I Get It! “Lessons Learnt While Wrongfully Imprisoned”
“Never let formal education get in the way of learning.” Mark Twain
“To learn is to teach and to teach is to learn.” African proverb
Through my many years of incarceration, I had the time to re-think many things about myself, others, the system, and the world. When I say “I get it” it means that certain wisdoms revealed themselves to me according to who I am and my experience. You may see things a little different than I do. That's fine with me, but at least the context of experience “I got it” in may be of importance and can transcended for you.
Below you will find some power statements that I put forth (in no particular order of when they were learnt) and keep in mind this insight come out of the storm of 18 years of wrongful imprisonment (1998 2016) and 10 years of which served in solitary confinement (2001 2011):
Love in every context (brotherly, family, self, romantic) is the beacon of all healthy purpose. When you feel the authentic power of love coursing thru your body, no obstacle seem too large to overcome.
“I am a lover and a fighter.” I fight for who and what I love, and love to fight for them.
A lot of people will and do love you, but few will love and genuinely care about what you're going through. Meaning, people who care about what you're going through will ask you considerate questions and act on your needs the best they can offer. For instance, when they ask you, How are you doing today? people who care about what you're going through really want to know how are you doing.
Never spread yourself too thin. I mean this in relationships or taking on too many tasks at once. Quality can only be concentrated. When you're all over the place nothing worthwhile will come of it.
Leave a married woman alone. Nothing good can come from trying to romantically court a married woman.
Being alone for a while is not a bad thing. Solitary give me Solitude. Solitary is to be isolated from others forcefully, but solitude is purposely detaching from others to learn self.
Learn to laugh at yourself and situations sometimes, no matter how serious things seem to be. My grandmama Buford told me “A smile travels 2000 miles, but a frown ain't getting started.”
Never have words with anyone handling your food. We used to curse out guards in the SHU, then realized that the food trays they delivered to us smelled funny.
Stop being a taker. Find ways you can give to others you encounter. Not necessarily material things, but giving of your time, effort, wisdom, and knowledge. Now I look at what I can give or exchange in any given situation, opposed to what can be taken.
Because I am incarcerated the world don’t top. Life goes on with or without you. So it was important for me to look forward without regret.
Learn to forgive and ask for forgiveness. For years I was spiteful toward those responsible for my wrongful circumstances. But I forgave them while still holding them accountable. When I have the chance, I asked many of my family members to forgive me for past choices I made.
I have no patience for cowards and adults who refuse to grow out of ignorance.
Watch out for suckers, will get you licked by their laziness, greediness, ignorance, and desperation.
Nothing it's static, especially relationships. Be prepared to define and redefine them whenever the need occurs.
Most prison guards become depressed after working ground oppressive conditions for so long. I have seen healthy looking people start working at a prison and end up all fat and out of shape 5-10 years later. I knew then, that the effects of oppressive prison conditions went far beyond its captives, but to all involved
Own who you are. I refuse to justify or make excuses about “being me” if anyone got an opinion about it.
If you are embarrassed about the things that you do, then you should not be doing them. I've seen a lot of dudes faking and fronting to their friends and family in society, while in prison they are in the low (messing with boys, and doing hard drugs, and/or getting punked).
If someone lies to you, they might as well be stealing from you. Because a lie robs you of making an informed choice. A thief and a liar are one in the same.
All help ain't good help. Some people use your hardship as a way to get close to you only to bring you more harm.
All people have a large degree of good in them. But when tragedy occurs, it's usually from sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity, of people thinking they are doing the right thing.
You gotta fight for you, because people can't pity you too long without showing action.
I stopped waiting on Yahweh, Allah, Jesus, Buddha, or whoever God is to you, many years ago. This is when the revelation activated me. I was blessed to find out that God was in me the whole time. Like Kendrick Lamar says “If we got God then, we gon’ to be alright” look inward.
I hate when people argue despite them really agreeing on the same thing, but just saying it with different words.
With imagination,your mind can escape in prison. And imagination is the key to liberating your body. The thought is the cause of it all.
Prison is full of dream killers. Bitterness has overtaken many people in prison, to the point, they attack a person with the sparkle of dreams with their own doubts. shit, people do the same thing in society. Hold your dreams close to the chest always.
The second you sincerely affirm the purpose, you take and start to pursue it, it's the second you start seeing pathways (opportunity) to manifest that purpose, that was always there.
Everything you need is always in your reach. So grasp the things within your reach and eventually you'll have the sun at the height of your success.
I got too much time to be wasting time in prison or elsewhere.
You can learn more from a fool’s actions than a scholar’s words.
Let adversaries get the last word, you just get the last laugh.
Nothing hurts more than seeing your kids grow up without you.
Be in the moment. There's nothing more important than right now. This is the only way you can give your best in anything you're doing.
Always accept the circumstances made from a bad situation. Don't accept a bad situation, but you have to accept its bad circumstances in order to utilize whatever option is available to make things better.
I'm always ready to die in order to really live.
Even though I'm innocent of the crime that sent me to prison, I'm not an innocent person. Altho, those responsible should be held accountable, I hold myself accountable for my own past mistakes too.
I knew I was a real poet when I still wrote and spoke poems and songs, while no one was listening. But they soothed my soul.
I avoid overly religious and overly intellectual people who can't or don't apply their rhetoric to real life. Let's at least be practical.
People can be so lazy, they seem to copy paste one sound bite to the next when expressing their opinions. Which really is no opinion if they don't take time to research a thing for themselves.
Show your affection to those you love thru whatever medium available to you.
Pride hides its shortcomings to be accepted, but dignity says, it worth acceptance despite its shortcomings.
The internet has change the world and prison. Without the internet I never would have met so many beautiful people from every corner of the world, while in a prison cell.
I get it! I don't know shit for real.
To be continued …..
