A Prisoner S Wisdom

Follow Ian McTavish's journey, from the emotional state that caused him to commit the crime that sent him to prison, to the spiritual enlightenment and soul transformation he gained both in and out of prison. The true-life stories depicted in this book are written with simplicity and understanding that are applicable to everyday living. Learn and journey with author Ian Mctavish as he faces many challenges along the way in a prison environment that any reader can relate to. The tests he encounters unfold like a video game getting harder and harder as he ascends to different levels of spirituality, shedding many layers of his ego and proving that the circumstances of your life are purely manifestations of your inner thoughts.

Old Too Fast, Smart Too Late Illustrates the life of an imprisoned person, in a country that imprisons more of its citizens than any other. This book reveals an uncomfortable truth -- that prisoners are human beings who struggle to love, live, and die. Tray's journey through prison is not a unique, but Tray's wisdom gleaned through growing old too fast, and getting smart too late provides insight into prison life, through his clarity of mind, humorous heart, and joyous spirit.

Western philosophy’s relationship with prisons stretches from Plato’s own incarceration to the modern era of mass incarceration. Philosophy Imprisoned: The Love of Wisdom in the Age of Mass Incarceration draws together a broad range of philosophical thinkers, from both inside and outside prison walls, in the United States and beyond, who draw on a variety of critical perspectives (including phenomenology, deconstruction, and feminist theory) and historical and contemporary figures in philosophy (including Kant, Hegel, Foucault, and Angela Davis) to think about prisons in this new historical era. All of these contributors have experiences within prison walls: some are or have been incarcerated, some have taught or are teaching in prisons, and all have been students of both philosophy and the carceral system. The powerful testimonials and theoretical arguments are appropriate reading not only for philosophers and prison theorists generally, but also for prison reformers and abolitionists.

Finding Wisdom: Learning From Those Who Are Wise looks at wisdom through the lives of nineteen wise individuals from five distinct cultures—Navajo, Japanese, Kenyan, Saami, and Western European. The philosophies of these men and women unfold through their life stories. Traveling the world to meet these extraordinary men and women, the author discovered what the wise have in common, regardless of their cultures. All of us can benefit from those individuals who generate wise thoughts and actions. Through learning about “wise ones” who live among us, readers will find guidance for navigating through difficult times in their own lives and will learn to recognize the universal attributes of wisdom. Finding Wisdom explores wisdom as an attribute that men and women can and do attain. The book also addresses the questions: What is wisdom? Who is wise? What makes them so? How does one seek wisdom? Can wisdom be taught? and What difference can wisdom make in contemporary society?

A DISTANT CONNECTION is an absolute must read for all who find themselves intrigued by the criminal lifestyle in its many facets. From a hi-maximum security prison cell constructed to maximize human loneliness; a site designed to kill the mind; Kenneth Jamal Lighty manages to not only live, but thrive. Through self-cultivated intellect and hard-earned wisdom, he uses the single, most powerful weapon known to a prisoner -the ink pen- to not only bring the plight of the incarcerated into the consciousness of many throughout the world, but also to make a difference by inspiring and informing those whom he manages to come into contact with. In his book debut, Kenneths efforts to warn a generation of youth who appear to be enamored with street life are nothing short of remarkable. Reaching out to several of his peers, spanning several states across the country, and with various affiliations, he manages to create a pseudo-panel, providing a platform for prisoners to be able to share the hard-earned wisdom attained from years of making their own mistakes, in an effort to alter the trajectory of a generation that is seemingly on a road that will only lead to one or two places: the penitentiary or the cemetery. Via letters, filled with rawness and empathy, each reader is challenged to try a different route to success. Each individual opens up to reveal the pain beneath the exterior, and offers sound advice on how not to end up a victim of bad choices, before it is too late. Long overdue, A Distant Connection is a much needed intervention that will hopefully inspire change, and place our young people back on the path that will lead to a productive, healthy future.

In what may seem an unlikely pairing, Rev. Dr. Mary E. Mitchell and Dr. Michael J. Nichols share more than a decade of correspondence focused on spirituality in the harsh setting of a Missouri maximum-security prison. Mitchell, an ordained Centers for Spiritual Living minister, and Nichols, a felon sentenced to life without parole, share letters remarkable in their candor and insightful in the possibilities inherent in every soul. Within these pages, you will find morsels of wisdom from Nichols's transformative journey. If the central question of American jurisprudence is whether criminals can be rehabilitated, then these letters demonstrating Nichols's own search for spiritual wisdom offer a resounding yes. Rev. Dr. Mary Mitchell has had a fascinating career in wood products, environmental restoration, and metaphysical ministry. Her passion is metaphysical studies and teaching Science of Mind classes. Today, Dr. Mary focuses on her ministry, writing, and recording a weekly radio program, where she reviews her favorite books. She lives in Cottonwood, California, with her husband, Paul, and two tabby cats. Dr. Michael J. Nichols entered prison at nineteen years of age, as a high school graduate, gifted trombone player, and avid reader. During more than twenty-nine years of incarceration, he had antagonistic incidents against co-opted prisoners and overweening correctional officers. Today at age fifty, he has purged his gangster influence through spiritual and historical studies, discipline, and mental strength. He meets confrontation and anger with a different spirit and a humane smile. He continues to apply for parole.

This timely book expands on Viktor Frankl's seminal Man's Search for Meaning, examining the book's concepts in depth and widening the market for them by introducing an entirely new way to look at work and the workplace. Alex Pattakos, a former colleague of Frankl's, brings the search for meaning at work within the grasp of every reader using simple, straightforward language. The author distills Frankl's ideas into seven core principles: Exercise the freedom to choose your attitude; Realize your will to meaning; Detect the meaning of life's moments; Don't work against yourself; Look at yourself from a distance; Shift your focus of attention; and Extend beyond yourself. By demonstrating how Dr. Frankl's key principles can be applied to all kinds of work situations, Prisoners of Our Thoughts opens up new opportunities for finding personal meaning and living an authentic work life.

MEDITATION FOR PRISONERS I started studying meditation because I firmly expected to go to prison as a result of my refusal to participate in the Vietnam War. I knew instinctively that I would have to find resources within myself to prepare for and protect from long hours of boredom, hostile strangers and oppressive situations. These studies took me around the world and, although I never actually entered prison, I gathered what I needed to arm myself against the sudden deprivation of material comfort and freedom. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK This book contains 31 meditations, one for each day of the month. Use the meditation that corresponds to the date of the month. Find a comfortable place and read the introduction and meditation once. Then say each line of the meditation aloud if possible, silently if necessary. Concentrate on the meaning. Close your eyes, quiet your mind, watch your breath, observe your thoughts and, most importantly, follow your intuition. THE MIND TURNS TO LIBERATION I write for those few brothers and sisters who are forced by circumstance to contemplate the meaning of liberation. I write with a sense of camaraderie because everyone is, in some sense, a prisoner. True, for most people imprisonment is self-imposed. Nevertheless, once imposed, the mind turns to liberation.