Discipline

Ramadan began Wednesday. Over the past two years I’ve come to gain a great deal of respect for the large number of men who participate in the month-long Ramadan fast. For those who don’t know, during Ramadan, Muslims fast the entire day - no water, nothing - from sunrise to sunset.



Breakfast is served to the observants at 4:00 am. In our building, a group of 10 to 15 guys quietly wait for the door to open so they can make their way to the chow hall in the early morning for a meal that has to sustain them until 8:45 that evening when they walk back to chow for prayers and dinner.


These same guys still go to work during the day and still work out For almost a full month, day in and day out, they will fast. I’m amazed at friends and family who, when they learn I associate with Muslims quickly state “but do they condemn terrorists”; as though Islam is a monolithic block.


These same people would be deeply offended if a Muslim said “how can you call yourself a Christian and support military action or the overriding rampant materialism in America?” The painful truth is, by and large, we’re all pretty lousy when it comes to following our faith dictates. Fortunately we have a God who loves us in spite of our arrogance, and ignorance and self-centeredness.


I’ve discovered during this process that the guys that learn from this, that grow, and find meaning, are the ones who have self-discipline.


In this environment, it’s easy to lie in bed for hours (a popular prison myth is, sleeping 12 hours a day cuts your bid in half). Guys will give up jobs and school (“I don’t need a GED. I’ve done great without it.”) so they can “get their head right” for their release in 5 more years.


I’ve always been disciplined and regimented. I’m more so now. Every morning at 4:45 I naturally wake up. Every morning the same yoga, reading, and prayer routine. Every afternoon at 3:45 on workdays, I blow off chow and run. Four nights a week, law library for an hour or two; write two hours each day.


Last Friday evening they served “steak um” steak sandwiches for dinner. Guys couldn’t believe I’d rather go run than eat. I can’t understand guys not seeing the “big picture”.


I found a great quote by Winston Churchill. He said:


“Success is the ability to go from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”


Prison – rather than rehabilitating and reforming a person – breaks a man down. You become lazy; you focus your energy on weight lifting, rather than developing the muscle called your brain. Oh, you may cuss at an officer (“I’m a grown ass man!”) but deep down you’ve given up. You worry more about what you’ll mix in your ramen noodles than what’s going on in the world. You become nothing but grease that keeps the correction system lubricated.


There are guys who challenge that, who paraphrasing Dylan Thomas “rage, rage against the light.” They discipline their minds and bodies and in doing so prove the mystery and magnificence of the human spirit.


A Muslim friend ends every conversation with the expression “God willing”. You forge ahead and have faith. God hears our prayers. When the time is right – His time – He answers them.


I read about a spectacular set of falls on the Argentina-Brazil border. At the top of the falls etched into the rock are these words from Psalm 93.


“Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!”


And at the bottom:


“God is always greater than all of our troubles.”


When you consider that, missing a few meals isn’t such a big deal.