I understand what May Angelou meant when she spoke about knowing why the cage bird sings.
As a caged bird myself, I’ve encountered a variety of life’s experiences during my flights dovetailing with unsavoury vultures. Shockingly though, one can surprise him/herself at where empathy can receive development.
Imagine this, here I am, a convicted murderer decades removed from the outside, deemed unfit to qualify for reentry into society, and I am the person trained and allowed to volunteer to observe suicidal prisoners. Now, I would not place an irresponsible, unsympathetic, violent, untrustworthy, person in a position requiring such a high cognitive aptitude. We are talking about another human being’s life entrusted to an individual incapable of redemption. Can you see the hypocrisy in that perception?
As a caged bird myself, I am going to sing the accomplishments acquired via hard work in a cage designed to discourage development. Listen to this, I am a student working toward acquiring my bachelor’s degree; I am met with resistance like you would not believe.
On the outside looking in, one imagines that being incarcerated denotes rehabilitation. That could not be further from the truth. Rehabilitation is a task incumbent on the individual because the system does not want the incarcerated to ameliorate themselves. For instance, when I acquired a trade in horticulture, the system did not allow lifers to participate in programming. The incarcerated men with short sentences were the only ones allowed to apply for the trades. The trades could not fill the seats because of the lack of interest from the qualified. Fortunately, the need to fill the seats opened the opportunity for lifers to participate in the trades.
As a caged bird myself, I flew at the chance and landed the mission. Why mention this, I want to start the conversation relevant to incarcerated individuals that self- rehabilitates and changes their way of thinking. Ponder this, did Jesus die for the sins of mankind to be forgiven? With such an act, does God’s sacrifice declare the redeemable quality in every one of His created beings? If so, when a person repents and through his or her actions demonstrate change, is the changed person entitled to acceptance within the community of humanity? Furthermore, if the above individual after demonstrating actions of a reformed person is still subjected to punishment, does that punishment become torture?
When a child fails in school and the parent removes the entertainment devices from the child until he or she improves in school, does not such a punishment henge on improvement through actions? And, when the child increases their grades in school, doesn’t the parent return the entertainment devices to the child? Now, imagine if the child went from earning a D mark in class to accomplishing a B and the parent still withheld the entertainment devices, would that seem appropriate? What if the child tried hard and improved to an A mark in school and the parent still withheld the entertainment devices, would that seem appropriate? No, the parent would at that point be torturing the child after he or she made adjustments in school. Such is the case with incarcerated individuals.
As a caged bird myself, I wonder if the sacrifice that Jesus offered for the sins of God’s creation will ever include the incarcerated, the rehabilitated individuals? Throughout the Bible multiple examples of prisoners, mainly murders, are forgiven and later flourish into important representations of God’s Kingdom. For instance, Saul (Paul) and the emphasis God uses to spread His message via Paul. There are many Paul type examples incarcerated that await the return of their entertainment devices. Moreover, as a society, who celebrate the birth, defeat of death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, when are we going to live according to His instructions? The instruction to love our neighbor most importantly, can we as a Christian society, as well as our brothers and sisters of disparate beliefs, love one another? Love is the key that will unlock the God within us. That freeing of humanity will protect us from performing tortuous acts in and outside of prisons.
As a caged bird myself, I understand that prison is necessary in a broken world. However, the world is in greater need of love. Love makes us as God’s creatures inclined to treat one another with compassion. The kind of compassion that this caged bird learned from abused rescue dogs. Ironically, after years of abuse at the hands of humans, dogs do not consider humans unredeemable. Instead, they allow us to treat them with love and kindness as God intended.
Why is it so hard for humans, Americans in particular, to see God’s redeemable qualities in other human beings? I use to get really angry when guards would treat me like scum and say that I do not deserve to be educated, then I learned to pray for them.
As a caged bird myself, my contract with God forbids me from moments of pity and defeat. He gave His only begotten son for me to flourish. As proof of that, I choose to be a bird singing the praises of God and encouraging us to love another.
Today, I fly with birds of pray that love and show empathy toward all flocks. Unfortunately, I am still caged and tortured for my maturation and development as a man of God. Like Christ, I will endure and defeat the death that the system wishes upon me. In addition to living as a standing example of compassion, I will sing my songs of redemption and forgiveness until they touch the hearts of every human on earth. That being said, now you too know why this caged bird sings.
I would love to hear your feedback. I can be contacted @ Jpay.com or at–Mario Collier#238834 HMTU 1728 West Blue water highway Ionia, Michigan 48846
