Volunteers answer ‘notes from inside’

The Dalai Lama wants a “spiritual revolution.” He has called “for a radical reorientation away from our habitual preoccupation with self toward concern for the wider community of beings with whom we are connected … .”

A preoccupation can mean individual self-interest, religious or denominational vanity or attacking those who are different.

This spiritual revolution encompasses the willingness to accept others without judgment. It may be the ultimate expression of love. As Jesus taught, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). It doesn’t, however, need to take on a religious (Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, etc.) or denominational (Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, etc.) meaning.

A spiritual revolution can be a universal connection to one another as members of the same human family.

The nonprofit, nonsectarian Volunteers for Hancock Jail Residents (JailVolunteers.org) in Ellsworth is such an example. “Regardless of the reasons for incarceration,” according to the group’s mission statement, “volunteers for Hancock Jail Residents … are interested in incorporating our incarcerated citizens into positive roles in the community by providing restorative assistance. But rather than entering the jail with the idea of ‘changing’ anyone, we are simply there to provide community support, friendship, and a greater feeling of belonging.”

Most of the residents are young. Many of them wrestle with chemical addictions. A large number come from battered childhoods and often fight the ultimate battle against depression or other mental disorders. Few blame someone else for their missteps in the community. They take full responsibility for what may have gone wrong. Jail residents come from diverse social and economic backgrounds, but share similar struggles.

Perhaps the most striking and often saddest thing about some of the residents is their youth.

We are a consumer-driven, throwaway society – children and young adults are sometimes among the casualties of a culture that doesn’t provide a proper level of treatment or assistance. Despite the many social, mental and professional challenges these residents face, they have tried to maintain a sense of hope.

This summer, VHJR published “Notes from Inside – Writing by Residents of the Hancock County Jail.” It has been used as a fund-raiser to help support programs such as yoga, parenting, stress-reduction, creative writing and self-esteem workshops. Although this is an all-volunteer group, there are still costs that include books and supplies.

The publication is a means of self-expression for these men and women. In one poem, a resident wrote: “As the days blend into one another my mind tries to find peace within itself. Each day I feel a little closer to that. I work through my fears and my anger and many other emotions. … I’m getting better each time at letting the negative go and accepting all those things that I can’t change or fix … I’m finding that it has to start within yourself first, however. I’m finding out a lot about me and people in general, at least a lot more than I ever thought there was.”

Although reading these poems leaves a powerful impression, another meaningful connection to the residents is to be a volunteer in the program. Serving as a one-on-one visitor has had wide appeal at the jail. It allows a person to sit, visit, listen and offer a sympathetic ear that helps the resident build self-esteem and better prepare for the next stage of life. It is not a place to evangelize. It is a place, however, to visit and interact with, in a the broadest sense, a “brother” or “sister.”

Regardless of a person’s belief in a higher authority, each individual is spiritual. To suggest that even the most ardent atheist isn’t implies that he or she has lost their humanity. Ironically, some of the most caring, committed community activists I know have been estranged from faith or organized religion. Their “ministry” to serve stems not from an expectation of being rewarded in a possible afterlife, but from a genuine, sincere concern for people. This to me is – although they wouldn’t necessarily approve of the description – the ultimate respect for life and hence, as Jesus commanded, the purest act of love for God.

Anyone interested in working with VHJR may e-mail July@JailVolunteers.org or call 374-2437.

The Right Rev. Paul Peter Jesep, an auxiliary bishop in the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church-Sobornopravna, has studied at Bangor Theological Seminary. The views expressed are his own and do not reflect the church’s position. He may be reached via VladykaPaulPeter@aol.com. Voices is a weekly commentary by five Maine columnists who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life.