The Business of Living

April 22, 2012

Rest in Peace, oh TV Guide Crossword book! I have burned through the entirety of it. I really enjoyed them and hope you can find another.

(Editor’s note: Paul Wright is the editor of a publication called Prison Legal News, which he began from behind bars in 1990. Wright suffered retaliatory punishments for writing about prison brutality and his publication was widely censored, but through his persistence in bringing court challenges, he prevailed. After having served 16 years of his sentence, he continues to produce the magazine, which now has a circulation of over 7000 with 65% of its subscribers being prisoners.)

Thank you for the article on Paul Wright. I’m very familiar with Prison Legal News. It truly does advocate for inmates. Wright has gone to court many times over issues like institutions not allowing inmates access to the publication. Prisons tend to get nervous when their populations become well informed or show any signs at all of becoming organized. That’s why inmates are not permitted to write to each other.

I’m enclosing an article from The Nation that concerns the cruel and unusual nature of solitary confinement, particularly on those who are already mentally troubled I think most people tend to think if someone is in prison, he or she deserves whatever they bet. The state of the incarcerated doesn’t appear to be very high on most people’s priority lists. I must admit it wasn’t on mine when I lived in the free world. But with so many people locked up, the number of families affected is staggering.

Today’s piece in Fleck’s book was called “The Business of Living.” It talks about how, as we age, our gaze shifts from the cradle to the grave; how we think less about what we have done with our lives and pay more attention to what we have yet to accomplish. I do spend a lot of time thinking about what my life will be in 2016 when all of this is over. So much of what my life will be is going to be beyond my control. But I try to focus on what I can control; what I can achieve and accomplish. This book was an excellent choice for my Sunday spiritual reading. Thank you again for it.

That’s it for another week.
Love, Steve