In response to a medical slip requesting counseling services, an inmate assured me that he was not trying to receive psychotropic medication as many do to help pass their time in jail. He stated that he was just passing through on a court appearance while serving time in prison and would not benefit from a referral to the psychiatrist. “I really do need to talk to somebody,” he stated. As he was talking, I was busy assessing his body language looking for cues of dishonesty, nervousness and overall disposition. The inmate stated that he had recently been diagnosed as HIV positive and was struggling with depression. He stated, “I’ve done a lot of bad things, but I don’t deserve to die!”
While observing the inmate’s mannerisms, I noticed a couple of the many tattoos that covered his arms. “What is that tattoo right there,” I inquired. “A skull,” he replied. “What does that represent,” I asked. “Death,” was his response. “And the skull with fire coming out of his eyes?”; “Death,” was his response again. “Guess who just showed up,” I said before I could even think. “If you want Life, you’re going to have to switch sides,” I told him.
At some point, “Death” and our Ego join forces simply because our Ego is so susceptible to Negative Energy. Negative Energy is forceful, manipulative, deceptive, and controlling by its very nature. The Ego is prone to fear and anxiety simply because it cannot understand spiritual principles and often arrives at erroneous conclusions. Positive Energy is spiritually based and intrinsically valuable and operates in Harmony with other positive principles. You cannot “force” Peace, Love or Freedom on to someone no matter how much you may desire it for them. Yes, boundaries must be maintained; in fact, boundaries are necessary for self-respect and personal intention. However, this “force” has more to do with self preservation and personal investment rather than the coercion of another.
In order to make the switch from “Death” to “Life”, one must first realize that a change needs to occur. As in the epiphany demonstrated above, when the consequences of Death finally arrive, a greater portion of the Truth is revealed. Often, this revelation opens the door to even more Truth that there is Hope and Healing available. This is the “rock bottom” effect mentioned so often by recovering addicts. It comes when one has finally exhausted all attempts to save himself and he is ready to take advantage of the help and support he so desperately needs.
It is not our goal to try to avoid Negative Energy altogether. In fact, we should not view Negative Energy as “bad” or even “evil”, although evil would certainly exist in the negative realm. Our goal is to enjoy all the benefits Life has to offer and in order to do so, we must first see the value of Life and its principles. Having seen their value we must then be willing to invest in them in order to reap their benefits. It is not our objective to try to be “good” or to “follow the rules” in order to receive a reward from God or the Universe; rather, our objective is to “invest” in ourselves by surrendering to the laws and principles of Positive Energy such as Health, Success, Peace, Love and Freedom. In doing so, we allow our unique gifts, talents and characteristics to flourish and live a Life of abundance and personal fulfillment.
