Defining the moments that made me look within myself for change.
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My change came from taking responsibility for my actions, for my life, and my choices.
I never intended to kill anyone, but I did, and I took responsibility for that.I awakened after that tragic event.
An awareness. I do have choices in life. I decided to be me. Never let any event as horrible as what I did happen again.
I knew awareness of self, life, love, and silence were the key.
I knew books, pondering, silence, education, and some kind of spiritual growth were the key.
Many moments have defined my journey since it started back in 1977. My individual studies of philosophy, sociology, and nature led me to poetry and poetry to acting and acting to prose and prose to flute playing. I spent so many silent moments at Soledad and San Quentin prison as I developed into a poet and artist.
Change is an inevitable part of life in prison, or anywhere on Mother Earth. We just have to figure out how to appreciate and develop change in positive ways.
There were and are many defining moments. I began to look within, back in the county jail in 1977, only a few days after I turned twenty. I knew I had changed my life forever.
I had nowhere to go but inside myself. The philosophy of going inside became my guide.
Some inner spirit of flow took over (knowledge, silence, and nature) and became my freedom.
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Photo: Lucas Lucas/Flickr