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In Reply to: being a family posted by mattkeeper on July 13, 2003 at 08:57:10:
Welcome back, Matt. I think a lot of people can identify with your feelings to a small or large degree. In its early days, despite the privations, the Family did supply a sense of unity and purpose, and there were a lot of other people around mostly our age and we were all in it together, mostly single, so it was like one big club. And with limited numbers in the beginning and mostly all in the States with a bit in Europe, practically everyone knew everyone. Well, not quite, but you gotta admit you were physically closer to a lot of people in the early days with the big colonies.
Even after big colonies became smaller colonies and "Shiners or Shamers" came out and capitalism and competiton entered, and the total unity of Acts 2:44-45 began to fall apart, there was still a lot of comraderie and fellowship. But eventually the Family went the natural way of all organizations with every man looking out for his own family/needs and to hell with the hindmost. It was like you described when you were trying to rejoin later: every Home had its problems, was struggling to tread water financially and really didn't have room for another Family. Things have only gotten worse along that line in recent years from the reports I've heard, with Acts 2:44-45 becoming pretty much a memory.
Organizations change, and even out here in the real world, friendships change. I was just talking to another exer last night and we were comparing notes about how few friends eachof us have. In our case it's no big deal as we're both kind of loners, but you sound like much more of a people person, someone who works best when with friends and family. Anyway, we were realizing that even in the real world, people who are your friends change interests, focuses, or move to other cities, so nothing is permanent like it used to be. But that's life. Everything is changing and if you have a close friend and they don't move out of the city, you're fortunate.
Same with your parents and brothers and sisters: either someone's not talking to someone else, or they're busy with life and work, or they move. That's the great thing about telephones and e-mail: we can keep tabs on people who matter to us. I find that a lot of my best friends are not anywhere near me, but are on the other end of an e-mail. That's fine for me, but there are probably a lot of people like you who are more social and people persons.
So the Family changed and grew more self-centered with no room for those who couldn't keep up, and it ain't perfect out here either. I'm thankful for my few good friends, but they definitely are few.
