Author: Administrator

This world consists of three kinds of people: the good, the bad, and the uncaring, who lie between the other two.

Here’s how things should work: The good should succeed in life and be remembered because they do what’s right;

In the end, the bad should fail and be forgotten, snagged by their own snares and tripped up by their own traps;

And the uncaring — bless their ambivalent hearts — should relinquish the grace usually reserved for idiots and drunks.

But that isn’t how things actually work. The good must outlast the bad. And the uncaring must wake up and pick a side.

The iSoul is good — and bad — all the time, as we’re all part of this wholly universal spirit.

From birth, we’re taught to fear higher powers and to ask for favor or strength in trying times.

But when I look out into the starry sky, I see us as flecks of dander on the shoulders of the night;

And I wonder how we’ve survived so long on this ball of earth spinning in the darkness and light.

We are the masters of this tiny world and all that’s in it — animal, vegetable, and mineral;

We have the power to nurture or ignore, to plant or eradicate, to build up or tear down.

We take all these choices lightly at the risk of littering up our own little corner of the cosmos.

It often seems as though people are out to get me and that they want to tear me apart.

Now, if I ever hurt an innocent person, I truly should pay the price and take what’s coming.

If folks are mad at me for good reason, I need to be punished and treated like a scoundrel.

I’m honest enough to say I’m not above the law and that I don’t merit special treatment.

That’s the true test of integrity — if a person abides by the same rules as everyone else.

Bad people have many weapons to use in trapping good people — deceit, in particular.

But liars dig their own graves and make those pits deeper and deeper with each lie they tell.

I’m happy when everyone — including me — gets exactly what we deserve on this earth.

I don’t enjoy making people mad, because I’m a nobody and not as tough as I used to be, neither physically nor mentally. That worries me. I need help.

I want my health and strength back so that I can be a good role model for others, not just another statistic. Whoever said “dead men tell no tales” was right.

I’m tired of being in pain and crying my eyes out all night. That just gives the fools around me more reason to be smug and to feel better about themselves.

I wish they’d just leave me alone, because they can’t and won’t help me. What l need comes from all that’s good in the universe, from the iSoul itself.

Anyone who disagrees with me about that should be ashamed. They are the ones who should be worried, not me. How long will this madness go on?

Sometimes, usually in the morning, I can’t keep my thoughts to myself. This isn’t whining. Just listen to me.

I’ve already said that the flow of time is disrupted by bad people — those who purposely do wrong, or are evil, foolish, immoral, untruthful, deceitful or hurtful.

I’ve also said I try to be a good person. I know my place in the universe: I’m lucky to be alive, because life is fragile. And I’ve seen what happens to people who talk big and take life for granted.

You know, bad people deserve to die because of all the trouble they cause others. Yes, good people die, too, but they should be rewarded before then with safe and joyous lives.

No, I’m not whining. I want there to be fairness as well as order in the cosmos.

Forgive me if I ever get fed up and just want to go outside and scream.

I lose patience when certain bad people put me down with stupid lies.

Still, I know that being good is rewarded, and doing that is right for me.

Many people feel the same way. I just need to look harder and find them.

After all, I’d rather be true to myself than be rich and famous at all costs.

That’s what lets me sleep well at night, and what gives me satisfaction.

A lot of people worry me these days. Many of them work against me. And many pity me and say I’m cursed with bad luck.

But I try to do what’s right and have a positive attitude. When I’m down, I focus on good things in my life. That always helps.

At day’s end, I go to bed and try to get a good night’s sleep. When I wake up the next morning, I’m ready for another day.

Turning the other cheek is harder than busting someone’s chops. But the key to the iSoul — the universal spirit — is harmony, not discord.

People fight with each other even though no one really wins any battle. They break higher laws that favor harmony and order as they pursue discord and chaos.

Hostility causes a snag in the flow of time, even when good people try to ignore it. But they soon wear out from the friction. And then they too break down.

A smart person might say, “I have the power of choice. I can choose to do wrong and profit from my misbehavior. I can hurt people and break things around me.

“But I’m smart enough to realize that keeping my world spinning smoothly is what the universal spirit — the iSoul — requires of me, a speck of dust in the cosmos.”

We’re lucky if we can avoid bad people so that we can focus on good thoughts. Then we’re like trees that are watered and keep their leaves until fall. We can blossom in season and produce good fruit.

Bad people never truly win because of all the harm they do. They’re still losers, even when they surround themselves with winners.

The universal spirit — the iSoul — makes sure that the cosmos keeps spinning.

By RAHN ADAMS

BOONE, N.C. (Jan. 26, 2022) – Some 35 years ago when I worked at The Brunswick Beacon in Shallotte, N.C., Wednesday mornings were my favorite time of the work week. That week’s edition of the newspaper had been put to bed the night before, and the newsroom was quiet for a change, at least for a few hours. It was then that I would compose my new column that would appear a week later when the next Beacon hit the newsstands. I didn’t mind having to think a week ahead.

Now, as a 62-year-old retiree whose working life has seen four distinct seasons—as a hardware clerk, newsman, teacher and coach, and writer—I’m beginning to wonder if maybe I was wrong all those years ago, whether I should have simply flown by the seat of my pants, as some folks say, instead of worrying so much about staying on top of things, getting ahead, being proactive—whatever that character trait is called. Or is it a fault? Maybe so, depending on the situation.

Several things this past year and specifically this winter have convinced me to take another look at how I approach day-to-day living. The ongoing pandemic, of course, and the resulting deaths of people close to me have had the greatest impact. A year ago today my mother died about a month after testing positive for COVID-19 and then developing pneumonia. An elderly aunt had suffered the same fate a couple of months earlier. At least three classmates—three that I know of, anyway—have died of the coronavirus, while other family members and friends have survived bouts with the disease but still feel its effects.

Continue reading HALF FAST LIVING: Must This Winter Be Another Season of Discontent?