Mental Incarceration, the Silent Oppressor

EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS PIECE IS PART OF A SERIES EXPLORING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS. SEE THE INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES HERE.

As an American, I am grateful to live in a land where laws attempt to preserve what we perceive as our rights and freedoms. America is branded as the land of the free, however when a person does not know their rights, they are subject to become a victim of physical or mental slavery. Oppressors misuse, abuse, and claim power over victims who do not know their rights or where to go for help when their rights are violated making freedom a perception that cannot be actualized. From the terror inflicted by Boko Haram on the villages in West Africa, to the sex traffickers on the streets of Los Angeles, innocents are being violated, victimized, murdered, or enslaved for the pleasure and profit of their oppressor. While some people are enjoying a life of liberty, others are suffering without a voice or the ability to be heard saying STOP.

The increase in unopposed atrocities that are happening to innocent people around the world indicates that many people are not aware of the human rights violations that are taking place every day or are not willing to fight for them. Too many people are attracted to the distractions in purposeless, mundane news that fill our time, keep us oblivious, and leave little room to address the oppressions that should be brought into the light.

Photo Credit: Liu Tao, Flickr

The same applies to our institutions and governments. Many companies profit to the detriment of people, society, and our planet. Hiding flaws and making laws that compromise food safety, pollute the environment, swindle the elderly, and poison our children, while climate change threatens all life on earth as we know it. The list goes on, and the most vulnerable will suffer the most. Although some corporations and institutions will disagree, oppression is not necessary for profit. Consider the win-win-win scenario that is made possible through the concept of SIA: Sincerity + Integrity + Accountability.

C. Yao Khepra Felix Wilson, Evolution through Fusion, CEO, introduced the SIA triple bottom line philosophy to our organizations: Universal Citizens Corp, The Revelation Network (TRN), and Preparation and Awareness for Community Resiliency in Emergencies and Disasters (PAC RED). We decided to step up and adopt the SIA principle into our corporate culture. The idea of a whole community approach in a mutually beneficial collaboration permeated our communications and relationships with our colleagues including the Five Points Youth Foundation, and Black Emergency Managers Association (BEMA) who are also members of the United Nations Global Compact. We are all honored to be a part of the world’s largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative. The healthy, productive, and supportive environment we share aligns our resources knowing that we are all aiming for the highest good and fairly shared remuneration for all. When we add “purpose” to SIA, we create a quadruple bottom line for all our operations and intentions.

SIA is both possible and achievable. Our companies and colleagues apply SIA principles in our work locally and globally as we bring awareness to initiatives and advocate for change. All programs and initiatives benefit from using our media and technology platforms to increase community engagement, distribute information, and receive feedback that can be shared and assessed for making changes and improvements. As United Nations Global Compact Partners, we support the eradication of oppression over people and our planet. This requires that we also deal with the internal issues that make us prisoners of our own minds. This mentally incarcerated damnation is a plague, one that can’t be seen but is felt deeply and hurts even deeper.

Related article: “SDG 16: PEACE, JUSTICE, AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS”

Therefore, one positive step toward achieving freedoms is to have open dialogs about enslavement. A verse from the “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley resonates with this discussion; “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.” The concept captivated me when I thought of how it applies to achieving freedom and to be in a place of inner peace.

Peace starts with our inner peace, yet, even when we achieve inner peace, each new day can challenge our ability to stay in love and at peace. The effort to deflect the negative and remain positive is an ongoing process. The factors that cause people to become prisoners within their own minds are injected into our daily lives through our relationships, media, society, and the institutions that govern civility. We are constantly tempted to fall in fear, envy, jealousy, anger, pride, greed, resentment, hatred, losing self control ,and being unforgiving. These conditions entrap our minds, becoming an internal prison even while walking around physically free. Mental incarceration is an unhealthy place for governing positive thinking and producing positive outcomes.

The consequence of operating in fear is evident in the pain and suffering that exists in our world today. We are caught up in the chaos that has manifested over time. To stop the chaos from escalating man must look within, identify the source of his fear, deal with the fear, and overcome it to begin healing.

Left unresolved this state of being can spread beyond ones internal confinement and affect other people. When a person has the power or authority to exert their thoughts, feelings, and actions onto other people, those exertions will have a positive or negative affect on other people’s lives, livelihoods, and experiences. It affects everything from our personal relationships to the institutions that make up our society and government. Someone is going to suffer, be taken advantage of and/or be oppressed when those in authoritative or power positions can enforce their decisions, policy, and rules that are governed within a mentally incarcerated framework. Outcomes from this environment are limited to restrictive, fearful, carnally based decision-making that lack the balance, fairness, and love necessary to produce what would be the highest good for all.

I’ve wondered what could possibly be going through the mind of someone who forces their agenda onto another person, stripping them of their basic human rights for personal gain, overlooking and unaffected by the pain they inflict, all to enjoy the profits gained from such suffering. What thoughts could be going through the mind of someone who with forethought and intention hurts a precious, innocent, and defenseless child? The defenseless become prey to their oppressors. This should grieve the soul of anyone with love in their heart.

How then can we adapt corporate policy that allows for profit without oppression? The answer is through regenerative economics.

Revenue models that include the earth and sun as capital assets are in balance with the earth while generating profit. Fear (being the root of greed and pride) is removed from regenerative models and allows SIA to be interpreted and applied to corporate structure. Applying regenerative principles to people includes all people as valuable contributors that fairly participate in the profits and benefits. This reduces the need to exert aggression or oppressing others to realize profit and purpose. Collaboration becomes a reciprocal benefit and not a threat that limits possibilities. Resources are combined to create new models that are shared and benefitted by everyone.

