I truly miss having these conversations with all of you. And I guess we're going to wrap it up with a bow. And we're going to put it on Lewis.
You know, guys, I love Lewis. And Lewis is an acquired taste. And he is, I guess, to quote President Trump, somewhat of a rogue.
So please, Lewis. Yeah, I mean, I guess maybe George, we have, I feel like we have a lot in common, to be honest. And I don't say that to many people.
And honestly, on this app, George, you're one of the few people that I feel it's worthwhile to engage in like a real authentic manner, which is why when you held your space, before you surrendered yourself to custody, I gave you some very specific advice on my hopes for how you would approach your incarceration. And upon hearing the good news of your release, and then seeing your statements in the aftermath, such a warmth surrounded me in seeing the fruits of prayer, of effort, of dedication, I said to you to reflect on Psalm 107. And the words that you've spoken this afternoon, or this morning, about how you spurned the direction of God, which led you down a path that led you to this position.
And then you turned and you prayed, you gave this beautiful story about the day before you're released, going into confession, and realigning yourself with God's purpose for you. And then just as the psalmist writes, the iron doors were shattered, the brass was destroyed, and you were liberated by the hand of the Almighty. And that was done for a very specific reason, George, I said before you went in that in a surrounding of utter darkness, you can either be subsumed by your environment, or you can be a solitary light upon your surroundings.
And I wish you nothing but success in your efforts to bring about important change to the incarceration system.
I would say this, it's very clear that for many people, an encounter with the criminal justice system does a lot of damage, because they get into this environment, and they maybe develop antisocial or maladaptive behaviors, they get ideas on how to progress in a criminal trajectory, as opposed to how to return to a civilized trajectory.
And this is something that if you continue to advocate for your progress, George, I'd love to connect you with the Olive Institute.
