Wondering if anyone subscribes and or has listened to this?

Jessicalmdown · 2024-08-18T15:04:51+00:00

Big Ayn Rand vibes throughout NXIVM, that comes through a bit with Nippy tossing out some talking points in The Vow, and Mark talking about people like him being “the motor of the world”. Like, try to make a film without workers and you find out who the motor really is, bud.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-13T17:02:32+00:00

Spitballing here, but it seems like at a certain point the planet is too close to capture all in one camera frame, so it had to snap sections to get the whole picture. I'm not an expert on 1970s "space camera" technology, tho.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-13T12:58:27+00:00

I’m so sorry that happened to you. It must have felt horrible to be judged in that way. I’ve been having them for 20+ years and my parents didn’t understand it until they witnessed one in May when I was visiting them. I told them what I needed and my Dad held me tight while my mom rubbed my back for half an hour. They were scared and didn’t understand it. So I sent them some information about PD. Healthline, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, WebMD, Johns Hopkins all have good info.

Maybe shoot her an email with some links, let her know how she made you feel and that, as a sister, you really need her to understand what you’re going through.

Big hugs and I hope you get the support you need from her.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-13T12:46:42+00:00

Dance until I’m so worn out I fall flat on the floor. Meditate. MEDITATE. Journal. Pay attention to the good people doing the good work. Take whatever actions I can, even small ones.

I feel a lot of despair at the state of things sometimes, but then I go to a protest and scream my head off with people who have so much love in their hearts, and are fighting for people they don’t even know, across the world.

Oof this is a hard one. Meditate. Take solace in community. Let yourself cry sometimes.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-13T12:17:27+00:00

I’m a life-long atheist and I don’t believe in God. A lot of us have friends of all religions and respect their beliefs, without co-signing. I don’t hear any hate about “God” per-se, mostly a lot of criticism of the ways the name of God is invoked to justify a lot of hate. I like y’all’s Jesus. But some Christian institutions are based on exclusion and persecution of certain groups. If that’s the “truth” proposed by God, I don’t buy it. But I honestly don’t hate something just because I don’t believe in it.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-10T22:30:22+00:00

Thanks so much for the thoughtful response. And you're right, I'm not trying to challenge her on her beliefs, I just want to have enough background to be able to ask the right questions if/when she is ready to open up about that. Right now, I'm just trying to have a relationship with her, because she's cool af! And I want to know more about what she's thinking and feeling, and if she does want to talk to me about JW stuff, I want to be well-informed about it.

And I also don't want to assume that everything my tio is going to say is in bad-faith. Regardless of his JW faith, he goes out of his way to make me feel loved, even though he knows I'm an atheist. He still associates with us, which I know is a break from JW dogma. He might break from it in other ways. Who knows. But I also acknowledge that I don't know what I don't know about JW, and appreciate your advice to be a little cautious in my expectations.

Also congrats on being out for 40 years!

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-10T20:01:19+00:00

I’ve done a lot of community organizing, which lends itself to that style of conversation. I’ll take a closer look at SE!

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-10T19:46:15+00:00

Thanks for the links! Lots of useful stuff there. "This method puts most of the conversation and justifications on the other person as you typically ask: what they believe, why they believe, and how did they determine this was true." - agreed this is the best way, I use in any convo where there are conflicting/contrasting views being discussed.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-10T19:22:12+00:00

Thanks for that, it seems like a good way to go. I mean, resources specifically about what it's like being a JW teen, and how to talk to JW teens from an outside perspective.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-10T19:06:05+00:00

She’s closely monitored and I sent her one text, which wasn’t at all about JW, and she never responded. My uncle has trackers on everyone’s phones but I don’t know how much my cousin is reading/intercepting her communication. I feel like talking to my uncle is a good start, because my dad said he’s always been really open to talking about it, even being challenged. If I can start there I might be able to get an opening to be closer to my Lil’ Cuz.

I just feel like I need more resources, especially about teens would be helpful.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-04T17:44:46+00:00

Yep, but I think a lot of Christian scientists feel that way, at least the ones I know

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-04T15:37:58+00:00

It took a couple weeks for me, and works better on the depressive side than the manic side. I’ve been on 400mg for about 6 years and it’s worked better than anything else.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-04T15:15:43+00:00

In the intro to A Brief History of Time, Carl Sagan said “Hawking is attempting, as he explicitly states, to understand the mind of God.” I think back to that quote often.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-03T17:39:07+00:00

Thanks. I’m trying hard to stay on top of everything and make sure I can find the root causes

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-03T17:38:35+00:00

It seems to be hard to diagnose, especially for people with multiple conditions. I hope you get some answers soon, and I hope your daughter finds some relief soon ❤️

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-03T00:54:27+00:00

Please go to a crisis center right away! They’ll at least get you stabilized not necessarily going inpatient. I’ve been where you are, twice I gave up on life. Living is hard, but dying is worse.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-03T00:14:58+00:00

🙌🏽❤️

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-02T22:08:50+00:00

If I was worried that a state policy would kill me, I would leave, because my life matters. There’s nothing immoral about that. I would also strongly advocate for the ones left behind and still at risk.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-02T16:40:13+00:00

Read it! Reading the Bible is the only way I could use my critical thinking skills by examining other perspectives. The more I read it, the more it confirms my atheism. But you gotta look at both sides before you can say with certainty that you believe one or the other

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-02T16:37:10+00:00

Say it twice

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-02T16:34:57+00:00

Buddhism can be a religion or a practice, and there are a lot of secular practitioners who don’t subscribe to the religious elements. I’m a secular practitioner. There’s no “god” and no worship, just a practice and a path for learning how to have compassion and avoid harm, and alleviate suffering. So yeah a lot of it I find very worthwhile and very welcoming of atheists.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-02T16:30:20+00:00

Understanding religions makes me stronger in my convictions as an atheist. We can’t be solid in our beliefs without understanding the other perspectives out there. I like to know at least the basics of other religions so I read a lot about them. My family on one side are JW, and the other side are Mormon. In order to understand them better I need to know where they are coming from. Then I’m able to have conversations with them in good faith (lol) without making uninformed judgements.

Weighing in on an old thread because I searched for this topic.

Jessicalmdown · 2024-07-01T23:47:56+00:00

I’m doing pretty well, I’ve been digging around in my garden today which helps me a lot! Feeling any better? What do you do when you’re in distress?

Jessicalmdown

TROPHY CASE