1 post tagged “alcatraz”

We were very glad we'd toted our jackets across San Francisco when the official Alcatraz Tour ferry sailled away from the pier. The chilling wind and the waves form a formidable barrier as they did for the prisoners from 1861 to 1963 when the prison closed, shortly after a successful prison break.

The tour guide gave us its history as we climbed up the long driveway to the top of the hill until we entered the main blockhouse where the prisoners were processed and housed. All the cells looked alike, cramped and barely accomodating a person's biological needs.

George had an interesting insight when he compared Alcatraz with how the monks live on Mt. Athos in Greece. The monks even call their spare quarters, cells. The fact that one place is imposed and the other is voluntary makes all the difference, but the attitude of living a life of repentance, forced or not, is the same. Maybe some found their salvation there. The audio tour pointed out that the prisoners, sometimes not very educated ones, read a lot about philosophy I guess to try to figure themselves out. Monks also read and think a lot about the human, and their own, condition. I wish the Eastern cure were more known about rather than such a focus on punishing the sins of a few. These desperate people can only be helped by someone who has conquered their own demons. This is more rare than is commonly thought.