Author shares how life’s mistakes can help find one’s purpose
Research and studies have shown that adult criminals typically start their path down the wrong road as adolescents. With 1 in 100 American adults in jail, the issue of inmate rehabilitation is often at the center of the crime debate. Currently, about half of the incarcerated men and women will commit another crime within 3 years of release. With other factors such as poverty, addiction, and mental illness added to the mix, the revolving door of the penal system is difficult to stop.
Author Gary Ryan decided to break the cycle. His new book, Blessings in Disguise, chronicles his life of mistakes made and enlightenment discovered. As a child, life for Ryan was unconventional, to say the least.
After his parents divorced at a young age, Ryan often found himself alone. Exploring the rural parts of Minnesota, he often found a way to find trouble. Moving into the city didn’t help his rebellious streak. As a teenager, Ryan found himself looking for trouble, and finding it. What started as ‘boys being boys’ quickly spiraled into stealing, fighting and eventually incarceration.
While he often tried to stay on the straight and narrow, by then, drugs and alcohol had him trapped in a dangerous cycle. Finding himself in the pattern many inmates enter, he slowly began breaking the mold. Ryan was not only able to turn his life around, but he also used his experience to help adolescents.
Blessing in Disguise touches on important themes such as:
* Why abiding happiness is the true purpose of life.
* Why waking up to certain fundamental truths is essential to achieving our purpose.
* The truth exists, it is available, and comes to you as it is sought.
* We are creative beings, and our greatest creation is our own life. Art, literature, and music are a part of it.
* Drugs and alcohol delay true happiness.
“I know what it takes to recover from the hopeless and deadly disease of alcoholism and drug abuse,” says Ryan, when acknowledging how easy it is to become a slave to the penitentiary system. “Men and women getting out on parole need some good news that will help them put a stop to that revolving door of jails and institutions.”
About the author
Gary R. Ryan was born in and grew up in Minnesota. After overcoming a battle with substance abuse, Ryan successfully completed a two-year academic program at Camarillo State Mental Hospital. He then worked at an Acute Psychotic Intervention facility for adolescents. Currently, Ryan is enjoys painting full time.
Blessing in Disguise is available for purchase at www.amazon.com and iuniverse.
