A Wise Man Once Said…

Hotep,

Reverend Isaac Villegas (pronounced vee – a – gas) has been a fixture in my creative writing class since day one.  His value to this class is that of a center beam, to a bridge.  Without him there would be a discouraging distance between the students and the accomplished lectors who consistently leave us with one to grow on.  Na mean?

Under the direction of Reverend Villegas, this week’s assignment (10/16/13) is to find a symbolism – within the book of Daniel – and somehow apply that symbolic imagery to a circumstance in your own life.  Now, you already know, your MannofStat can make a symbolic connection to the last drop in a tube of toothpaste; if you keep pressing you’ll always get something out of it.  Feel me?

But this particular assignment will not be exclusive to my perception alone.  I decided to share this experience with my man, Chris Gregory.  He’s a spiritual brother who bears the breastplate of righteousness in such a humble manner, that it can be daunting to those who chose to shy away from spirituality.

Chris chose to break down the symbolism of the statue that represented the four kingdoms in Daniel 2:31-35, and how it parallels the phases of capital punishment.  But first, I asked him to explain the character of someone labeled as a “Wise Man” in this penitentiary setting (Daniel 2:12).

“God bestows the wisdom upon us.  The way a man carries himself; his decision making; and personal life experiences.  I was 20 years old – coming through the door.  I wasn’t strong in my faith.  Over the years, I’ve grown spiritually, and come to realize that man isn’t in control.  God’s time reigns supreme.”  Aight!  Now listen.  If you thought this would be a friendly game of tic tac toe; step away from the board and observe a chess master checkmating capital punishment.

A wise man once said:

The four kingdoms – or the four phases of capital punishment – is a statue that represents the misperception of man being in control.  Head of gold – A system in place, in which lawmakers believed it to be flawless.  Some viewed it as untouchable.  It was believed that anyone sentenced to die, through a court of law, was deserving of it.

Silver chest and arms – the death penalty opponents (chest) began to voice heartfelt issues concerning capital punishment.  Many protests and rallies were soon to follow.  The arms of silver represent the strength of the humanity within these actions.

Abdomen and hips of bronze – Politicians seek political gain by taking a firm stand on crime.  The death penalty is the smoke screen for their true intent to capitalize on the tax dollars of a system in peril.  The abdomen of bronze in essence is the “belly of the beast.”  The bronze hips are the appellant attorneys with the unbearable caseloads.  The heavier the belly, the heavier the burden is for the hips to bear.  The rotundity of the bronze abdomen won’t permit the bronze hips to carry the weight of true justice.

Legs of Iron – The media that runs with half – truths about the particulars of a crime.  Keeping society ignorant to the facts.  The sale of these media outlets is all that matters. 

Feet of Iron and Clay – The media playing on the ignorance of society is eventually brittled by the release of innocent people from death row.  Some states even abolished the death penalty.

The rock, which breaks the statue, represents God’s intervention (the innocence project, the exposing of the SBI’s science fiction and the Racial Justice Act).

In closing, I asked Chris to define true justice.  “True justice would be the restructure of the criminal justice system.  First and foremost; the financial status of a defendant shouldn’t matter.  Racial profiling shouldn’t be the deciding factor in the issuing of an arrest warrant.  Crimes of corruption by judges, prosecutors, detectives and crime lab agents should have greater consequences than a forced resignation.  I am now 39 years old when the judge said, ‘may God have mercy on your soul,’ he was just a mouthpiece reiterating what God already had in store.  My outcome is never decided by man.”

Spoken like a true ‘wise man.’ That’s what’s up!!

Much love,

ManofStat

Copyright © 2013 by Leroy Elwood Mann