| Environment! The culprit |
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| By Annie G |
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Whenever the word environment is brought into discussion, most people these days immediately go off on a tangent about global warming or climate change because too many of us do not understand the full scientific measure of it. Politicians made sure of that. They bombard the gullible public with too much information - knowing too much creates confusion, and we all know that confusion is a great strategy for control. Not surprising then that the scientists can't agree - their conclusions often depends on which side of the political fence they're sitting on - money and power is where it's at. Feeling slightly bored, I decided to change the colour of the topic and chatted to a friend about the many shades of the word environment. He commented that his work environment had recently changed for the better and the positive affects it had on his attitude; He was full of enthusiasm about how his work ethics and relationships with his colleagues had greatly improved and shift work was no longer a drag. The talk of how environment can change our lives made me reflect - how do we define environment? It's reasoned to be many things, depending on the context. The one I like best at this point in time is The combination of circumstances at a given time. It sums up how I feel about life. Awesome, I thought; the affect environment has on the way we think, feel and ultimately behave. I considered the environments that have devastating influences on our social and cultural systems and conditions like the prisons. Many years ago I was invited (along with a few other guests) to a dinner in Mt Eden prison, given by one of the prison officers. He taught a weight lifting class and this was his way of rewarding the good effort made by this group of in-mates. He requested we brought cigarettes and kumaras as presents for the 'Boys'. This environment for me was bizarre. Here I was sitting in a small, drab room, at a long table with a group of men shaped by circumstances so completely outside of my life experiences. Opposite me sat a young man whose head barely came above the table. His hair was long and greasy and fell unhappily onto his shoulders, and the fringe hung limply over his forehead almost into his eyes. He frequently looked down at his plate, and then furtively raised his eyes to observe me. I was fascinated and somewhat fearful not only about the fact that we were sitting down to dinner with convicted thieves and murderers, but of his observation of me. Not really observing me per se, but watching me watching him. I mentioned this to my friend. He laughed and explained. 'He's passing food to a mate under the table who'll take it back to the cell to later trade for other commodities.' This sounded so incredible to me. I thought about it for a few seconds and then simply asked, 'Why?' He shrugged his shoulders- 'Challenging their ability to survive, breaking the monotony, there's little else to occupy them in this controlled environment.' 'Hence the weight-lifting class,' I said. 'Yes, He agreed. For some, it gives them a focus and helps improve their self-image as well as their bodies and their behavior,' he added. After dinner (which I ate very little of) we chatted with some of the 'Boys'.One of them quite happily related to us how much of his life was lived in this dungeon environment. He had been in and out of prison since his son was a baby and who was now 25yrs old and had also done time. Now a hopeless recidivist, he accepted this grotty, dismal place as 'His Place'. I remember thinking at the time, 'with the best will in the world, how could humans be rehabilitated in this ugly, colourless environment? But then they're not rehabilitated, I figured, 'They're just shut away from society and left to create their own sense of reality.' For many of them, I believe their home environment and lack of positive experiences laid the foundation for where they are now. I think about Bill Manhire's words, 'when we grow up we can hear our parents inside the sounds we make. There was not a single thing in this unlovely place to promote or encourage imagination or influence confident, creative, beautiful thoughts that would help stimulate and change the feelings and perceptions of these disempowered individuals. Einstein once said, 'Imagination is more important than knowledge. He should know - his school environment didn't do much for him. On the way home I felt cold and depressed. The grayness of the place and an unclean feeling clung to me. I could hardly wait to get home to have a hot shower - I realized then why my friend would always head for the shower as soon as he got home from the prison. We can never wash away an experience, the poet Keats was so right when he said, Nothing ever becomes real until it is experienced. Our environment will always impact on who we are and ultimately how we behave. To help save our natural world, we first have to change the combined circumstances closer to home - ourselves. - Annie G |