A Revolution of Love-I wrote this after my daughter's sentencing

 
The United States officially has the highest incarceration rate in the world, according to data from the International Center for Prison Studies: For every 100,000 people who lived in the U.S. in 2011, 716 were in jail. With only 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. has 25% of the world’s prison population.

In comparison, Russia, with the world’s eighth highest incarceration rate, imprisons 479 people per every 100,000 residents. And China, 127th on the list, incarcerates only 121 people per 100,000. Most European countries, like France, Germany and the U.K., have between 50 and 150 prisoners per 100,000 residents. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES, August 2013

This country (and the world) needs a revolution of LOVE. It is not politics, economics or anything on the outside that is going to change things or save us. We ARE the change we are looking for and we need to raise the vibration of the earth from one of violence, greed, indifference and hate to one of love, compassion, empathy and forgiveness if we are to survive as human beings. We are all on this ship together and this ship is sinking from the weight of negativity. It only takes a small effort to make a huge difference. Address the divine in each person, give a comforting word, help a friend in need, abhor violence, smile at a stranger, have compassion and most of all forgive. We need to reclaim our moral integrity. Judges, prosecutors and prison guards should be agents of compassion and healing because they have a huge impact on people’s lives. Public defenders should care passionately about each person they represent because they also can have a huge impact on someone’s life.

When I went to my daughter’s trial, there were so many people crying in the halls (me being one of them). One woman was on the ground wailing and could not be consoled. I thought, this is a House of Tears. I can only pray that courthouses will someday become Houses of Healing.

In a sane world; in a just world; the judge, prosecutor, and public defender would work together to come up with a plan to help that person heal and again become a healthy and productive person.

Most people who are incarcerated have self-worth issues, childhood issues, sexual abuse issues, economic issues, mental health issues and drug issues. These are people who are already beat down and the prison system beats them down some more by treating them as sub-human and then expects them to leave the system as productive members of society. From the most recent studies of the PEW center the recidivism rate is about 43%. So, obviously, something is not working.

If God is the Father and we are His children, then we are also ALL brothers and sisters and we need to nurture, have compassion, empathy and understanding for the broken in our society-whether incarcerated or not. It is easy to judge another-that’s easy, but to have compassion, empathy, understanding and forgiveness; that’s the hard part. I have always said and I say now that Love is the only answer-love for ourselves and for each other as human beings. A love that comes from our Creator and a higher understanding.

None of us are perfect. We all have a lot of growing and learning to do. Our creator loves us unconditionally and because He resides in our heart, we also have that ability. We have all of the qualities that He possesses-kindness, compassion, forgiveness, unconditional love and empathy. And EVERY human being has the spark of the divine within them. And if we could touch that spark, nurture that spark within them, miracles can and do happen.