaving TWI that matters that we also dismissed if we knew anything about it or simply failed to exercise curiosity to explore, because it would take us "out of the household" and out from "god's protection." What bulls*it we let ourselves put up with.

Y'all are SO sweet.

Like I was expecting it this time? I made a true statement, not a request for validation.

It looks like GeorgeStGeorge is still mixed up. Oakspear is NOT married to Dot Matrix.

Colonoscopies aren't bad... they give you good drugs to make it comfortable. It's the prep for it that's so unpleasant.

The Power of Myth is occasionally broadcast on PBS. I watched part of it once. power of myth If Bill Moyers endorses him, Campbell's got something good going on.

Yeah, personal and emotional boundaries were not strengths in the corporate culture of TWI. As I only realized far too late. It took some lessons from the school of hard knocks well after I had left TWI before I was able to learn and incorporate a socially acceptable level of boundaries. I should say that I obviously had some sense of boundaries but until I better understood them, my family life experiences were tumultuous.

How old were the two alleged arsonists at the time?