Imagine waking up every day at 5AM and getting dressed just to be confined to a small 5X5 cell for 90% of your day. Picture yourself not being entitled to any privileges or an opinion about anything, and the single element that serves as your identity is a 10-digit number. Now visualize drudging ten to twelve hours each day, with a warden and multiple guards browbeating you; cracking the proverbial whip for no apparent reason. Doesn 't sound too inviting, does it?
Well, for the past several years, this has been my life. Doing a bid for making careless decisions. When I first received an intermediate sentence I thought, this isn’t that bad, I can do this. But over the years I’ve slowly begun to crack. I foolishly told myself all I need is a little time to get myself together and prove that I’m worth the risk to let me out. Then I’ll be gone and never look back. The thing is, I never developed an actual strategy of what I was going to do, or implemented any real effort to make it happen. Seasoned inmates who’ve been in more then half my life used to ask me, “Hey young blood, how much time you serving?” Optimistic, I’d always reply, “Only a little while.” To my dismay, seven years, four months and two days, later I’m still here. I’ve grown to acknowledge that in the beginning, I made mistakes not making the best use of my time; aimlessly floating about, complacent in utter pandemonium. Nevertheless, after serving a portion of my stint with good behavior; I learned additional skills and applied to appear before the Board of Pardons in hopes my efforts to act constructively during my sentence were recognized. After countless rejections, the clouds lifted. I finally became eligible to sit before the board to request clemency and prove I was capable of contributing to an outside community. Filled with excitement, I thought, this is finally my chance to get out! I prepared for the debriefing, creating a list of my capacities; highlighting skills I developed and inmate development programs I participated in. I exhibited my responsibilities emphasizing leadership roles I achieved and other accomplishments; illustrating my commitment to earning an early release. Regrettably, after numerous appearances before the board, I was rejected continuously; given justifications that although I acquired additional skills, I did not exhibit the proficiency required to grant my release. With my morale at an all-time low, crushing my enthusiasm; I contemplated several times breaking out and making a run for it to free myself from captivity. While I’ve never been arrested or in jail a day …show more content…
As always, I watched it as if I’d never seen it before. I sat there paralyzed by each scene in deep thought how applicable it was to my own life. Particularly, the final conversation between the two main characters; inmates Andy Dufresne and Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding. Following Andy’s release from solitary confinement, the pair reunites and Andy discloses his dream of living in Mexico if he ever got out somehow. Red attempts to discourage Andy (considering the two life sentences he’s serving), until Andy delivers a line that shook my spirit. “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living…or get busy dying.” I’ve seen this movie and heard this line at least fifty times before, but this day it really hit
Well, for the past several years, this has been my life. Doing a bid for making careless decisions. When I first received an intermediate sentence I thought, this isn’t that bad, I can do this. But over the years I’ve slowly begun to crack. I foolishly told myself all I need is a little time to get myself together and prove that I’m worth the risk to let me out. Then I’ll be gone and never look back. The thing is, I never developed an actual strategy of what I was going to do, or implemented any real effort to make it happen. Seasoned inmates who’ve been in more then half my life used to ask me, “Hey young blood, how much time you serving?” Optimistic, I’d always reply, “Only a little while.” To my dismay, seven years, four months and two days, later I’m still here. I’ve grown to acknowledge that in the beginning, I made mistakes not making the best use of my time; aimlessly floating about, complacent in utter pandemonium. Nevertheless, after serving a portion of my stint with good behavior; I learned additional skills and applied to appear before the Board of Pardons in hopes my efforts to act constructively during my sentence were recognized. After countless rejections, the clouds lifted. I finally became eligible to sit before the board to request clemency and prove I was capable of contributing to an outside community. Filled with excitement, I thought, this is finally my chance to get out! I prepared for the debriefing, creating a list of my capacities; highlighting skills I developed and inmate development programs I participated in. I exhibited my responsibilities emphasizing leadership roles I achieved and other accomplishments; illustrating my commitment to earning an early release. Regrettably, after numerous appearances before the board, I was rejected continuously; given justifications that although I acquired additional skills, I did not exhibit the proficiency required to grant my release. With my morale at an all-time low, crushing my enthusiasm; I contemplated several times breaking out and making a run for it to free myself from captivity. While I’ve never been arrested or in jail a day …show more content…
As always, I watched it as if I’d never seen it before. I sat there paralyzed by each scene in deep thought how applicable it was to my own life. Particularly, the final conversation between the two main characters; inmates Andy Dufresne and Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding. Following Andy’s release from solitary confinement, the pair reunites and Andy discloses his dream of living in Mexico if he ever got out somehow. Red attempts to discourage Andy (considering the two life sentences he’s serving), until Andy delivers a line that shook my spirit. “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living…or get busy dying.” I’ve seen this movie and heard this line at least fifty times before, but this day it really hit