By Ahsan
“In my country, we go to prison first and then become President.”
Nelson Mandela
Every once in a while, I will find something to binge-watch, and my latest, yet infrequent, indulgence was a Netflix series called Unlocked: A Jail Experiment.
The eight-part show chronicles the story of several men in an Arkansas Detention cell block who get to stay unlocked, with no guards to supervise them so they can move around the cell block areas, versus 23: 1.
The 23: 1 means you are locked in your cell for 23 hours daily and get one hour to be "free" outside of it.
Strangely, I have always been fascinated by jailhouse movies. The first one I watched was Escape from Alcatraz, and my other favourite is Shawshank Redemption. Both films are set in a bygone era.
What drew me to this series was the opportunity to examine the psychology of men in the current time, when social norms, conditions, and values are different from those of the 1960s and 1980s. If I were in the shoes of a person locked up in jail, what might I feel, and how might it affect me in the end?
In the series Unlocked, the life-changing experiment is a success, and the men's lives are changed for the better because it gives them time to reflect on their lives.
And that is why jail is not a bad thing for some people if that’s what it takes to make them turn around in life. (I'm kidding, and yet maybe not)!
Each episode unfolds with the ups and downs of this experiment. Who will lead the others? Will they end up turning on each other? How does a den of thieves, drug dealers, murderers, and ne'er-do-wells cooperate to live the good life?
The story gets interesting as you begin to see each man's back story and the things they begin to realize about themselves as they reflect.
One particular moment that made an impression on me was when the Sheriff addressed the men and said something like, "Don't let your indictment define you." This is true for all of us, even though we may never go to jail with metal bars or iron doors with digital locks.
We live better when we realize that who we are is a reflection of our past experiences and personal choices and that what lies ahead depends on how we think about those past experiences and choices and how we make conscious changes for our betterment.
That is what life boils down to. Your past, your choices, how you think about said past and choices, and what conscious changes you can and will make going forward despite your past and historic choices! Call this the nut-shell of life!!
In each case, these men all seemed to have the same underlying issues: lack of guidance from strong mothers and fathers growing up, lack of opportunities for structure in their daily life as children, living around criminal and depressed economic environments, becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol and not having real mentors to guide them. This is not an indictment or general summary but a list of prevailing commonalities among these men.
The good news is that the reflection process that is spurred by the Sherrif's experiment to let them govern themselves and have greater agency gave these men the light-bulb moment that they could improve their lot. All of them have a seed of greatness that you begin to see emerge!
What's the lesson in this binge-worthy series? Going to jail can be a wonderful way to turn one's life around, but you and I should probably do your best as a free bird.
The different men under lock and key appear to finally see the reason for their current state and realize they can change things. I am rooting for all of them and all of you out there, to live Awesome Lives. Even if you may not have started that way.
Want more Awesome writing from us? Go to this link and order your copy of the Awesome Life book today! Click Here to Buy The Awesome Life Book By Clicking Our Affiliate Link Here!