5-17-11

In response to Puccesca
dated 5/8/11

Sometimes I have a tendency to over analyze situations and conversations, so please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't your personal belief of a certain class of people go from mean to surprisingly good in the stroke of a pen—or in your case, a push of the keyboard? What changed your perception so quickly?

A person's environment doesn't always influence or evaluate who that person is. In some cases, it's been known to have an adverse effect. I mean, does every kid who grows up in the ghetto automatically become a gang member? Or does he/she have a choice? Everyone is not a product of their environment.

I also reciprocate your thought process and wonder about you. Who you are and what your world seen through your eyes is like. Even though we both live in two different physical worlds, we literally live in the same world. A connection between two people depends on how one perceives it. Is it a connection like a bee has to a flower, which is pollinated by the bee and results in the cycle of a new life? Or is it the type of connection two strangers encounter upon meeting each other at their local Starbucks and speak respectable pleasantries to each other and continue on their daily mission without a second thought?

Whatever type of connection it may be, it reached two people for the duration of writing and typing these words. But it still leaves me to wonder—how far does that reach extend?

Rechell Williams III
Corcoran State Prison, CA

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5-17-11

Wallowing in Guilt is Self-Indulgent

To indulge in thoughts of guilt, remorse, and regret seems virtuous, an act of humility or honesty. But it's actually a failure to take responsibility for my past actions because it's still about me. These thoughts don't help or heal the individuals I have hurt.

I must interrupt my self-attack and give the blessings I have withheld. Often, this is best done silently since the consequences of making amends directly are unpredictable. The decision to bless comes from within and includes the intuition of whether or not to act.

Rechell Williams III #V-69138
Corcoran State Prison, CA
http://betweenthebars.org/blogs/507/