Take a Deep Look

Hotep,

As a onetime owner of a fish aquarium, I’ve spent countless hours observing the habits of the following carnivore fish:  (2) Snakeheads, (1) Barracuda, (1) Alligator Gar, (1) Jack Dempsey, (1) Tire Track Eel, and (1) Albino Algae-eater.

These aquatic occupants lived with a sense of caution.  With the exception of the algae-eater, all of them fed on other fish.  As long as there was food in the tank, boundaries were respected, but when the goldfish and Rosey Reds were scarce – all bets were off.  Na mean?

These fish have no agendas.  Their attention span is no longer than their last trip to the other side of the tank.  Their survival instincts calculate their every move.  The more they eat, the larger they will get.  If one fish outgrows another, the smaller of the two has a much lower rate of survival, nothing personal; just life inside the tank.  Right?

Now allow me to give you a visual of the death row housing unit (tank).  It’s set up in a similar fashion.  The C.O. sits inside a booth, and observes the containment unit that houses the death row residents.  Each resident has his own story, his personal stamp of accreditation.  Various walks of life locked into a single limited space.  SMH.

For the most part, boundaries are respected, but the peaceful coexistence can easily be rattled by the poisonous effects of greed and envy.  Feel me?  When you look at the fish; it’s never personal.  There is no agenda.  However, on the row, your agenda speaks much louder than any words.  One person’s agenda may be limited to this particular day and time, and go no further than the confines of the concrete barriers that encage us.  Na mean?

That type of agenda isn’t healthy for the individual that has set personal goals for himself, goals that transcend beyond the barriers of this box.  Ambitions of freedom tend to clash with agendas founded on mental institutionalism.  Word is bond!

A look into the tank provides a means of entertainment.  The fish swim amongst one another without any regard for the prying eyes on the other side of the glass.  The “big fish” will always stand out, but if he’s oblivious to the official oppression that regulates his day-to-day interactions; his existence is no more than a daily vice to the eyes of the authoritative observer.  Ya heard?

Keep it 100,

MannofStat

Copyright © 2012 by Leroy Elwood Mann