Gladiators Bow

December 10, 2013

As another day comes to a close, I’m reminded that prison life is raw and uncut.  I watched as one inmate stabbed another inmate numerous times.  It’s simply a gladiator pit where only the strong survive.  Prison will determine your true character; it will reveal who you are, and who you are not, in every sense of the word.  A brutal confrontation by wolves over money, drugs, reputation, and affiliation you name it; it doesn’t take much.  So the norm in this environment is that of a hobbian war – without a governing body, people will constantly be in conflict; adversaries in the truest sense of the word.  But life shouldn’t be about adversaries, it should be about how to live more abundantly; how to live like decent human beings.  We are all in a sense bound together, but the constant struggle for resources, be they small or great often turns man against man.  The question is, do we reach beyond who we are to reach those who bring us harm, and in so doing show our vulnerabilities?  Or do we participate in this hobbian free for all?  That’s the question that each of us must answer.