On Practicing Empathy with High Stakes

On maximum security units, unspoken pieces of etiquette are always adhered to. 

For example, if you are a ‘short-timer,’ and by that, I mean if you don’t have a life sentence, you won’t bring up parole or complain about your time around those in less fortunate circumstances. 

The intensity of the environment forces a level of situational and emotional awareness that we do not often see outside of prison. 

I am not arguing that we escalate social consequences to be on par with what I experienced during my incarceration. I do, however, notice myself falling short of the etiquette I once adhered to. As I reflect on this, 

“I find myself wondering what the world would be like if we practiced empathy as if it really mattered to us.”

What if the stakes were higher- would we still speak and act in the same way? I have been trying to view my words and actions through this lens recently. Not because I miss prison but because I find that I like myself a lot more when I hold myself to that standard. 

10/15/24 WOD

DEUCE Athletics GPP

Complete 4 rounds of the following:
8 Paused Bench Presses (:03)

Complete 3 rounds for quality of:
10 Paused Supine Inverted Rows
10 DB Pullovers
12 Elbow Body Saws

AMRAP 5
5 Sandbag Squats (150/125)
8 Burpee Over The Sandbag

— Rest 2 Mins —

AMRAP 5
3 Sandbag Ground-To-Shoulder
20 Double Unders

 

DEUCE Garage GPP

12-9-7-4
Bench Press

Complete 3 rounds for quality of:
Max Paused Dips
8 SA Supported DB Row
6 1/2 Kneeling Bottoms up KB Presses

Then, complete 4 Rounds for time:
500m Row
-Rest as needed-