Environmental Responsibility

I've never considered myself an environmentalist, but I'm probably on the conscientious side of the spectrum. I've always found it frustrating that recycling hasn't become the norm. It seems like a no-brainer to me. I've also found unnecessary waste to be stupid, clear-cut logging to be irresponsible, over-fishing to be short-sighted, and industrial pollution criminal.

I also believe fracking for natural gas is dangerous and should be banned until more studies have been conducted to determine its effect on ground water and other environmental factors.

The environmental impacts of prisons is a lot greater than you might think. The paper-waste is astounding, the electrical waste just plain stupid, and the water-waste frightening. With diminishing reserves of fresh water and the hundreds of millions of people without access to clean water around the world, it's hard to not be chagrined when at 6AM I walk into the bathroom, when only a handful of people are up, to see five of seven faucets turned on high (not being used) for no apparent reason. This is not an uncommon occurrence. Faucets with automatic shut-offs after 30 seconds would solve this problem, but that would require forward-thinking: something the DOC is not known for.

Prison inmates have no desire or motivation to save the DOC money, and you'd be hard pressed to find five out of one-thousand inmates or officers that care about the environment. It's time for government to start leading the way in environmental responsibility.

People Watching

I've always found it fascinating to watch people. Not in a voyeuristic way, but in an observatory sort of intrigue. I remember sitting in the Oakbrook Mall years ago just watching rich people shop at Tiffany's, Lord and Taylor, and Neimen Marcus. I think my fascination with psychology drove me to try to understand what made these people tick. Interestingly enough, I observed a lot of highly stressed, unhappy people toting bags of "therapy" adorned with logos of prestige. As if the very act of shopping could lessen their sense of hopelessness. I suppose for some it did, at least temporarily. But I digress...

People watching is no longer just an interesting diversion for me. In prison people watching may mean the difference between life and death. It is absolutely necessary to not only be observant of your surroundings, but to watch people and the changes in their behaviors in order to avoid being caught in the middle of violence or drama.

In prison someone you might laugh and joke with one day can turn on you the next. Your only chance for avoiding these situations is to watch people and stay vigilant at all times. This environment will make you super-sensitive to people's ever-changing moods.

The Power of the Tongue

I heard a great message today that included the verse, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."

I know that I have been guilty of saying rash things in the heat of anger, not realizing how damaging they are at the time. What's worse? We often direct our most hurtful tirades against those we hold most dear. 

But what about speaking other things? We give power to things by speaking them. Sort of like self-fulfilling prophesies. Things like, "I'll never find another job as good as the one I lost", or My relationship is beyond repair." 

What we speak is a reflection of our thoughts. Whether directed at others ("You'll never amount to anything!", "You never do this or that"), or at ourselves or our circumstances ("I'll never succeed", "Maybe I'm just meant to be alone").

Emerson said, "The ancestor of every action is a thought." I would say that thoughts are ancestors of our words too.

The Apostle James said that our mouths should not be used for both blessing and cursing. 

So today you're faced with the same decision made by the ancient Israelites.  God said, "Today I place before you a blessing and a curse." He left it to them to choose. So, you too are left with a choice. Will you bring a blessing on yourself and others or will you choose a curse?  The power is in your tongue.

How do you set your sails?

There's a poem that says essentially, "It's not the direction of the wind that blows, but how we set our sails that makes all the difference."

The suffering we experience, whether caused by our own poor choices, or by the choices of others, are these 'storms' of life. Often we have no control over these 'winds.' We can't change our past decision, and when our suffering is caused by others we have no control over that either. 

So how do some people thrive in the midst of adversity? How can a woman like Corrie Ten Boom face years of torture and humiliation in a concentration camp and come out the other side smiling, and kindly ministering to others?

Or how can Tenzin Choedrak (the personal physician to the Dalai Lama), who was one of five out of one hundred prisoners who survived nearly twenty years of torture, starvation, and forced labor, display no sign of anger or bitterness at his circumstances or his torturers?

I'm sure you can think of many examples, perhaps even of someone you know, who survived terrible circumstances and came out the other side 'smiling.' The key in every instance is the person's chosen response to the hardships of their life. It's how they 'set their sails' when faced with stormy winds. 

Choosing to think differently is not easy or natural. We all want to wallow in our own self-pity, and sometimes we might even be justified in doing so. But by choosing to purposefully think differently about our suffering, we can go from being buffeted and blown about aimlessly, to sailing at high speed to a life of contentment and happiness.
Thinking differently is defined in different ways depending on what your particular suffering is. 

For me, I refuse to let prison make me angry and bitter. Instead, I set my sails in a direction that will make me a better man. This means a daily 'tacking' of my sails to keep me in the right direction.

So, how do you set your sails? Or are you being driven aimlessly by the winds of your life?