I was curious to know what my students at JCI thought of Agamben’s reading of the Second Coming, and if they saw any parallels to their own experience waiting for the day of their release from prison, which can be subject to sudden alterations or seem astronomically far away at times. To a man, they all said that to expect one’s life to instantly correct itself as if by magic once one is released is foolishness; they all stressed the importance of building a mentality of ethical responsibility as soon as possible, right now, even if one’s promised release date is far away or will in all likelihood not come before death. Many of them contrasted their scrupulosity in this regard to the zombie-like,…

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