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Life can be lost and found again.
Life is a great place to be and when I find that better place, which is where you will find me. I am sure that age is not a factor, if that were the case, I would be one of the smartest men in the world. Some of us learn faster and it seems some of us don't learn at all. I know people who make the same mistakes day after day, year after year and generations after generations and I will give a couple examples. I have several friends who drink excessively and no matter how much trouble it gets them into, no matter how many wives they lose, they don't stop. Some call it an illness and something beyond the inflicted person's control. But on the other hand, my father was an alcoholic and while on his deathbed at age fifty; his doctor told him that it was a shame that a man who may not love himself enough to quit drinking didn't love his children and wife enough to quit. He was a tall man and weighted less than128 pounds before getting sick. My father asked if he would have another chance and the doctor told him only a miracle would save him this time. He stopped smoking and drinking right there on his death bed and died almost fifty years later weighing over 200 pounds with a solid steel body. I have not been a smoker, but both my dad and mom smoked until my dad's deathbed experience. My lungs have been affected from second hand smoke and even though my mom hid her smoking, my doctor said it made no difference. Tobacco pollutants in hair and clothing can affect children. My siblings have had the same limitation in oxygen usage due to lung capacity damage. So, it seems what we learn in life or don't learn as the case may be, not only affects us, but those that associate with us
I also said, generation after generation because not only was my dad a drinker and smoker, so was his father who was my grandfather. My grandfather also went through the same things my dad did and did not refute his addictions on his deathbed and he died at an early age, much too early for anyone who had lived an apparently healthy life until it caught up with him. My dad saw all this, but didn't put two and two together until he was told by his doctor. He had no idea, he did not associate his problem with that of his own father and it almost cost him an early end to his life. In the past year I have lost two of my best friends to these same habits. One young man, I hired to work for me when he was discharged from the Navy and at that time related my family story to him about smoking, he died this past year on the eve of his retirement and his comment to me was always, "I plan to quit soon." He never made it. The second death also from lung cancer was my long time friend and business partner, he never smoked, but his wife did and he was subjected to her smoke all his married life. His children now are heavy smokers and I am hoping they can realize the dangers they have been putting themselves and their children through. Yes, we do learn as we go through life, but not everything and not everyone. I worked as a personal councilor as a second job to my school teaching and I can tell you, I have heard every excuse imaginable, until the person with the problem decided to face the problem and push it out of their life.
I have given up chasing the dollar, women, and glory. Well, one of those still might hold a little attraction, but I am not telling which one. My ambitions have come down to this: 1. Make this a better world by my deeds, 2: Bring a little light into the lives of those around me, 3: Write as many good books for young people as I can, 4: Work to help clean up the environment and 5: Get as close to the Creator Of All Things, as humanly possible.
My book, In Search Of Paradise outlines my desires of over thirty years ago and they are still pretty much the same. I realized if I was going to have a paradise, I would have to build it myself, my way and with my resources. After taking a look at the cover of the book mentioned above, I will let you judge for yourself.
Dr Robert E McGinnis
author of many fine books
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/436365_the-life-you-want-is-in-your-hands
