The Real Cost Of Freedom

Janis Joplin many times sang the mournful lyrics “Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose” back in the ‘60s, and well she knew the cost of freedom. It was in the price of what she gave up…not what anyone took. She never really had freedom, despite her fame and convoluted fortune, and that’s what she was saying. I know this because my business partner at the time was her best friend, and she was with her until the end.

The Cost Of Freedom Blog is about how we’ve all lost our freedom by our collective choice of attitude. We might be free to drive around and do a lot of things freely, but few people seem to know how much we’ve given up to be “free,” and what that’s costing them…and us as a society. Our prisons and jails are full of people who know the pain of that lost freedom, but the fact is few of them had it to begin with. The same is true to a less dramatic but no less impactful way about many of the rest of us who live in prisons of a different kind.

But it’s not just that, by any means. It’s much more positive than that. It’s about how we take steps to get that freedom back…again by our choice of attitude, and by our willingness to tell the truth and be accountable for our thoughts, words and actions––how we learn to respect one another, and our individual cultures, gender and personal circumstances.

The photo above depicts freedom to me, both in an energetic, visual sense, and in a more personal sense. I twice flew a light plane over that bridge, once when it was enshrouded in thick fog and only a few skyscrapers (literally) poked through the layers of Walt Disney clouds, and again later on in her famous “golden glow” at sunset. Many years later, I stood under her with a group of my closest friends celebrating a breakthrough moment in my life. I had just addressed a luncheon of the members of the San Francisco Yacht Club on the subject of the meaning and true value of personal freedom, as one who served 2 1/2 years in federal prison, and whose federal prosecutor later wrote the Foreword to a book I authored. Behind me in the distance as I spoke to this esteemed body of accomplished people…was Alcatraz.

This Blog Site is about Personal Freedom, and I’d like to focus on those who have done time on either side of the fences and walls. It is my desire to explore ways and exchange ideas and principles of understanding how we create a better, more effective and truly correctional system of criminal justice. If we can make even a 15% positive change, the impact on society overall will be huge. Imagine what it could be like if we could make that 50%. We can. We just have to think…and act…differently. I know, “easier said than done”…but we have to start somewhere. Why not start with ourselves?

Don Kirchner ReturnToHonor.org

Friday, December 19, 2008

Job Search Assistance


Gary Mialocq, Ph.D., Connector

As a retired vocational rehab counselor and long-time friend and associate of Don Kirchner, I am here to help those who are seeking a job or a career, or who just need to make extra money. My skill is being able to match things. If I introduce two people, they get married. I spent 25 years helping people find jobs, repair broken marriages, overcome physical and emotional pain , so this will be fun. My website, the Job Specialist, is devoted to getting you on the inside track. It is loaded with tools to help you simplify and streamline your job search.

I'll repeat what I said in an earlier post. I often tell people I've counseled to consider trading incarceration for "freedom", like a death. The old You #1758965 is dead. The past is history.

Your challenge is to focus on what lies ahead, your future. No excuse for the past -- it is done. Forget it, but LEARN from your mistakes. Be PATIENT and stay calm. You are very lucky. Because the death you are experiencing is in no way like a real death experience. For instance, rock star Eric Clapton lost his beloved 4 year-old son, Conor, in a fall from a building in New York. For almost a year, he couldn't sing, perform, or function. He was devastated. Then, he overcame it by facing it head-on, and writing a song for his son, "Tears in Heaven".





You can do it too . . . and we're here to help. If you do need help, feel free to contact me. As we grow we'll establish a solid support network. Good luck.





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