Day 320: Solitary confinement – The Torture Must End

Solitary confinement does not work. Prison is supposed to be a place to rehabilitate people and get them ready for Life when they are released, but what happens when you confine somebody for decades   and then just release them into the world?

We should have a World based on constructive and supportive methods.

www.desteni.org  

• Mother Jones article- children in solitary:

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/01/juveniles-kids-solitary-confinement-ohio-new-york

• Friend’s Service Committee’s fact sheet : The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization that promotes lasting peace with justice

https://www.afsc.org/resource/solitary-confinement-facts

• AmnestyUSA

http://www.amnestyusa.org/research/reports/entombed-isolation-in-the-us-federal-prison-system

• American Civil Liberties report:

Growing Up Locked Down: Youth in Solitary Confinement in Jails and Prisons across the United States

https://www.aclu.org/report/growing-locked-down-youth-solitary-confinement-jails-and-prisons-across-united-states

• American Friends Service Committee: Stopmax Campaign

https://www.afsc.org/resource/solitary-confinement-facts

• http://solitarywatch.com/facts/faq/

Children in Solitary: A 2012 Human Rights Watch report notes: “Youth offenders often spend significant amounts of their time in US prisons isolated from the general prison population. Such segregation can be an attempt to protect vulnerable youth offenders from the general population, to punish infractions of prison rules, or to manage particular categories of prisoners, such as alleged gang members. Youth offenders frequently described their experience in segregation as a profoundly difficult ordeal.”

Day 298 - What Does your Label Say about Humanities Future?

 

What is it that defines who we are?

Name?

Clothing?

Beliefs?

Country?

When you look at someone what label do you define them as? Do you judge someone based on how they look or your perception of them? Or do see another as who they truly are? We label and judge ourselves and others.

We have created categories within ourselves where we can place the various labels of others and ourselves. The truth is that we cannot know who a person is until you actually take the time to know them. A simple example would be stereotypes – Many people look at Muslims and label them terrorist. Look at foreigners and label them Immigrants in a hateful way. And the problems that grow from identifying people based on our own misconceptions are creating so much suffering.

We label ourselves as superior, as more than others. We see ourselves as more important than other people. We look at nature and see ourselves the dominant species that has right to do with it as we please. Simply look at what this identity is doing to the earth.

So what is the Solution? How can we identify ourselves as equals? What will it take for us to stop labeling each other and other beings? It’s in the realization that firstly our labeling is born from misconception – how we judge others is not real. The person standing next to you IS you, there is nothing that makes that other person more than you or less than you. There is nothing that makes you better than that person or more deserving than another. It is recognizing that every person in this world – we are all equal.

Within realizing this it becomes common sense to give to another what you would like to receive. If you were that person how would you liked to be treated? To be labeled? To be judged? No.

It’s time we stop identifying ourselves as living in separate realities and to realize that we are all on the same boat.

Day 179 - Everybody makes mistakes

 

Everybody makes mistakes

The first time I saw these words was on a shirt. On the shirt it was written “ EVERYBODY MAKES MISTAKES”. I looked at this shirt and I felt relieved. I thought that it was awesome that everybody makes mistakes. It is not just me. It is ok to make mistakes, because everybody else also makes mistakes. It showed me that nobody is perfect and no matter that I do I will make mistakes just like everybody else.

It also shows the general belief of humanity – that the human is imperfect and will always f**k up. That no matter how hard you try you will always make mistakes. It promotes limitation. It is a very nice statement that justifies limitation and actually makes you feel good for being limited.

I completely disagree with this statement of limitation. Yes - everybody makes mistakes, but that should not make you feel good for being imperfect and part of a world full of mistakes. It should motivate you to become perfect. That is the point of mistakes – to learn from them and never make the same mistake twice. Then you stop making the same mistake.

Everybody makes mistakes – that should make us all feel ashamed for being human. It is like the statement “ nobody is perfect”. Why the f**k not? Why can the human not be perfect? Why should I accept this limitation? I did not ask these questions. I saw it as a very nice statement and it made me feel good not to be perfect. It is a very nice justification and excuse to not find a way to be perfect.

So – it is cool to make mistakes, because it is the best way to learn. You learn from mistakes and move on with new found wisdom that can be used to not make the same mistake again. Perfection comes from learning from your mistakes and pushing through to not make them again. The 7 year journey to life is a journey to perfection. Let us stop this limitation and justification of rewarding imperfections and instead become perfect human beings:

Desteni

Day 126 - The Consequence Of Unawareness

 

We hear the expression ''Shit hits the fan'' and ''shit load'' and ''full of shit''. Today we had both - We had a shit load when a shit truck got stuck in the mud. I should have taken pictures, but i did not, sorry.

Today was a very eventful day were we faced new challenges and stared shit right in the face. every year we get a honey sucker - a truck that sucks out the shit in our septic tanks. Today the truck drove over an flow away which is a trench in the ground where the septic tanks overflows into and the front left wheel sunk almost completely into the ground.

Now we had a really big problem - the truck was already full of shit and now weighed over 5 tons. Eventually after 5 hours and jacking up the truck and placing brick under the wheels and getting the tractor to pull the truck we got it out. Yeay.

Now usually when the shit truck comes i make sure it does not drive over any of the flow away's so that it does not get stuck, but today i did not do that. This forms part of my loosing focus blog where I have become less aware in my world and today it clearly showed itself in full force. That lead to a consequence - an event that could have been avoided.

Another point I realized is that doing something for a while eventually there is a belief that I do not have to be so focused all the time - like getting used to something you do not pay that much attention anymore. Its total bullshit obviously.

I got my ''5 hour lesson'' today where the event showed me something about myself that requires direction. So i directed it.

Thanks for reading - ,more on this tomorrow.