我的信念

Troy+Chapman

hen the scruffy orange cat showed up in the prison yard, I was one of the first to go out there and pet it. I hadnt touched a cat or a dog in over 20 years. It was an amazing bit of grace to feel him under my hand and know that I was enriching the life of another creature with something as simple as my care. I believe that caring for someone or something in need is what makes us human.

Over the next few days, I watched other prisoners responding to the cat. Every yard period, a group of prisoners gathered there. They stood around talking and taking turns petting the cat. These were guys you wouldnt usually find talking to each other. Several times I saw an officer in the group—not chasing people away, but just watching and seeming to enjoy it along with the prisoners.

Bowls of milk and water appeared, along with bread. The cat was obviously a stray and in pretty bad shape. One prisoner brought out his small, blunt-tipped scissors, and trimmed burrs and matted fur from his coat.

People said, “That cat came to the right place. Hes getting treated like a king.” This was true. But as I watched, I was also thinking about what the cat was doing for us.

Theres a lot of talk about whats wrong with prisons in America. We need more programs; we need more psychologists or treatment of various kinds. But I think what we really need is a chance to practice kindness ourselves. Not receive it, but give it.

After more than two decades here, I know that kindness is not a value thats encouraged. Instead, the culture encourages keeping your head down and minding your own business.

For a few days, a ragged cat disrupted this code of prison culture. Theyve taken him away now—hopefully to a decent home—but it did my heart good to see the effect he had on me and the men here. He didnt have a Ph.D., he wasnt a criminologist or a psychologist, but by simply saying, “I need some help here”, he did something important for us. He needed us, and we need to be needed. I believe we all do.

那只脏兮兮的橘黄色小猫出现在监狱的院子里时，我是第一批走上前去抚摸它的人之一。我已经有二十多年未曾摸过一只猫或狗了。感觉到它在我的手掌下，知道自己只不过用一丝简单的关心就让另一个生命的日子变得充实起来，这真是一种令人惊叹的恩典。我相信，对有需要的人或物表示关心，是我们作为人所应有的特质。

在接下来的几天里，我看到其他犯人纷纷对这只猫表示关注。每次放风的时候，总有一群犯人围在那里。他们站在那里聊天，轮流抚摸着猫儿。平时，你不会看到这些家伙彼此交谈。还有几次，我看见一位狱警也站在人群里——不是为了把人们赶开，而是就在那里看着，似乎和犯人一起享受着这难得的时光。

有人放下几碗牛奶和清水，还有面包。这显然是一只流浪猫，健康状况相当糟糕。一名犯人拿出他的钝头小剪刀，给它修剪身上的芒刺和纠缠的毛团。

大家都说：“这只猫来对地方了。我们把它当国王一般款待。”确实如此。不过当我看着人与猫的互动，我也在思考这只猫为我们带来了什么。

许多人在讨论美国监狱到底出了什么问题。我们需要更多（改造）项目，我们需要更多心理学家或各种治疗法。但我认为，我们真正需要的是一个让我们表现善意的机会，不是接受，而是给予。

在这里呆了二十多年后，我知道监狱并不鼓励善意善行。相反，这里提倡的监狱文化是低调做人，别管闲事。

在那几天，一只邋遢的小猫打乱了这种监狱文化的法则。现在他们把它抱走了——很可能送到某个靠谱的家庭，但是看到它对我以及这里的人所产生的影响，我的心灵得到了救赎。它并没有博士学位，也不是犯罪学家或心理学家。它只不过简单地说了一句“我需要帮助”，就为我们带来了非常重要的影响。它需要我们，而我们也渴望被人需要。我相信人皆如此。

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