Writing on freedom from prison may seem strange, but I have found it, both within prison and within myself. I used to think freedom was the ability to do what I wanted, when I wanted, but that only led to creating my own prison, long before I was ever incarcerated. I tried to escape personal unhappiness by escaping reality. The self-defeating cycle of substance abuse came to an end with a a friend's death from a drug overdose and my 20-year sentence with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Arriving at the penitentiary, surrounded by 40-foot walls, gun towers, and constant violence was a sobering experience. Barriers were all around me; looking down I saw concrete and tarmac, looking out, brick walls and fences, looking up, guard towers and razor wire. I couldn't do the simplest tasks unless I was allowed to do so. I woke up when I was told to wake up. I stood when I was told to stand. I worked when I was told to work.

There was no freedom for me until I came to realize that I had the freedom to choose to respond to my circumstances by continuing to rebel and end up as a statistic, become a mindless junkie sitting in front of a television set, or I could look inside myself. It became clear that, within prison or not, true liberation could only come from within. I learned the practice of Centering Prayer. I learned that no matter where a person is, if he or she is able to overcome previous perceptions and realize the spiritual nature of life, then one can truly experience freedom. Even in prison, a sun rises through the fence, a bird's song can be heard nearby, a smile of gratitude or a friendship built on mutual interest can easily overcome any of the minor hardships we endure. As Shakespeare wrote, " This above all else: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as night the day, thou canst then be false to no man." Realizing the ultimate truth in this statement, my former life became just a shadow compared to all the peace and beauty I can now experience each day.

Each of us has a cross to bear and can create a type of prison for ourselves and those around us by the way we face reality. But to be able surpass our limiting beliefs and see things as Christ did, with love, compassion and forgiveness, that for me is true freedom. It is the call to transcend ourselves, to transcend our self-interests and to see the deeper connection in all things. Freedom is not the ability to do something, but rather the ability to be someone, to be responsible in all circumstances and situations, to live an "authentic life". From a personal perspective I can tell you that if our thoughts and perceptions can't confine us then nothing can!