Issue 4, January 2008

The prison experience is nothing more than a microcosm of society. Within prison and society humans experience life as equals. For instance, a person in prison can be free while a person in society can be in prison, and both can be lonely. Loneliness is thus an equal opportunity partner. Loneliness does not concern itself with one’s social, economic, religious, educational position, or physical location.

If loneliness is life’s equal partner, then God’s presence is the remedy for anyone experiencing it. As we hold ourselves in the Light, we encounter God’s presence on a personal level. The personal encounter not only cures all our ills, it reaffirms our ultimate value as humans who are vessels of the Inner Light. As we continue to stay in the Light, we move from a friend who is far off to a friend who is near the Light. And by doing so, we learn to deal with life’s equal partner, loneliness, with the strength the Light provides.