"I learned to take myself from the bad position and make it a better position, because if I hold on to it, I'm just gonna burn with hatred. I ain't allow prison to make me bitter. My attitude was that I had to make myself happy."
-Dewey Bozella
... The man in the video above me defines Optimism. Dewey Bozella was just 24 when he was convicted for the murder of a 92 year old woman, a murder he did not commit. He was set to spend 20 years in Sing Sing, a maximum security prison in New York. During his time in prison; he was bitter, isolated, and miserable, until he rediscovered boxing. Dewey is very similar to Clarissa from the story Dancer in this way, as both people needed to find their true passions in order to have optimism and faith.You see, boxing gave him the courage and optimism that he could make something out of himself; and that just because he was imprisoned, doesn't mean he could stop fighting his case. During his parole appeals, they said he could walk if he confessed to the crime. He refused, saying, "I can't live, with you or anybody else telling me I killed an old woman."So he spent another 20 years, constantly writing letters to the Innocence Project for help. They finally helped; and sent his case to a law firm called WillmerHale, who would find the evidence they needed to prove him not guilty. After all the struggles that happened in Dewey's life (brother murdered, father beat his mother to death), his positive attitude kept him from giving up on his journey to clear his name. in 2011, Dewey was given the Arthur Ashe Award, an award that recognizes an individual whose contribution transcends sports. Other winners of this award include, Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, Billie Jean King, and Dean Smith. And to think, his optimism and never ending will to clear his name turned him from convicted murderer to a hero and inspiration for millions... 