Recently I had the honor of sitting through an awards ceremony for my daughter. She was required to submit an essay as well as two other peoples essays about her character. Out of almost 200 other applicants and seven different levels of review, she was chosen to be one of three winners for this academic year.
It was one of the most uplifting two hours we have spent in a long time. Everyone greeted us with such kindness and seemed genuinely excited to meet her and her family. It was truly an evening to "honor" the recipients as well as a very proud parent moment. Life is good.
Now, beyond the fact that my daughter was receiving this scholarship and award, I was impressed by the caliber of the organization sponsoring the award, other attendees and the speakers. They spoke of the quality of a persons character and all the traits that contribute to a persons positive character. One speaker sent out a challenge to everyone in the room to always ask "Am I making the wisest decision based on my previous experiences and where I want to be in the future?". We were told that we are all leaders and even the most introverted person will touch the lives of another 100,000 people in their lifetime. Though we are not perfect, we should strive to be a person of good character because when we are gone from this earth, people won't remember what kind of car you drove, how many things you could buy or what kind of clothes you wore. They will remember what kind of person you were and how you lived your life. Others will remember that you were a person of good character, a person of virtue, determination, humility, truthfulness and perseverance.
The components of good character is a long list and one that challenges us every day. I wish that everyone made choices and lived their lives based on the quality of their character. It would be wonderful if we were all judged based on our character today and not by the style of car we drove or the size of the house we lived in. How we live our lives and treat those around us should be so much more important. I am proud that all my children are young adults with great character and I am reminded that I too should strive everyday to be a model of great character for those around me. What a wonderful world this would be if we all cared about character.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
We All Should Care About Incarceration
My eyes are open now. Things that I would never see or care about now are so much more important to me. I am tuned into a side of life that a majority of the population turns a blind eye to. So I ask, when are we going to start caring about our justice system and how it affects so many more people than just the offender.
Everyday I learn about a new family just beginning the journey that I am on and my heart breaks all over again. The hurt, the loneliness, the darkness all come back in an instant. Then I look at how far we have come and I am able to look upon my life and know that I am blessed.
Part of why we were put here is to help those that follow. I spend a portion of every day keeping up on the new developments, political issues or the e-mails from friends. I am actively involved in trying to fix a system that is both misguided and broken. It is like rolling a large boulder up a hill but there are days when we make some progress.
My question is, when is the rest of the world going to wake up to the fact that the US has the highest incarceration rate in the world? When are people going to realize that using incarceration as a solution for every problem will only lead to greater problems and issues for our society down the road? Even some politicians are beginning to see the light that mass incarceration is not the solution. It is time to understand that this will eventually effect us all in some way. Some of us are directly touched by it, while tax payers, businesses and governments will feel the side effects of a population that is tainted with "prison time" on their resume. Incarceration is funded with tax dollars as well as social programs to help the families and the newly released who can't find work. I would much rather have my money going toward treatment to prevent re offending than simply punishment.
As Christians, the Corporal Works of Mercy teach us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And the Spiritual Works ask us to instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish the sinners, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offenses willingly, comfort the afflicted and pray for the living and the dead. It is not a salad bar that you should pick and choose which to follow. Each one is just as important as the next. Yet as a society we forget the imprisoned and are slow or even unwilling to forgive at all. Forgiveness should not depend on the degree of hurt and every soul deserves a chance to change and be a better human being.
I do not sit in judgement. That is not my job. I am too busy trying to raise my children to be fine, charitable, successful and grateful adults. I can put my head down at night knowing that I have been there for someone who really needed me, someone that society shuns or scolds for their past. My world if full of joy, and happiness and yes, many ex-offenders.
Everyday I learn about a new family just beginning the journey that I am on and my heart breaks all over again. The hurt, the loneliness, the darkness all come back in an instant. Then I look at how far we have come and I am able to look upon my life and know that I am blessed.
Part of why we were put here is to help those that follow. I spend a portion of every day keeping up on the new developments, political issues or the e-mails from friends. I am actively involved in trying to fix a system that is both misguided and broken. It is like rolling a large boulder up a hill but there are days when we make some progress.
My question is, when is the rest of the world going to wake up to the fact that the US has the highest incarceration rate in the world? When are people going to realize that using incarceration as a solution for every problem will only lead to greater problems and issues for our society down the road? Even some politicians are beginning to see the light that mass incarceration is not the solution. It is time to understand that this will eventually effect us all in some way. Some of us are directly touched by it, while tax payers, businesses and governments will feel the side effects of a population that is tainted with "prison time" on their resume. Incarceration is funded with tax dollars as well as social programs to help the families and the newly released who can't find work. I would much rather have my money going toward treatment to prevent re offending than simply punishment.
As Christians, the Corporal Works of Mercy teach us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And the Spiritual Works ask us to instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish the sinners, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offenses willingly, comfort the afflicted and pray for the living and the dead. It is not a salad bar that you should pick and choose which to follow. Each one is just as important as the next. Yet as a society we forget the imprisoned and are slow or even unwilling to forgive at all. Forgiveness should not depend on the degree of hurt and every soul deserves a chance to change and be a better human being.
I do not sit in judgement. That is not my job. I am too busy trying to raise my children to be fine, charitable, successful and grateful adults. I can put my head down at night knowing that I have been there for someone who really needed me, someone that society shuns or scolds for their past. My world if full of joy, and happiness and yes, many ex-offenders.
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