El entorno que promete salvarte puede llegar a destruirte | Soraya Nárez | TEDxValencia

Quick Overview

Soraya Nárez concludes that the environment promising salvation, specifically the Jehovah's Witnesses organization she was raised in, ultimately became destructive when she chose a life outside their beliefs, leading to social isolation and a difficult reconciliation process with her family, although she eventually found joy and success by pursuing comedy.

Key Points: The speaker was raised as a Jehovah's Witness in England, moving to Spain later, and vividly remembers the day of the 9/11 attacks (September 11, 2001). The Jehovah's Witnesses organization taught that God would destroy the current society to bring about a paradise where only they would live, leading to an 'us vs. them' mentality. The speaker found it difficult to maintain relationships with non-Witness peers and eventually decided to leave the organization at age 21 after being ostracized. After leaving, the speaker faced isolation and difficulty maintaining relationships with her family, who remained in the faith. The speaker decided to pursue a course in comedy, an activity forbidden by her former religion, which helped her process her pain. When her father visited after she left, he told her she could not have a normal relationship with her family if she continued her lifestyle, which included pursuing comedy. The speaker ultimately found a fulfilling life and happiness outside the restrictive environment of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Context: Soraya Nárez recounts her personal journey of growing up within the strict confines of the Jehovah's Witnesses faith, detailing the cognitive dissonance experienced when the organization's prophecies and worldview clashed with her desire for a normal life, particularly as she entered adulthood and made choices—like pursuing comedy—that were deemed unacceptable by the community, culminating in her decision to leave the faith and the subsequent challenges of estrangement.

Detailed Analysis

Soraya Nárez begins by establishing a strong personal memory: she was living in England but vividly remembers the events of September 11, 2001, while in Spain, highlighting the pervasive nature of information even in her isolated environment. She explains that her upbringing as a Jehovah's Witness instilled the belief that the current world was slated for destruction by God, creating a clear division between 'us' (the faithful) and 'them' (the world). This environment fostered fear, leading her and her sister to be wary of non-Witness peers, believing they could not be close friends with 'worldly' people. This belief system made it difficult for her to integrate socially. At age 21, after her parents began intensive study with the organization, she realized that the promises of paradise were contingent on strict adherence, and she decided to stop celebrating holidays like Christmas and Mother's Day because they were considered pagan. The turning point came when she realized that if she left, she could not return to the faith. Shortly after, she left home and went to England, where she got a scholarship and started making friends outside the religion. When her father visited, he conveyed the organization's message that she could not have a normal relationship with her family if she continued her current life, which included her burgeoning interest in comedy. She recounted the pain of being judged by elders who called her choices 'ridiculous' and 'sinful.' After her father's visit, she realized the organization was isolating her rather than protecting her. She subsequently decided to leave the faith entirely. Years later, after the initial shock wore off, she pursued a course in comedy, which helped her process the pain, and she eventually made friends who were also former Jehovah's Witnesses. She emphasizes that happiness is not an individual pursuit but a shared one, concluding with the reflective statement: 'Think about who you want to be in your communities, because even the stories of others will carry the echo of your name.'