We worked with our colleagues and applied SIA to our corporate philosophy. We combined our resources to implement the whole community approach for emergency preparedness and resiliency. There is a need for all people to be self-sufficient, self-reliant, and self-sustainable during emergencies and disasters, because help may not reach everyone who needs it immediately when disaster strikes. Government and collaboration partners like BEMA have the expertise in responding to emergencies, but there are still disconnections between government and the communities they serve who desperately need resources and assistance during disasters. Houses of Worship, a valuable community resource, and collaborative partners like the Five Points Youth Foundation are connected to neighborhoods and their needs; yet they may not have the capacity to fulfill the demand for help during disasters. Universal Citizens Corp and TRN utilize media and technology to reach people all over the world on digital devices; still technology is only the rocket ship and needs content with a message for fuel.

Photo Credit: Lady Alicia Hamilton

The three groups have a like-minded intention to help people at the grass root; however it takes their combined efforts to be most effective. PAC RED is a regenerative model that was created from the 3 need to help communities become self-sufficient, self-reliant, and self-sustainable during emergencies and disasters. PAC RED combines the resources of government (capacity), with Houses of Worship and community partners (engagement), with technology platforms (outreach) to support efficient and effective delivery of the whole community approach for emergency preparedness and resiliency. Everyone’s objectives are achieved with the highest good for all. Government connects with community, Houses of Worship and community partners receive support and increase capacity, and the technology platform delivers relevant media content with important messages. Most importantly, communities are connected through their trusted partners to get the resources and information they need for changing and improving their quality of life.

Utilizing Houses of Worship and community partners to engage neighborhoods and bring awareness to issues, programs and initiatives can be applied to any agenda. Engagement is further enhanced and supported by media and technology to heighten awareness and provide feedback anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. This model fully supports the SDG 16 beginning with open dialogs about peace, justice, and strong institutions.

For a full mindmap containing additional related articles and photos, visit #SDGStories

Bringing awareness to communities about emergency resiliency was a critical step to before education, advocacy and change could be implemented. Many people did not know that there was a need, but once they became aware their attitudes and behaviors began to change. It is our hope that the same will hold true about bringing awareness to mental incarceration. People go on with their lives unaware that they are choosing, allowing, and then manifesting damnation. Man has been choosing and creating out of fear since the beginning of time. He fears he will not have enough, so he will choose to hoard and save. Then when that is not enough he will even steal from his neighbor. Government and policing systems are designed to keep order in society so people can live harmoniously. Power and authority is necessary for maintaining that order. There would be little need for enforced authority and government if people exerted power and authority over themselves and their own lives in a way that is harmonious with others and our planet.

So laws are in place to ensure that people don’t get out of order and authority is in place to enforce the laws. Yet, when laws are based on fear they will ultimately produce chaos. It may take time to see it before it is obvious, but eventually the chaos will be revealed. We can enforce authority during chaos, so it becomes manageable or doesn’t affect the perception of order, but that does not get rid of it when the root of the chaos remains in the mind. Enforcement of authority during chaos only suppresses it and is a temporary fix. Until everyone operates out of love instead of fear there will be choices made that will disrupt order. Increasing disruptions to order leads to chaos. Increasing chaos leads to desperation. Increasing desperation leads people to commit unthinkable atrocities where the lines become so blurred that even innocent children are considered fair prey.

I’ve wondered what could possibly be going through the mind of someone who forces their agenda onto another person, stripping them of their basic human rights for personal gain, overlooking and unaffected by the pain they inflict, all to enjoy the profits gained from such suffering. What thoughts could be going through the mind of someone who with forethought and intention hurts a precious, innocent, and defenseless child? The defenseless become prey to their oppressors. This should grieve the soul of anyone with love in their heart.

Many of our world leaders are governing out of fear. We have created weapons and systems to ensure that someone can be stopped when they disrupt the perceived order, or authority is exercised over them. Our world will not heal until every human being on earth takes authority over their thinking and begins choosing out of love instead of fear. As long as we operate out of fear there will be chaos. When laws are made based upon love and compassion there is an ability to conceive, receive an accept order that is reasonable and sensible. Love is eternal, balanced, fair, orderly, and non-disruptive.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

If everyone truly operated out of love there would be no need for authority. If we operated out of love there would not be gluttony or hunger. We would only use what we needed in moderation and share our excess with our brother. When we operate out of love what we need is not excessive because we operate in order and in consideration of nature and how we affect everything around us. When we operate out of love there is no need for envy or jealousy. We can be happy for others, and know that we will get what is ours in our time. Love eradicates everything we have created out of fear.

The consequence of operating in fear is evident in the pain and suffering that exists in our world today. We are caught up in the chaos that has manifested over time. To stop the chaos from escalating man must look within, identify the source of his fear, deal with the fear, and overcome it to begin healing. Enforced control may work for a time, but it will not last. Fear is the common denominator and source of chaos, sadness, weakness, and pain both individually and corporately.

An effort to change begins with one action—the choice to change. Each choice after that DOES make a difference. Individually we may not have the power to change the world; but we do have the power to change ourselves and our perceptions. A man’s body can be enslaved against his will, but his mind cannot be enslaved unless he allows it. “Free your mind and the rest will follow.” We all have the authority to let our minds be free. Then this collective consciousness can change the world.

The time to change is now. We can overcome our present challenges and create a new reality with new possibilities using the SIA principle applied to regenerative models. This allows new perspectives, methods, and purpose to evolve from what has worked in the past into new realms with positive outcomes that benefit all people and a brighter future for our planet.

Recommended reading: “THE FINES AND FEES THAT KEEP FORMER PRISONERS POOR”