Against The Wind

[Fred Steeves]

It seems safe enough to assume that all of us here have had, to greatly varying degrees, our turns at going against "the wind" so to speak. Usually, we get a first clue as to what's really going on in this world we had thought we knew, are horrified, learn more, get more horrified/irate, and so it goes. We begin immediately going against the wind of what we are uncovering to greater and greater degrees, and often this is an extremely dark time, a bewildering time.

Question: What is the normal first reaction of anyone who suddenly wakes up, only to find themselves in a straight jacket, propped up in the corner of a jail cell? Fight and struggle of course. Maybe we'll even be so enraged as to ram our bodies into the cell door repeatedly, in the panicked and futile attempt at freeing ourselves.

But then what? What is to be done when we finally collapse in exhaustion, in no better shape than when we began? Save for blood, welts, and bruises? Well, there are choices of course. We can stumble back to our feet and do the same thing over and over again as the insane darkness takes hold. Or, we can take some time, and begin to truly contemplate our situation.

"Hmmmm, has the violent struggle produced any results?" "No". "Is there another way?" "Dunno, but maybe, just maybe".

This is where most people get stuck however, and the fight continues ever onward. Ramming that cell door over and over and over again, cursing the guards, and becoming more and more embittered as it goes. But what if we were to calmly think for a bit, and remember someone like Harry Houdini, who could pull of this trick upside down, handcuffed, and submerged in water to boot?

Well then, that sheds a bit of a new light on things now, doesn't it?

"What if I can just calm down, and assess things for a while before more physical action? Hmmmm again, now that I think about it, that guard by the door doesn't look so intelligent. And this damn straight jacket...if I could settle down, I think I might just be able to work it a bit. And what about that little piece of metal laying on the ground over there by the wall? Maybe I could sharpen it against the floor, and..."

Now we've just discovered a whole different wind current, one we never knew existed, and it would be wise to flow with this one.

As always, the choice is ours.

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

There the ship sailing safe in harbour
Long since in many a sea was drowned.
The treasure burning in her hold
So near will never be found,
Sunk past all sound.

There a man on a summer evening
Reclines at ease upon his tomb
And is his mortal effigy
And there within the womb,
The cell of doom.

The ancestral deed is thought and done,
And in a million Edens fall
A million Adams drowned in darkness,
For small is great and great is small.
And a blind seed all.

~The Road, by Edwin Muir

I think yours was better, no melodrama! lol

[Ernie Nemeth]

I was going to start my own thread but this one seems like a good place to put this, since it is about jail.

There is nothing just about a system that uses threat and fear as its motivators. No need to think, just react as expected - and know your place. Then call that justice.

When I walked into court today I immediately looked for the flag of my country or province. Guess what? There weren't any. Just a plaque of a lion and unicorn upholding the British Union Jack and an emblem with three stars on it (never seen that one before).

Wanna know the judge's most repeated phrase? "Has the defendant fully retained counsel?" Yup. In common language, "Have we been paid yet?"

Those with counsel, of course, got heard first. Then those that had availed themselves of duty counsel came second. Then came a half hour break. And then came the rest of us rabble. Three hours of sitting around for our thirty seconds in front of the court.

What was their verdict in my case? "The defendant qualifies for early intervention." said the prosecutor. "Do you wish to avail yourself of this opportunity?" asked the judge. Ya right, I'm going to admit my guilt and go for treatment. "No!" I said rather forcefully and very abruptly. All eyes turned towards me, momentarily roused from their stupor. In their eyes I could see the surprise and felt their questioning gaze. "Who is this man?" I could suppose they were thinking, "Talking as if he has an inkling of what is going on." Yousee, I was the only one of perhaps 75 defendants that dared raise their voice above a whisper. The second most uttered phrase of the judge being, "Speak up so we can all hear you."

They had no problem hearing me...

[RUSirius]

Time to stop throwing the wet noodle against the dart board and look around the room for something more capable of achieving the desired result(s). Besides I'm just about out of wet noodles.

[northstar]

Posted by Fred Steeves (here)
But what if we were to calmly think for a bit, and remember someone like Harry Houdini, who could pull of this trick upside down, handcuffed, and submerged in water to boot?

"What if I can just calm down, and assess things for a while before more physical action? Hmmmm again, now that I think about it, that guard by the door doesn't look so intelligent. And this damn straight jacket...if I could settle down, I think I might just be able to work it a bit. And what about that little piece of metal laying on the ground over there by the wall? Maybe I could sharpen it against the floor, and..."

I like this Fred!
I think we should call it the "MacGyver Method of Spiritual Freedom"

[turiya]

Fred Steeves writes:

Question: What is the normal first reaction of anyone who suddenly wakes up, only to find themselves in a straight jacket, propped up in the corner of a jail cell? Fight and struggle of course.

This world provides the perfect backdrop for one to turn one's attention inward, to where the real treasure is to be found...

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8dzRdyC0abA

turiya

[toothpick]

Hi Fred
Love your thoughts on staying calm and thinking for a while instead of just acting out or reacting to a bad situation.
Using the grey matter once and awhile usually pays huge dividends.
First time in jail I was just 15 (lied about my age), they paddy wagoned 17 friends from my home town to jail in BC Canada, it is a long story.
I was very green behind the ears to say the least, so, I followed the lead of my cell mate who was older and had the benefit of his years.
First thing he did in the morning was to flush his frankenstein food breakfast down the toilet, after thinking for a few minutes I flushed my breakfast as well.