A Matter of Social Responsibility II

...her kommer resten av bloggposten til L (første del kan leses her).

A Matter of Social Responsibility

A Mission for life is essential for anyone to succeed. A Mission defines what we hope to accomplish in the totality of life. Missions can be ugly things, but they can also be beautiful. Your goal should be to help your inmate develop a positive Mission that takes his life on a journey that is more about others than self. Each life will have many different Missions, for family, for work, for faith; the ultimate goal of Mission is to get an inmate to think about how he wants to be remembered when he dies.

For instance:
I will be conscious of the harm that I have wrought and how that will perceived by others. I will be compassionate and understanding to those that I meet. I will fight to end the harm that I helped create by dedicating of myself and my material assets in its end.

This is one of my Missions in regards to my duty to the society that I harmed by committing a crime. This was one of the first Missions that I was able to articulate in my life. Since that time, I have striven to be a part of the solution to crime. This Mission is not about self; it is about making the world a better place. It is indicative of all good Missions. This Mission can be measured by me in my daily undertakings and what I have given of myself and material assets to the cause of my Mission.

The way that you go about doing this for your inmate is become involved in his life. If says he is trying to become a better person and then tells you something that contradicts that, confront him about it. Help him determine what it is that he wants to become, not as far as employment (that too) but as far as character.

A worthy Mission has the following characteristics: 1) Service to something beyond personal welfare; 2) Clear, measurable goals; 3) The highest standards. A worthy Mission focuses on the virtues of: Humility, Excellence, Kindness, Discipline, Courage, and Wisdom, and is supported by the pillars of Ethics, Service, and Action.

So what, did you think that writing an inmate was just a lark? Were you just trying to have fun? Just realize that these men and women have, for the most part, had hard and brutal lives. Most of them deserve to be in prison. Their mind set is not the same as yours. Most of my peers will use you and throw you away without even thinking twice. Are you willing to tackle that project? It takes a special person to do it; it is not a thing to be taken lightly, but it is a worthy Mission for you. The ultimate Mission that we should all have is to make our world a better, kinder, more honorable place. Each of us have a part to play in that Mission; could yours be to help change the heart of one of the fallen? I, for one, hope so.

In my later blogs, I will talk about these virtues and how they apply to the completion of any Mission. I would be happy to answer any questions; they can be sent to the blog host [Monika], and I will get them.