After being convicted as a terrorist and being sentenced to seven years in an Egyptian jail for what he believed was an attack on freedom of the press Peter Greste had to rethink many things.
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Among them was how was he going to survive in prison. Mr Greste had seen how long stays in jail had taken a mental toll on other prisoners and realised it was his own mind that would mess him up. “I realised the great danger of prison is that empty space. And the fact you having nothing to do,” he said.
So he set about developing strategies to help him get through. And the first thing he realised he needed to do was impose structure on what was otherwise a formless blob of time He found ways to mark time by observing a ray of sunshine that would come through a window and hit the back of his cell at a certain time each day. Being a Muslim country a call to prayer five times a day.
After being convicted as a terrorist and being sentenced for what he saw as an attack on the freedom of the press Mr Greste told a Lagacy Business Luncheon at City Diggers in Wollongong on Friday how he had to rethink many things. And that ray of light and the calls to prayer were how he told time. Which allowed him to start scheduling fitness routines, basic exercises, around certain times.
“I was absolutely rigorous in trying to maintain that fitness. I knew if I let that go and stopped that rhythm then I was going to slip into the kind of cycle I saw others going through. Creativity was also important to maintain mental activity.
Mr Greste said he is now very good at his times-tables and being able to recall and remember things in the finest detail imaginable.
The third thing that was really important to him drew on the meditation he had learned in a course he had previously done. It taught him how to step outside himself and see what was going on and be able to let things got that are not productive.
Mr Greste also looked for ways to become more resilient and a book provided an answer. “As long as you have a reason and as long as you can see a purpose in the suffering that you are going through you can put up with anything.” His reason was freedom of the press and standing by that theme helped get him through. “I knew it wasn’t just about me. It was about the cause. It was about the principle we were trying to defend”.
Mr Greste said he found out a lot about himself in jail. “I do believe we are much stronger than we give ourselves credit for. I am just lucky enough to have had the opportunity to find out”.
The Legacy Business and Community Luncheon is presented by Illawarra Credit Union and supported by Hanson and Cole Funerals, the B & W Group and Greenhills Estate.
Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
