I haven’t written in a while – my summer has been busy and I have been writing small blog posts over on my radio show site… Today I listened to an outstanding show where the fellow who was a guest had been in prison and had lost his eyesight while incarcerated…after three years he has now regained his sight. And I was so moved by the power of that experience I became very reflective of what was going on in my community and how the media reports on crime.
Lately there has been a lot of local scandal in the real estate area or securities fraud and the newspapers love to glob onto these stories of crime and scandal, flaying open the lives of both the accused and victim for all the eyes of the community to see for their own greedy fame and profit ( don’t believe for one minute it is for the “good of the community” – if it didn’t sell, you wouldn’t hear about it – imho ) . What I get so bored with is the deliberate sensationalism that drives the story for the media LONG before guilt has been established ( Innocent until proven guilty ) …assumptions and opinions build headlines that destroy and we are quickly becoming a community of victims.
Whats even sadder in my opinion are the masses of people who are in prisons of their own making – prisons of judgment, greed, anger, addiction to all kinds of behavior not just drugs or alcohol… hate mongeringit and mediocrity… living in a spiritual void. But as long as they live in a house outside of the razor wire- its easy to point fingers at those who do reside on the other side of life.
Yes, there are wicked, sick and dangerous people in prisons and they must be kept there.
Scott Peck in his “People of the Lie” talks about how people who commit crimes and people who are evil are not necessarily the same and that evil people may live right next door to you and will never “commit a crime”. Criminals are generally speaking just stupid…not evil. ( paraphrased )
There is a segment of the prison/ jail population that are decent, contributing members of the community who have tripped up in life, making sometimes serious mistakes, hurting others, their communities and themselves. When they have served their time, they go back home to friends and families to contribute to society again..paying taxes, raising families, voting, owning business’s, buying homes and cars, going to school.
The difference between that prison experience and your prison experience is they have chosen rehabilitation. They have acknowledged what their addiction/crime has been… drugs, alcohol, pornography, sex, gambling, forgery , lying, stealing…. AND have chosen to do something about it to better their lives. Can you say that ?
The arrogance of those bystanders plaguing newspaper forums, or talk radio shows, imposing community judgment is staggering to me…and frankly makes blood shoot out my eyes… for example , comments like “ that person should rot in jail for the rest of their lives” for the most part , devoid of empathy, forgiveness or a helping hand to those who suffer. I know this is not a popular viewpoint but, offenders of all kinds suffer sometimes far greater than their victims … the pain of a tormented soul bleeds internally often without treatment or recovery.
Its too easy to believe what the media says without taking the opportunity to know the person, the situation, the history… and frankly without that experience yourself – you do not have the WISDOM to participate in having anything to say. And perhaps its time to look to yourself to change…
Often we hear stories of folks who have lost their eyesight and as a result their other senses increase in strength to help compensate and they become more in-tune to what is going on around them… then those with sight. That second sense also happens to people who have experienced recovery from their incarceration through surrendering to the powers of change, overcoming their bad behaviors and changing how they think and act towards others ( and themselves) Their sorrow is now for those who live outside the prison walls but don’t know they too are in prison… blind.
Someone very close to me at age 32 is a raging, life threatening alcoholic. His prison is very real and may indeed lead him to live behind bars – and what a blessing that would be. He would be safe from harm to himself and to others….and perhaps his sight would return to heal his tormented soul.
What do you choose today ? prison or paradise. Only you can change you.
I choose sight and paradise.
www.blogtalkradio.com/nancyjo
