I've always thought that prison was a good allegory for mental illness. My favorite and most inspirational movie, as far as dealing with mental illness goes, is "Shawshank Redemption." I could identify with Tim Robbins' character. And when he made it out of the jail, even wading through feces, and slammed the prison system besides, this gave me hope.
But Dewey Bozella, is real, not a fictional character. He had the presence of mind and vision to make it through 25 years of being falsely imprisoned with his dream still intact. Now that's an inspiration.
There's a lesson here. He kept his head by the discipline of boxing and exercise. Prison seems like a likely place to lose your mind, especially if you know you're innocent. The excercise produces endorphins which create that good feeling, not to mention, its good for our bodies too. Discipline or structure is also good for mental health. It establishes a routine and makes you more inclined to get up--and follow your schedule. It also gives you a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, when you could feel totally unproductive.
But, I mostly admire Dewey because he would not compromise himself to lie just to get out of prison. He knew he was innocent. He stuck to his guns.
God used his life as a bigger symbol, when he won the fight (wasn't that great). There is nothing that you can't do with integrity, determination and discipline. This is what it says to me. What a beautiful story. But, I'm sorry about what he had to go through to tell it.
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