“Do you believe it is possible to overcome the past?” is a question Ohio asks prisoners coming up for parole. An attempt to use software and computerized assessments to improve decision making, it is part of a questionnaire covering 30 factors that calculate an inmate’s risk of reoffending. A “yes” answer scores a higher risk for recidivism, a “no” calculates as lower risk.
As Winston Churchill said during Britain’s darkest hours, “Never, never, never, never give up.” The belief that we can impact our destiny creates the power and strength that can change our life. Our beliefs are in many cases the creators of the reality we experience. Think you can, think you can’t, you are right.
Closing quotes:
“We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.” — Unknown
“There are three little words that can release you from your past struggles and regrets and guide you forward to a positive new beginning. These words are: ‘From now on.'” — Melchor Zady Lim, Philippine provincial president during the Marcos years
“My past has not defined me, destroyed me, deterred me, or defeated me; It has only strengthened me.” — Dr. Steve Maraboli, behavioral scientist