Choice and Change

By Collin Jenkins

There is an existential vacuum within all of us, a void longing to be filled. What we choose to fill it with is up to us. That’s part of free will. But those choices are often shaped, and sometimes limited, by the external circumstances of our lives. For those who have no hope, no sense of an expected end, it becomes harder to see beyond survival. They may not even realize there’s another way to live. That’s when the void gets filled with choices that are less than their true potential.

But what if someone had something to work toward? What if they had hope? A vision for their future can become the catalyst for transformation. Once a person begins to see that success is possible, that they don't have to live a defeated life, and once they feel that someone truly cares about them, it sparks a change. A shift in thinking begins. And when that shift is built upon and reinforced, it leads to new actions.

One thing is certain: we can only teach others what we’ve learned ourselves. If a person stays on the same path out of ignorance or a lack of awareness, they’ll unintentionally pass those patterns on to others—through words, attitudes, and actions. But if that person changes, the positive impact ripples outward. It becomes a cycle, either of destruction or restoration.

Of course, it takes initiative on the individual level. But it also requires passion, commitment, connection, and accountability from those who are trying to help. It’s not only about the choices a person makes, it’s also about the hand they’ve been dealt.

Socioeconomic status, race, level of education, upbringing (or the lack thereof), cultural pressures, and childhood trauma all influence the picture. Together, those factors can paint a future so bleak that hope starts to disappear. And without understanding why they made the choices they did, a person is more likely to repeat them.

Change begins by identifying the root causes. It’s not enough to just stop doing the same things; we have to learn new patterns.

From what I’ve experienced while incarcerated, the people who turned their lives around did so because they wanted to change, but first, they had to acknowledge a better way of living.

That acknowledgment often started with someone they respected. A mentor. A role model. Someone who spoke life into them. But even then, real change came from within, from their own desire to grow. They had to make sacrifices, work on their character, build people skills, form better habits, and unlearn toxic thinking. They had to build new connections and walk away from self-destructive ones.

For me, it took God’s intervention in my life.

I was trapped in my old mindset, listening to myself instead of truth. I was so caught up in my past that I didn’t understand why I acted the way I did. I used to fill the void through addiction, not realizing I was only digging a deeper hole. My antisocial behavior and apathy toward life played a big role in my downfall.

When I first came to prison, I was already lost and I spiraled further. Disconnected from life, from my family, and from my future, I kept chasing anything that would numb the pain. I couldn’t see beyond my current state. My family never left me, but I couldn’t connect with them in any real way. I was superficial, still operating in the same old mindset.

I had taken responsibility for the actions that brought me to prison. But I hadn’t taken responsibility for changing my life—starting with my mind. That’s where it begins: in the mind, with hope for something better. That hope fuels action.

I continued struggling with my mental health and addiction. It nearly cost me my sanity in the first two years of my incarceration. I lived in darkness and isolation, with no vision for the future. That’s when God began to work on me—through people who chose to invest in my life.

They showed me a better way. They helped me gain a new perspective.

Since then, I’ve grown. I’ve matured. I’ve built real relationships with my family and with the people who poured into me. But this isn’t a one-time fix. It’s a process, a continual act of overcoming the old version of myself.

The biggest difference? Others committed to helping me become my best self.

Without that mentorship, without the advice and the deep conversations about life and without the inner work of self-examination I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Change is possible, but it starts with a spark of hope. That hope, when matched with support, vision, and accountability, can break cycles that seemed impossible to escape. The process is hard, but it’s worth it. And the more we invest in others, the more we create a culture where growth becomes contagious.