A refreshingly compassionate way of seeing the world.
From goat yoga to ASMR, humans have found creative and delightful ways to relax, gain a sense of calm, and find internal harmony. But nothing could prepare R.G. Shore for the level of determination required to find balance and peace while incarcerated for almost a thousand days. The Ocean Inside Me is partly a moving memoir and partly a guided meditation that helps readers connect to themselves in even the most chaotic circumstances. Free from malice yet forthcoming enough to convey the desperation and hopelessness felt by so many who are imprisoned, Shore’s autobiographical account hones in on a practice that enabled him to survive and heal, meditation. With a focus less on the circumstances that led to a prison sentence and more on a healthy path forward, the author illustrates how to create positive change. “You can’t control anyone else’s actions, but your own.” Such examples of hard-earned wisdom are delivered earnestly, born from the heavy weight of experience. If you’re new to meditation, the author’s personal reflections are sketched out like poetry, vivid enough to grant readers a sense of security and release while acting as a beneficial tool.
Despite viewpoints shaped by years of racial and religious trauma, the author radiates a refreshingly compassionate way of seeing the world. His ideas on tribalism in the context of incarceration are thought-provoking, offering some insights into what can drive people to hateful words and actions. Without condoning repugnant cruelty, racism, and xenophobia, the author offers an enlightened perspective and paves the way for goodwill by reflecting on the upbringing and history of other inmates. Endless contrasts highlight the author’s unrelenting struggles: Finding spiritual space when personal physical space has been almost entirely removed. Anger at war with empathy. Ego versus spirituality. Proximity with men who appear tough on the outside but devastatingly fragile on the inside. And pain that prevents but eventually allows healing. Traumas mold us, but only we can choose to be shaped into something productive and harmonious, and that is the journey readers are invited to take. A story about taking the time to pay attention to everything, Shore’s account is moving, and the included meditations serve as a guide that encourages us to get to know ourselves better. When we do, we are reminded of the need to be kind to ourselves and, by extension, to be gentle to others. East collides with West then coalesces into a focused whole in The Ocean Inside Me: A Spiritual Memoir on Healing Racial Trauma.
