Week after week, I often ponder whether I will have anything fruitful to discuss about a mundane prison experience...alas, the content somehow seems to be there. "Thank you. Thank you," he muttered as he sobbed during the unexpected embrace that lasted for moments. "I don't cry. Not even my wife or kids can make me cry," he emotionally shared. Sheesh, "I'm not trying to make you cry," I embarrassingly muttered. A simple, childish phrase on the whiteboard in the electrical shop: Happy 1 Year. "I'm not proud of this day at all," he retorted. I interrupted him and told him that he should be proud of the 1 year he has completed to put an end to all the tribulations that followed him throughout his legal peril. He should be reminded to being a step closer to being reunited with his family. It is important to celebrate and recognize that he is serving his time and making recompense for his actions...many of us here have that focus. Yet, some guys do not internalize the power of what this time means. It is a self-journey of improvement and rehabilitation that is a choice to do it or ignore it. As inmates, we have the tools, supports, and many resources to help make the time meaningful and impactful. So yes, recognize and celebrate the milestones in life, even if the milestone is time served in a prison sentence!
During my past 9 months here, I would not have expected another guy to be moved to tears from a simple message, but it is what the message symbolizes that triggered this man! Still, his gratitude reinforced the importance to me that the littlest things may make an impact, albeit positive or negative (hopefully the former). While I do not wish to be in prison, the overall experience remains humbling and re-defining. I am truly blessed to have family and friends that support and continue to love me. So many of these guys do not have these critical support structures or even homes to go to when they return to freedom. To make a 55-year-old Pakistani Muslim man cry is no feat and no brag. It demonstrates the beauty of the human condition to be accepted and ultimately loved. I am grateful for this incredible moment.
After 9 months, I remained hyper-focused on improving myself, helping others, and making the best out of this journey that I stirred. I would argue that long-term sentences should be reserved for the most heinous and serious crimes. It almost seems like overly imposed sentences in prison actually ruin the human psyche. Recidivism, the probability of returning to prison, is near 80%, which is tragic. Over the past 9 months, I have met many men that had very short sentences, like 3 or 6 months, and many others that have had 15 or 30 years. Yet, the rate remains the same. I honestly do not know what the answer is to reduce re-offenders, but I have learned that many of these guys yearn for structure and support during their time. Whatever their experience, perhaps, some will shed tears of joy and remember this situation is only temporary!
I am very grateful to each and everyone of you that has helped me and assisted me throughout these past 9 months and the many years leading up to this point. I am reliant on your love, support, and prayers. Please continue to keep an eye out for those little miracles! Have a blessed week 🙂