A Matter Of Respect

In response to the two previous comments posted, I invite them as well as new readers to ongoing dialog about something very simple yet profound in this process I have come to call "a return to honor." This isn't just about former inmates. It's about all of us "returning" to a state of mind and heart that allows for changes to be made in the way things have come to be. It means returning to what made this country truly great, and what most of us secretly, if not openly, yearn for...which is people caring about one another again. It's a about r-e-s-p-e-c-t...at its most basic and fundamental level. 

By respecting another person's point of view, or their right to exist on this planet as a human being, does not mean tolerating or condoning bad behavior. It means simply to treat them as you would have them treat you. If they've committed a crime, they deserve to be punished...but only according to the nature and seriousness of the crime. They need to feel the shock of being removed from society and left alone to consider their crimes...even to endure harsh punishment, if need be...but along the way, they also need to know that there is a way out. They must know that for them there is a way back to society, with honor, if they are willing to make changes. In order for them to make changes, most of them need to be educated and re-directed...and then welcomed back into their communities with a chance to give back to society in proportion to what they took from it. 

As I will write in succeeding blogs, that one thing...respecting one another...will do more to bring about measurable reduction in crime, nationwide, than any other thing. How we can accomplish that will be discussed later on, and is portrayed well in my book, A Matter Of Time, which you can review at our website...www.AMatterOfTime.org. 

Don Kirchner