VICTIMIZATION DOESN'T WORK
2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: 479
As I have written before, about six years ago I was a guest on the nationally-syndicated radio show “Coast to Coast” with George Noory discussing Criminal Justice issues (and I am scheduled to be a guest again on Thursday, September 24.) As a result of that first show I received letters from twelve men who are in prison at various places around the country. So I started corresponding with them about what their lives are like and what their plans are for the future. And I would also praise them for some of the positive things that they were doing. Since then the number has increased to about 40. About a year ago one of those correspondents wrote to me and said that because I am White I have received many benefits, but because he is Black he has always been treated unfairly. My response to him was that, yes, our country has done some bad things, such as slavery, segregation and the detention of numbers of Japanese-Americans during World War II, but letting those things control you is like going the wrong way on a one-way street. That is to say that Victimization does not work! What does work is productivity and acting responsibly. So I asked him in the future not only never to talk about being a victim, but never even to think it!
And, from what I can tell, that approach has worked for him! About two months ago I received a letter from him stating that he has followed this advice and it has simply changed his life. Now he has been taking classes, which have been both fun and helpful. Plus, with his new attitude, he has not been written up for disciplinary reasons, and his relationships with everyone, including the prison personnel, have totally improved. So, simply stated, his life is happier, more productive and more rewarding.
Message: all of us are in a position to encourage people to be productive and, thus, to live a happier and more meaningful life. And, along the way, showing people that living a life dedicated to victimization really is going the wrong way on a one-way street.
"To Live Until You Die"
A poem by James P. Gray
Cast a glance around you,
Look on either side,
Vitality surrounds one
Who hastens not to hide.
The love of stars
and butterflies,
The throbbing of the sea,
Some awesome parts of outer worlds,
Some inner part of me.
To sing a song to Penny Lane
With spirit strong and free,
To know that life is all there is
And there is no guarantee.
To walk with bare feet on the grass
To let the soul lift high,
To scale some rocky pass
To live until you die.
Cast a glance around you
And look on either side,
Perhaps ‘tis best to swim upstream
Than drift gently with the tide.
(Over time some good and caring people have said that, since God has provided us with an opportunity for an eternal life, they take issue with the poem’s comments that life is all there is and there is no guarantee. I acknowledge that they raise some valid points, but the poem is what the poem is.)
Judge Jim Gray (Ret.) Superior Court of Orange County, California 2012 Libertarian Candidate for Vice President
Please listen to our radio show entitled All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray as we discuss timely issues and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches. The series has concluded, but you can still hear any edition On Demand at https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/3883. And, by the way, these 2 Paragraphs columns are now on my website at www.JudgeJImGray.com, Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com. Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty. In addition, my new book with the same title as my radio show is now available at Amazon.com., as is my wife Grace’s and my new novel centered about School Choice entitled 2030 KIDS: We are the Rising Heroes of the Planet. Please read and discuss them with your friends, and send in a review.