The Prequel Introduction

Originally, I started writing these little bits with the plan of presenting them as one complete article, together. But then, during a late night chat session with a friend on Facebook, I was inspired to set this up as a blog instead. It was also that conversation which inspired the url (e)xkrishnax.

What follows below is the original introduction I wrote for what I then planned to be one complete story. But since I already wrote an introduction to this blog, this introduction is called the Prequel Introduction.

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I've decided to write an article, or blog, or whatever about why I left the Krishna community. Since leaving I have been asked so many times about my reasonings for leaving; sometimes I am happy to give a brief explanation, other times I just don't feel like I'm in the mood to talk about it. To be honest, it wasn't a simple decision to make, nor is it something I can discuss in detail in a short conversation. Since I respect the people in my life a fair deal, I felt it was worth providing a more details explanation for my decision, not only to dispel some of the misinformed rumors that seem to travel around, but mainly so that the people in my life who care about this will have a better understanding.

I also know that a lot of my friends and family have little idea about my life as a Hare Krishna, what I did for these past years, and why I first got involved in the community to begin with. As such, I thought it would only be fitting to also provide some brief information describing how I first got involved with the Krishnas, why I got more involved with them progressively, and what my life was like throughout the seven years that I spent within their community. Aside from providing some insight for my friends and family, I think this may also be a therapeutic exercise for myself, and may even be of interest to those who are beginning to take a look at the Krishna lifestyle with the aim of getting further involved in it. This will be a description of my personal experiences and perspective on things, and certainly these will differ from others' experiences and perspectives, which I would say are equally relevant and important.

I intend this writing to be more of a personal explanation than an attack on the Krishna community, and I hope it is accepted as a personal story and appreciated in that way. Though, to be honest, the longer I am out of their community I find that a sense of bitterness and mistrust starts to grow within my heart. As much as I can, I hope to avoid attacking their community, and instead focus on my own experiences of my time with them. If any tinge of anger appears in these paragraphs, please view it as an emotional colouring and filtering process, as I try to separate my emotional reactions from the experiences themselves.