Asking About Blindness

There’s a story in the New Testament I’ve been trying to get my hands around for the past few weeks. It concerns Jesus and the disciples coming upon a blind man. The disciples ask “Was it the parents’ sin or his own sin that led to his blindness.” “The Message” records Jesus response in these modern words: “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no cause and effect here. Look instead for what God can do.”

            Asking the wrong question. Look instead for what God can do. The words have rolled around my brain for a few weeks. It was with those words in mind that I thought about a response to comments from “Anonymous” on May 3 (see Waiting blog). It struck me funny because the tight knit group of young men in here, who follow what I write and why I write it, had a definite opinion of what my response should be and it was different than what I thought. I told one young guy in particular – who urged me to go forward “with a vengeance” – that you have to step back and see the big picture.

            It really comes down to three P’s: Paul, Punishment, and Perseverance.

            People think they understand another’s circumstances completely and they know exactly the proper response for any situation and they are sure they would do “the right thing.” It’s human nature really. We see our neighbor’s failures, foibles, and weaknesses, and know we wouldn’t do that. Worse, we decide in the rightness of ourselves and therefore lack empathy for those who stray. “Break the law you’re going to be punished.” Simple words, yet wrong.

            I spend a good deal of time reading Paul’s letters to the various small, struggling churches around Asia Minor. I’m amazed at his transformation from law enforcer to grace proclaimer. And, I can’t get over the fact that this man, with the blood of innocents on his hands, was the primary catalyst for the growth of Christianity beyond the relatively small, sect-like following of its post-resurrection numbers.

            Paul was a bright, well-off man of the community. He knew the law and understood that it had to be enforced. Go outside its terms and be punished. His was a simple, cause-effect view. And then he came face to face with God and realized it wasn’t law that propelled us forward, but grace, God’s unfathomable mercy and love that no one deserves, yet gets. Irony of ironies (to me anyway) Paul carried that message of reconciliation, forgiveness, hope, and love all from prison. And, he never shied away from what he had been. He freely admitted his past.

            To the writer of the blog posting I simply say everything you write about my past is true. We could argue technical terms, and I could present a strong defense justifying my behavior. (Then again, I don’t think you are interested in the whole story.) But the fact is, I stole. Fact is, I knew what I was doing was wrong; knew I’d get caught, knew I’d probably lose everything. I don’t shy away from my past sins or “the whys.” Like the story of the blind man, however, I think you are asking the wrong question.

            Then there’s “punishment.” Let’s make sure we understand, I don’t think there is no place for prison. Prison can be a useful tool. But, I did have to laugh at the naïveté of the writer who said, in effect they’d conducted an informal survey of friends and acquaintances and “there is a strong consensus what prison is like.” No there isn’t. Until you experience it, you don’t have a clue.

            And that’s not really the point. I write about the failures of prison because they are so painfully obvious. Forget the philosophical argument (should society, in the name of justice, allow barbaric, cruel inhumane treatment to enforce judgments?), as a practical matter prisons fail. Fact: two of three released inmates return to prison within three years (so much for deterrent effect!); Fact: incarcerating non-violent, low custody offenders leads to worse criminal behavior in the future; Fact: it is expensive and not cost-effective.

            There is a reason conservative Republican politicians are jumping on the band wagon of prison reform. It is the elephant (no pun intended!) in the room when you discuss failed government.

            Now, if your goal is purely and simply retribution, then prisons are great. They destroy lives, tear families apart, lead to generational and community distress; make people bitter – both inside and outside the walls. Prison creates an attitude that seeks to deny responsibility for one’s actions.

            The problem with prison is it leads to more problems than it solves. Over 90% of all the incarcerated will return to society. How they leave this place is largely determined by the treatment they receive while in here, the support from family and friends on release, and education and job skills they possess. Abuse a man – or woman – in prison and you risk spending millions over the course of that felon’s life on additional prison terms and resulting costs on welfare, drug treatment, and more.

            This is neither a left or a right issue. Conservative politicians use catch-all phrases like “tough on crime” with a one size fits all (“lock em up and throw away the key”) approach. Liberals become apologists for bad behavior excusing gang violence, drug dealing, and other crimes blaming irresponsible behavior on a racist society.

            The truth is, prison is expensive, ineffective, and – with the exception of the extremely violent and sociopathic inmates does more harm than good. Prison lacks morality. It is not effective punishment. It is primitive, purposeless, and poisons society’s core values.

            Finally, perseverance. I’ve done a fair number of stupid things in my life. Even though I never, however, did anything with the intention of hurting anyone, I broke the law and accepted (contrary to what the writer said) with no question, my punishment. Easy? No. Suffering? Neither the writer, nor family and friends, know the extent of what I’ve been through (which also caused me to smile when my anonymous poster told me to “suffer in silence.”) I have been blessed in the experience and believe there in a purpose and a reason for it. If nothing else, I write to put real flesh and blood on a group of people long neglected: the imprisoned.

            There is a reason the Psalms, the Old Testaments Prophets, and even Jesus refer over and over to the plight of the “prisoners.” And before I’m told those “prisoners” are a metaphor for someone other than a lawbreaker, remember Paul’s admonition about the law: all fall short.

            People have the capacity for great good and great evil. I have witnessed incredible acts of kindness by men whom most readers (like my anonymous poster) would label beyond redemption. At the same time, I have seen “good, law-abiding” friends and family show unforgiveness and lack mercy and empathy to an extent usually reserved for your worst enemy.

            I began with a story about Jesus and the blind man and asking the wrong question instead of looking at what God can do. It isn’t a physical deficiency that holds us back; it is the hardness of our spirit. The greatest gift I’ve received in this trial is seeing the world through opened, “freed” if you would, eyes. That’s why I’m able to smile when I read the anonymous poster’s response and why I look forward to exchanging personal correspondence with the writer.