Costs of this war for me:
- One lost career and associated time investment
- Failed business start-up
- Two major betrayals by those close to me
- One smaller broken boundary (but painful)
- Lots of estranged friends
- A great deal of family time foregone
- "Press" public reputation only just above axe murderer
- Low income, no savings, no pension
- A lot of psychological distress
Would do it all again without hesitation. The gains include self-worth and dignity, true loving relationships, participation in greatest endeavours, historic opportunities to be creative and apply gifts, personal growth, spiritual understanding, endless new knowledge, fabulous co-workers, new skills, crazy stories, ...
I never go to sleep with regrets or a sore conscience.
I agree about the self worth statement. I have gained it from this experience and there's a lot I won't tolerate now because after 62 years of not feeling enough or worthy, I now realize that I am. That alone makes it worth it.
