Solitary confinement is one
of the harshest treatments in prison life. Researching the intersection of
faith and solitary confinement, the image of a person stretching out her arms to
demonstrate how large the cell was struck me. If one stands upright with arms
outstretched to touch the walls, the image is reminiscent of crucifixion.
Nelson Mandela, who
famously served 27 years in prison in South Africa during Apartheid spent
several stretches of time in solitary.
“Prisoner
46664, as he was known - the 466th prisoner to arrive in 1964 - would be the
first to protest over ill-treatment and he would often be locked up in solitary
as punishment.
"In those early years, isolation became a habit. We were routinely charged for the smallest infractions and sentenced to isolation," he wrote in his autobiography, The Long Walk to Freedom. "The authorities believed that isolation was the cure for our defiance and rebelliousness."
"I found solitary confinement the most forbidding aspect of prison life. There was no end and no beginning; there is only one's own mind, which can begin to play tricks.”
Mandela said of the toll of his time spent in solitary, "Wounds that can't be seen are more painful than those that can be seen and cured by a doctor.” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-23618727
"In those early years, isolation became a habit. We were routinely charged for the smallest infractions and sentenced to isolation," he wrote in his autobiography, The Long Walk to Freedom. "The authorities believed that isolation was the cure for our defiance and rebelliousness."
"I found solitary confinement the most forbidding aspect of prison life. There was no end and no beginning; there is only one's own mind, which can begin to play tricks.”
Mandela said of the toll of his time spent in solitary, "Wounds that can't be seen are more painful than those that can be seen and cured by a doctor.” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-23618727
Researchers have found that long periods of time
spent in solitary break animals from their normal social behavior, some never
able to regain a place in society.
“One of the things that was extraordinary
about [Mandela] is his sense that being in a group — a collective — of people
committed to the same principles, along with making collective decisions about
the way forward, is an essential element in movement-building and survival in
circumstances that are harsh and oppressive,” she said. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/nelson-mandela-1
It is in being part of a
community that saves our individual humanity.
Author Havercamp reminds us that our Lord saved us by being in his own solitary confinement, from the crucifixion to his glorious resurrection. All that we read about the horrors of being alone in such circumstances, Christ lived for us. This Holy Week, as we try once more to wrap our minds around the cost paid for our sins, let us remember those who are spending days on end today in their own solitary confinement. Let us remember that solitude as we have been studying is to clarify our thinking and make us better people not to break us, making us able to serve the world that Christ redeemed.
Author Havercamp reminds us that our Lord saved us by being in his own solitary confinement, from the crucifixion to his glorious resurrection. All that we read about the horrors of being alone in such circumstances, Christ lived for us. This Holy Week, as we try once more to wrap our minds around the cost paid for our sins, let us remember those who are spending days on end today in their own solitary confinement. Let us remember that solitude as we have been studying is to clarify our thinking and make us better people not to break us, making us able to serve the world that Christ redeemed.
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