"Those who put a leash on their desires become frustrated, bitter, irritable... and that's not who they really are." I really like that thought. I'd like to think that that's the reason all people are that way... and as I think about it, I can't find a counter argument. What ...
Hi David, I'm sorry for the long delay. It's been a hard few months. It sounds like it might have been for you too; I'm sorry to hear you were in the hospital. I guess I think of life as just a form of consciousness that we momentarily have in ...
I'm so sorry to hear about how lonely you are. It hurts like hell when we feel lonely even when we have people in our life who we expect to be helping us. It could be that they're at a loss for what to say to you. I've been pretty ...
Choices - to do something that's easier than something else that might be better or harder - they're so challenging. I try to remember that the pain and fear I might have making the harder choice now is nothing compared to the emptiness I'll feel when I make the easier ...
Hi David, I don't know about energy sticking to other energy... my dad always wondered why clouds stick together, and he never got a straight answer either! I guess some risks are: giving my full self to the ones I love; traveling outside the country because I want to even ...
David, I traveled around Scandinavia. It was absolutely wonderful. I felt so at peace, so unstuck from the ticking of time. (A sidenote on time: I saw the short film The Eagleman Stag the other day and it opens with the line, "When I was four years old, I was ...
Hi David, Do you mean the book itself re: Alice in Wonderland? So good! I am going through a challenging time right now so sadly I think I need to take a step back from Between the Bars. It was so wonderful talking with you. I hope you get support ...
Hi Daniel, This is such an incredible post. I love the idea that it is through the choices we make in how we act and react that shapes our reality. It really resonates with me. It sounds like you also probably had a huge impact on others through the Mindful ...
Hi Daniel, Thank you for another great post. I will send your upcoming post on prison reform to my state legislators. I agree with you that public safety doesn't seem to be #1 priority - it seems to be the need to be able to point fingers and give blame. ...
Hi David, Reading your note, I felt such aching pain and sorrow, and longed for you and all prisoners to be treated with respect and kindness. The violence you face from yourself and others, and the violence you may show to yourself and others, all speak to such anguish and ...
Hi Daniel, Your words are so powerful. I'm sending this to my friends and writing to my state representative and senator. Thank you for continuing to voice your views and work towards a better system for everybody! Susan
Hi Daniel, "This being human in a human society is hard for everyone" and "All dysfunctional behavior is merely an unskilled attempt at gaining happiness or at gaining relief from suffering" both really resonated with me. They stir up and reinforce compassion. I'm currently working on a school social action ...
Hi Dan, There's another blog I follow and I wanted to send the blogger this post because one of his posts reminded me of yours. Would I be able to copy this and send it to him? Thanks! Susan
Hi David, I just got permission from another blogger to repost a post he wrote to you. I thought you might find it helpful to see what other bloggers are writing and to be helpful on your journey. Cheers, Susan Empower Transform Believe My Quest By Daniel Labbe From December ...
Of course another half-hour goes by, and he still doesn't have it. Now I'm pissed off, big-time. Nature's calling - well, it's more like she's screaming. You get the idea. It's all a game. Who can mess with who the most. Two hours of this game goes by. In case ...
[Who are you going to feed: the wolf or the noble eagle?] You may not be in prison or be as dysfunctional as I was, but we all have a tendency to want to blame other people or unfair circumstances for our poor decisions or our "bad" experiences. We can ...
Hi Daniel, I just saw this article in the New York Times that made me think of you. I'm copying it below. I also reached out to the author to share your work - hope that's okay! The article is too long, so I'm putting it in two comments. Susan ...
The prison protests in California are on an unprecedented scale; amazingly, they involved, at their peak, about two-thirds of the state’s penal facilities. At the beginning of this week, more than 2,500 inmates were still refusing food. If prison authorities do not understand why thousands of inmates not directly affected ...
Hi Daniel, Another fantastic post. What resonated a lot for me about this are rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence crimes. The system makes it so that when victims/survivors pursue criminal cases, they often suffer so greatly, sometimes feeling as if they're reliving it all over again. This could be ...
Yeah, I guess the most important thing is to do what feels like it has the most integrity to you - whether it's taking action or not taking action, or which action you take, but to actively choose it and not let your impulses choose it for you - not ...
Hi David, I've sometimes felt like "damaged goods" because of past things that have happened to me and I've done. I know many people who feel that way too - even if they're not in prison. Being in prison and having to suppress emotions is an awful bind to be ...
Hi Daniel, I am reading an article that made me think of you. It is called "Response to Injury: Toward Ethical Construction of the Other" by Hugo Kamya and David Trimble in the Journal of Systemic Therapies, Volume 21, Number 3, year 2002. From the abstract: "Retaliation if seen as ...
Hi Rechell, Thank you so much for your blog post. Our society should treat all with compassion - and allow people who may have harmed another to set those harms right rather than lock them away and have them suffer. It doesn't make any sense! I am far from CA ...
VictimRights, I don't have exact statistics on me, but I'm sure that more people who have committed sexual and violent crimes are out of prison than in it. Those who are in prison for these crimes are not inherently a different class of people than those of us who are ...
Hi Rechell, Your letter touched me - I cried as I read "realized what the emptiness is for us prisoners... Simple human compassion! Something we're neglected because of what we've done..." Thinking of compassion as being able to sit with another's pain and perspective from a place of love and ...
HI Daniel, I just read an article from the Onion and thought of you and your posts. Hopefully the satire will help spark some minds! http://www.theonion.com/articles/15-years-in-environment-of-constant-fear-somehow-f,35434/ 15 Years In Environment Of Constant Fear Somehow Fails To Rehabilitate Prisoner NEWS IN BRIEF • Prison • Lifestyle • ISSUE 50•09 • Mar ...
It is nice to hear from you and that things are going well. Keep working hard - you're doing great! I believe that you have the ability to be safe, functional, and beyond - to works towards peace and happiness, and use those in the challenging re-entry period and blossom ...
Hi Daniel, I am not sure what to say besides: I am listening. I feel your pain with you. I know the feeling of wanting to heal with someone, and having to heal on your own - and that powerlessness of not knowing how/if their healing is going. I don't ...