Essay's and other things Vincent Doan has written

   Essay For Road Trip Nations

By Vincent “Vinny” Doan

I have been asked many times over the years by “short timers”, “How do you do it?” Which I reply every time by saying, “Do what?” They say, “Your amount of time with a smile every day, always positive, and willing to help others even if you don’t know them.” Of course, I don’t see myself this way nor in the same light as others do. I always have to think about this question before I answer it. I always think simply because I don’t have a choice but actually that is not true. I have many choices; it's always the easiest choice. Out of them all,,,” I chose to be myself” and “I choose to live in reality” and “not allow others to change who I am”.

I came to realize very quickly when I got behind the walls of Ohio’s most notorious prisons “Lucasville” aka SOCF that a lot of people live either in their own world or in a fantasy world made up of self-proclaimed killers and thugs, don’t get me wrong, that place is full of real-life killers, thugs, cons, and predators especially back then in the 90’s. You had to be quick on your feet and aware of your surroundings at all times. You had to be a good judge of character and a quick study and unfortunately also quick to hurt someone or be hurt yourself. 

This was an environment where almost everyone was in a gang or at minimum in some sort of click. I have always stood on my own two feet. You learned on your own “overnight” without the accompany of a family member or even a friend, who you are as a person, and what kind of cloth you were cut from. Nobody knew or cared who your family was,,, what you done in life,,, or who you knew! I was just a 24-year-old country kid with a nickname of “Vinny” doing an 888.88-year bit. This was a place where you were tested daily by seasoned cons and where the rest sat back to see what type of man you were. Thanks to the school of “hard knocks” and the way I was “raised” it prepared me for the journey that was wrongfully thrusted upon me. 

Although I have been in some hostile environments over the years, I have not become a product of my environment. Nor have I allowed my surroundings to change or dictate who I am. Even though I had to grow up fast and some experiences wasn’t so positive and at times I felt as though I was drowning but I wasn’t swimming, had the sun on my face and yet couldn’t feel the warmth from it. I have never lost the hope that the truth would someday come out. When that day comes, I want to be prepared to be successful and happy. I want to be PART OF THE SOLUTION, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE BEEN LABELED PART OF THE PROBLEM. I am coming home with a positive purpose. By letting go of the anger I once had for any unfair things I have had forced upon me during my lifetime and for the ones I foreseen but was not smart enough or strong enough to avoid. All this has allowed me to become a better human being. Often times when people haven’t seen it,, you don’t know or believe you can be it! Your past doesn’t have to determine your future. You have to get outside your own negative thoughts about yourself and away from what and how others view you. 

“We as human beings must start Humanizing one another rather than Dehumanizing. “

“If you don’t engage in something positive, positivity will never engage with you.”

“Why do I have a smile on my face every day with the diversity’s I face “? Because I am able to be a mentor and positive influence to others who has had it worse than me. I am able to work and continue to learn and teach myself and others new things, either by trial and error or through others and reading. Also, because I am surrounded by an awesome support system. “Family and friends”. I have suffered in silence all these years, I choose to no longer be quiet. I encourage others to never stop learning,, never give up even when others are telling you,, you should, and you're not good enough. Always be determined, never be afraid to ask for help or to be wrong. You can never have success without had failed first. Don’t be afraid to try new things and step outside of your comfort zone. “Always choose your friends, don’t let your friends to choose you”. Even though I am rapidly growing old and missing out behind these walls I refuse to allow my years to be wasted. I am able to give positive things in my community of negativity if I can just reach one person a year change their narrow ways of thinking and let them see they can be successful when they go home without a life that will for sure bring them back behind these walls, and just maybe I can believe the higher powers to be,,, has a plan for me and a reason for me going through these trials and tribulations other than just wasting my years.