๐ฅ helping others ๐ฅ
Posted: Fri, Jan 31, 2025 06:31:52 AM
to find and stay on the path that i have found, by listening to where they are and having empathy to their plight, is certainly action that i can take. this morning, as i considered my source material, i realized, as i often have in the past, that i have probably spent more hours behind bars as a volunteer, carrying a message of recovery, than i actually did in my active addiction. i also realize that the cycle i see so many of those i carry the message to: offend ⇒ get jailed ⇒ get clean ⇒ get out ⇒ use again ⇒ re-offend ⇒ rinse and repeat, was one that i could have easily dropped into, way back when. the only thing that kept me out of that vicious cycle was my naivete and my FEAR of prison. those two factors fed a desperation that i actively denied and drove me into the arms of the welcoming fellowship that is my home today.
feeling sorry for those i serve or treating them as less than equal, was once part of my MO. the only reason i got into this sort of service was to continue to sponsor a man who is still caught in the grips of the cycle mentioned above. i no longer am his sponsor and have not been for many years, but i still carry the message to those who cannot hear the message anywhere else. as i grew up in this sort of service, i saw that what i was doing was of a greater benefit to me, than possibly those to whom i carried the message. i get a reminder, each and every time, of what it is like to live hopelessly in the grip of a system that is not designed to allow one to lift themselves out of the morass and break that cycle. the only thing separating me from them, is that i found recovery and did not allow myself to be victimized by an oppressive system.
i could go on and on, but my point is that empathy allows me to serve those who are locked into justice system. yes, they are more than likely there through their own actions. yes, there does need to be some deterrent for breaking the law. what is missing from the system, however, is rehabilitation and giving offenders a path to break that cycle. as addicts and offenders, they have two strikes against them and society does not allow them to easily start productive lives upon release. i do not know what the answer may be, but my part is to let them know that there may be a way out for them and provide them an example of how it may be done, just for today.
feeling sorry for those i serve or treating them as less than equal, was once part of my MO. the only reason i got into this sort of service was to continue to sponsor a man who is still caught in the grips of the cycle mentioned above. i no longer am his sponsor and have not been for many years, but i still carry the message to those who cannot hear the message anywhere else. as i grew up in this sort of service, i saw that what i was doing was of a greater benefit to me, than possibly those to whom i carried the message. i get a reminder, each and every time, of what it is like to live hopelessly in the grip of a system that is not designed to allow one to lift themselves out of the morass and break that cycle. the only thing separating me from them, is that i found recovery and did not allow myself to be victimized by an oppressive system.
i could go on and on, but my point is that empathy allows me to serve those who are locked into justice system. yes, they are more than likely there through their own actions. yes, there does need to be some deterrent for breaking the law. what is missing from the system, however, is rehabilitation and giving offenders a path to break that cycle. as addicts and offenders, they have two strikes against them and society does not allow them to easily start productive lives upon release. i do not know what the answer may be, but my part is to let them know that there may be a way out for them and provide them an example of how it may be done, just for today.
∞ DT ∞