From the death row’s "confession" to our "confession"

Zackery 2021-12-10 08:01:26

Convicted to the self-sublimation of confession, the prisoner really deserves to die, but I personally feel that the focus of this film is not here, but on the self-acceptance of "confession".

To put it down, we often do wrong things, but use all kinds of excuses to deny, refuse to accept our faults, and use brave ways to hide our fear of admitting facts. In fact, our needs are not seen by ourselves, and we often think "Why did he make a mistake and not be blamed?", "Why the teacher only criticizes me and not him for the same thing?", "Why did the boy\girlfriend not listen to me? Say me,'You must have provoke someone else'". The neglect and injustice from the outside makes it harder for us to face our fear of admitting the facts.

Matthew longed for fairness (associate was sentenced to death), attention (ignorance of prison guards), and trust (prejudice of the government), but he couldn't see his own needs and the needs of others because he didn't accept his behavior. Fortunately, he met the nun Helen, who gave Matthew the fairness, attention and trust that Matthew longed for. This allowed Matthew, who was hiding in the "hole", to "crawl" out, accept his crimes, and gradually fill up the "hole" he was hiding, and apologize to the world.

But in our lives, it is difficult to have people like Matthew accompany us. This requires us to talk to ourselves, to be able to give ourselves a fair judgment, to accept the facts, admit, and then see our unmet needs, and correct them to achieve "self-satisfaction" . This is why it is said that "acceptance of facts is that change is the first step to facts".

We usually rely on persuasion and preaching to compete with ourselves or others on the leverage of winning or losing. By persuading and preaching, we can never let ourselves or others change their minds spontaneously. We need to give positive, unbiased attention, understand what is missing for ourselves or others for doing this, and help ourselves or others find these. Believe that oneself or others can come out of the "hole" by oneself, let us recognize the "self".

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Extended Reading
  • Janae 2022-03-29 09:01:03

    any forms of killing are wrong, i do not understand the nun, i am for capital punishment.

  • Karlie 2022-03-27 09:01:06

    I just want to say that it is wrong to kill, whether it is me, you, your government.

Dead Man Walking quotes

  • Earl Delacroix: My wife filed for divorce this afternoon. We just have different ways to deal with our son's death. Until death do us part.

  • Prison Guard: Tell me something, Sister. What is a nun doing in a place like this? Shouldn't you be teaching children? Do you know what this man has done? How he killed them kids?

    Sister Helen Prejean: What he was involved with was evil. I don't condone it. I just don't see the sense of killing people to say killing people's wrong.

    Prison Guard: You know how the Bible says "an eye for an eye."

    Sister Helen Prejean: You know what else the Bible asks for? Death as a punishment for adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, trespass upon sacred ground, profaning the Sabbath, and contempt of parents.

    Prison Guard: I ain't gonna get into no Bible quoting with no nun, 'cause I'm gonna lose.