While you're in jail there are a lot of little things that are bothersome.
I would put them in the category of mosquitoes, those teeny things
that buzz around your head and frazzle your nerves. One item is
wanting to know what time it is. When you're in jail, you won't have
a watch and if you're in solitary confinement, you might not even
have a window. You won't know whether it is night or day. Knowing
what time it is helps you get your bearings, but it is a luxury you
may have to forego in jail. Guards love to use your desire to know
the time to gain power over you. They know what time it is and you
don't. After a couple days in jail, you'll learn not to ask the
guards what time it is. They will mock you or ignore you, but they
will probably not give you the time of day. They're the cops and
you're not and they like to rub it in.
If
you really need to know the time, you may be able to find out by
listening to the television or radio. Why do you need to know the
time, anyway? You're not going anywhere and anything that is
happening on the outside is out of your control.
Another pesky jail problem is wanting to use the phone. "I have to make an important phone call!" Oh my, do they love doing everything they can to delay your making that call just to make your life as miserable as possible. It is their way of lording over you.
If you do have an opportunity to use a phone, don't talk too long. Fifteen to 30 minutes is appropriate. Remember your call is being taped and monitored. What a good way for the system to find out what you're afraid of, what you plan on doing in court and the problems your wife is having at home. As you talk on the phone, imagine that one of the guards is standing next to you taking notes on everything you are saying. Remembering that your conversation is not private will keep you from casting out your pearls for them to trample.
It helps to remember these jailers hate their jobs. They are nothing but oversized baby-sitters. Think about it. Instead of dealing with 2 year olds, they're dealing with obstinate 20 year olds and 40 year olds. They have to do everything for you. They have to discipline grown men and women. They expect people not to cooperate with their procedures and when there is trouble, they expect to use violence.
"Would you turn the heat up, it's cold in here." Don't bother asking the jailers to regulate the heat. Keeping the rooms cold is jail policy. They always keep jails at least 10 degrees cooler than is comfortable. One day I was sitting in the courtroom watching a friendly judge destroy lives. One of the prisoners was brought forward:
"Well, how are you doing Jack?" asked the judge.
"Oh, I guess I'm doing all right."
"What do you think of our facilities?"
"Well, it's a little cold. I'd sure like to get out of here, I don't like the cold."
"Well good, it sounds like my boys at the jail are doing a good job."
I never thought I'd hear a judge admit they keep the jail cold, but that day I heard it. I was once in a cell that had a rule that I couldn't believe. As always, this jail was cold. The inmates sat at round tables talking, playing cards and watching television. The only way to stay warm was to wrap in a blanket while we sat at the table. All of a sudden a deputy shouted:
"You over there, you can't sit at the table with a blanket on."
"But I'm cold."
"I don't care, you are not allowed to remove the blanket from the bed."
This rule was just another way to harass us. Every one of these jail policies is to persuade you to submit to them. You are in a lordship environment. They want control of your soul. They want you to surrender your God-given authority to them. And they have no conscience about using whatever techniques are necessary to accomplish their goal. When you disobey one of their rules, you could find yourself in solitary confinement. They might try forcing you to submit by beating you. Your hope is that by patiently suffering for doing good, you will raise their conscience.