I believe the bitterness is to the soul what cancer is to the body...
I have seen for myself the effects of a bitter spirit, and it is tragic.
Because I am "Mobility Guide" during the morning hours, a part of my job consists of helping and escorting the prisoners who are partially or completely blind. So earlier today when I was summoned to the D-North cell block to pick up the man I would have to escort, it happened to be the same guy I had to take to the Infirmary this past Monday.
I found my Native American friend to be as bitter as ever. He was complaining non-stop during our walk through a succession of corridors en route to the Infirmary. He bickered with the correction officers when we got there, and he bickered with them on our way out. And while he was being treated for his medical problems, he argued with the nurses. He’s definitely not a "happy" resident.
I told him, "Bob*, you have to let go of things. You’re going to end up with a heart attack." But he quickly replied that he will never stop being angry about the Vietnam War and his years in the military, that left him sick with Agent Orange poisoning and a body scarred by shrapnel.
Nevertheless, "Indian Bob" is a decent person. I’ve known him for years, and he is well versed in the law. He’s well respected by the men in the general population, and they hold him in great affection. Yet I think that if he doesn’t get rid of the bitterness that’s eating away at him, he probably won’t live much longer.
D.B.
*Bob is not his real name.
Because I am "Mobility Guide" during the morning hours, a part of my job consists of helping and escorting the prisoners who are partially or completely blind. So earlier today when I was summoned to the D-North cell block to pick up the man I would have to escort, it happened to be the same guy I had to take to the Infirmary this past Monday.
I found my Native American friend to be as bitter as ever. He was complaining non-stop during our walk through a succession of corridors en route to the Infirmary. He bickered with the correction officers when we got there, and he bickered with them on our way out. And while he was being treated for his medical problems, he argued with the nurses. He’s definitely not a "happy" resident.
I told him, "Bob*, you have to let go of things. You’re going to end up with a heart attack." But he quickly replied that he will never stop being angry about the Vietnam War and his years in the military, that left him sick with Agent Orange poisoning and a body scarred by shrapnel.
Nevertheless, "Indian Bob" is a decent person. I’ve known him for years, and he is well versed in the law. He’s well respected by the men in the general population, and they hold him in great affection. Yet I think that if he doesn’t get rid of the bitterness that’s eating away at him, he probably won’t live much longer.
D.B.
*Bob is not his real name.
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