The Quiet Within

Testimonial of an inmate from a prison in central Israel

Saliman has been serving time for 20 years already. He recalled that while on leave he had taken a taxi ride with driver who was constantly annoyed due to traffic jams and being late. Saliman smiled and tried to persuade the driver that there is no point in getting angry and that he should calm down. The driver retorted, “what good will it do if I calm down, is it going to unclog the traffic jam?” Saliman replied, “no, the traffic congestion will not loosen, but perhaps the blockage inside you will”. Saliman did manage to soothe the driver, and the driver started looking for other options to solve his problem of being late to pick up another customer. The driver was surprised by how an inmate had managed to help him. Saliman felt that this was the only workshop (and he participated in many throughout his 20 years in prison) that dealt with stress by stopping rather than doing.