Among other things, Socrates said: “Having the fewest wants, I am closest to the gods.” In prison, I like to think of this as the idea that external things aren’t as important as what’s inside. If you have yourself, your mind, you have everything you need. And even […]
I’m talking about actual politics (like what is happening in the presidential race), rather than “prison politics” (like what the latest gossip on the yard is). I always here the same thing from the people who like Donald Trump: he says what he means without fear. Yes, well, […]
I categorize most guys in prison in two general ways. The first group don’t like to admit that they did anything wrong. They say that what they did was justified, or they got screwed in some way, that if you look at the facts, you’ll see that they’re […]
The more I go on in this place, the more I see the crude or even destructive behavior of guys in prison as attempts to exercise some control over their lives. Hell, I even have to admit that some of the rationale I had (even if I didn’t […]
How do you deal with it? Although if someone asks my opinion about it, I tell them, usually I just keep my mouth shut. The reason may be chicken-shit, I don’t know: arguing could lead to a confrontation, possibly a physical one. I’m not willing to risk what […]
One thing I’ve noticed with Christians in prison. Not all of them, but I would say probably the majority. They use it as a device to make themselves feel better about what they’ve done in their lives. Instant “forgiveness” by just reciting some magic words and reading a […]
One thing I’ve always found about people who are on the fence, and come over to atheism, is that they didn’t understand much about the positions of it. They maybe had this vague opinion that atheists were childish people, rebelling against authority. But when they start learning, they […]
The other night there was a fight between two individuals out on the yard. I don’t know what it was about, and that’s not the point of this little rant. The point is: fighting is high entertainment in prison. Rarely does the average prisoner get so excited and […]
Besides the obvious, another thing that being skeptical of God’s existence taught me was: being skeptical of everything. There is so much nonsense floating around in the culture, so much popular knowledge, stuff that people just “know” is true and accept without even knowing how or why. For […]
This isn’t directed just at religious people, but they do seem to be the ones who most have this trait. Stop being so offended! A challenge to your belief is not necessarily an insult. Further, you should WELCOME challenges to your beliefs. I know I do. And I […]
Yesterday I was at work having a discussion with two religious guys (both of a different religion), and we were talking about how people use their beliefs to find a good thing and use it to change. We all agreed that all three of us had done […]
That’s what it’s like, trying to get anyone to do anything in this place. Oftentimes, people are so concerned with a Now-now-now attitude, they can’t look past the present. One of the saddest, most common stories I’ve seen in prison over 19 years is this: Inmates abuse a […]
There’s a lot of it. And of course, there is complaining, and then there’s complaining. Complaining about a true injustice or bit of unfairness is one thing. Understandable, and it should be dealt with (constructively and in an adult manner, of course). But all too often in prison, […]
Prison itself is a long line of adversity, of course, especially when you grow up here like I did. And adversity can be good if you have the right attitude. It teaches you to deal with things. I imagine that when I get out in October, most of […]
It’s hard to find. Recently we’re trying to adjudicate a turns-based system for certain privileges, and it’s difficult. Many guys just cannot see something as being in their own self-interest. They think that selfishness is good for them, but it’s not. It makes the system bad for everyone. […]
It’s hard to find. Recently we’re trying to adjudicate a turns-based system for certain privileges, and it’s difficult. Many guys just cannot see something as being in their own self-interest. They think that selfishness is good for them, but it’s not. It makes the system bad for everyone. […]
One of the most common themes I’ve seen in prison over the years is this: Guys always abuse rules and especially any leniency in the rules. They abuse it to the point where it gets out of hand, and the officers are forced to do something, such as […]
One of the charges I’m always responding to is that, as an atheist, I must be hostile to religion. Well, I’m hostile to some of the things that people do in the name of religion. I’m hostile to the idea shared by many religious people that they should […]
Last night, a stranger introduced himself to me and then asked if I wanted to join a Christian event. I told him no thank you, I’m an atheist. Looking back, I was a little curt with him, maybe even a little rude. This had nothing to do with […]
I’ve heard many guys over the years say that prison is not about rehabilitation, it’s all punishment. Now that I’m less than eight months to the gate, I’m not finding that at all. There are plenty of people willing to help, plenty of classes that teach life skills, […]
It’s difficult to get guys in prison to want to change, to want to take responsibility and the initiative to better themselves. As I’ve said, I think religion actually gets in the way of this because the “good” is defined by a holy book, and all too often, […]
I’ve been reading about the 60s and the Cuban Missile Crisis. I can only imagine how insane it must have been, Kennedy and those leaders trying to avoid a nuclear war that would end civilization, possibly ruin the planet for centuries. And then I was thinking: Imagine if […]
One problem I have with people using religion to try to better themselves in prison is that it doesn’t automatically result in change. In fact, often times, the Christian message is (or becomes, rightly or wrongly): You’re just great the way you are. God loves you. Now just […]
I have been accused of being hostile to religion, usually because I will defend atheism and challenge religion. Which I do not think is hostility; I think a free exchange of ideas is a good thing, as long the participants can be civil and act like adults. Further, […]
It’s been interesting lately as I prepare for my release in October. Several people who, years ago said that I could release to their place, live with them, expect their help, etc., are suddenly backing out or procrastinating. Now that it’s real. I don’t hate them for it; […]
Many people accuse atheists of just being negative (you’re defined by what you don’t believe) and having no moral or ethical alternative to offer. But like most beliefs about atheism, this just isn’t true. There is humanism. It has a long tradition, going back to the Ancient Greeks […]
It’s the day of the Iowa caucuses, and Donald Trump seems poised to begin a run that will make him the Republican nominee, and possibly the president. Is this really happening? Trump is the distillation of the worst aspects of American politics. He shamelessly offers nothing but empty […]
 All too often, it’s of the wrong sort. Many times I’ve ran into guys, or met them for the first time, and they immediately start bragging about their exploits in the prison world: they beat this person’s ass, they called out this person for being a piece […]
I’ve noticed that religious guys in prison are kind of like religious guys everywhere: they’re out-and-out victims of the confirmation bias. That is, they find a belief that seems to work for them, and run with it. No attempt is made to look at this belief critically. If […]
A friend of mine just returned from being transferred, and he immediately went into detail about how terrible the situation had been. He’d been forced to deal with rude, violent people, the prison’s environment was oppressive, every sense of a normal experience was taken away, etc. And then […]
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