As I noted in Part One, I have seen a variety of human behavior under what is colloquially known as solitary confinement. As I have watched the U.S.’s response to governmental protections to prevent the spread of COVID to the most vulnerable who will more than likely (and have) reap the highest death tolls, I had many moments of deja vu.
One thing to remember is that no one is responding in a good or bad way. Let us roll down the window driving 55 mph, and throw good and bad out the window, at least if you can for the duration of reading these posts. Humans have some set go-to responses when under threat. They just are. When any of us labels actions as good or bad, what we are really saying is that we agree or disagree. If we agree with their actions, “they” are good. If we disagree “they” are bad. We miss the entire point of what the other person is trying to communicate.
These pre-set go-to responses are forms of communication. These are people trying to express how they feel without words, often when they don’t think that anyone will listen. People become so desperate as to use force to get someone to listen. Sadly, force may lead to temporary compliance out of fear, but listening and understanding cannot be cultivated in a climate of hostility. We have created a dog-eat-dog world, and we have a responsibility to change our mindset and actions.
While behaviors we see in others appear erratic, at least from my perspective, our behaviors tend to fall into categories. I will list some of the categories in this blog and describe the behaviors in the next. If any of these patterns look familiar to you, know that there are people throughout the U.S. who are currently truly in confinement, and these dynamics are playing out there as well. Can you imagine being in solitary for a year or longer? For some, this is their reality.
1) Defiance:
2) Despair:
3) Be tougher than the others:
4) Extort/exploit the others:
5) Avoid the whole thing:
6) Learn Meditation and/or yoga:
7) Become more religious:
8) Read as many books as possible:
9) Get buff:
10) Try to encourage others:
11) Play games that you made up:
12) Engage in extended letter writing campaigns:
13) Protest/Hunger strike:
14) Sing loudly to keep yourself company:
14) Never come out again:
Faith, you gave me a lot to think about and a different way to think about somethings.