Shangri-La

The following is an excerpt from Part Two:

In an ideal world, humanitarian aspirations could unfold. We could envision programs of effective monitoring, advocacy, and rehabilitation. Even in a not-so-ideal world, we could imagine excessive spending and system abuses being slashed. Using conservative numbers, based on Missouri’s rehabilitation centers that operate at nearly half the cost of prisons, the figures are staggering. With US annual prison budgets exceeding $55 billion and nearly 75% of America’s prisoners held for nonviolent crimes, 50% equates to over a $20 billion savings.

James Hilton, in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon, describes Shangri-La as a mystical place, a Garden of Eden. FDR named what we know as Camp David after the mythical, harmonious land. American tobacco heiress Doris Duke named her elaborate estate in Honolulu after the beautiful utopian valley.

Shangri-La proposals of such magnitude do not stand a chance without awareness at the helm. A plan of action follows desire to transform. Achievement is next. It sounds easy enough. In truth, overturning a monolith is a monumental challenge. The weight of resistance is astronomical. Reconstruction would demand epic tenacity, unparalleled determination, and consummate devotion.

In his 2008 edict to humanity, the Dalai Lama imparted, “Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.” Unbridled, insidious cruelty thrives behind clandestine walls. Perhaps now is the time to challenge this outrageous evil. Perhaps the time has come to counterattack. Perhaps Shangri-La need not remain a myth.