Bad Now, Worse Later

This morning, a tenant in one of my buildings told me of his weight loss, his change in lifestyle, learning to eat healthy. I told him, “you must have been reading what I write. You have lost 30 pounds, you have added at least 15 years to your life.” Eating correctly, keeping junk out of your body, will encourage you to have a much better life later, because if you think things are bad now, they will be worse later. Has anything improved in your life so far? Are conditions in the world any better today than they were yesterday, last week, last year? I will assure you that nothing will improve, this country, this world is approaching doomsday, only you can control what happens to you.

There are more gyms now than ever before in history, people go in to work out, you see more people running and exercising than ever before. At the same time, more are becoming dope, alcohol, food addicts than ever before. Young people insist on throwing their lives away, there are more suicides now than ever before, especially among the young. There were 36,600 suicides last year, with young girls heading the list. The biggest problem in the military services involves suicides, classes are being held trying to reduce suicide in the military. We have no idea the true numbers, so many suicides are so carefully camouflaged.

Among the many commercial business rentals I have owned, several buildings were rented to night clubs. The largest night club had a capacity of 700, including three bars, a large game room with an arcade and pool tables, gift shops, a large outdoor patio with umbrella tables, a volleyball court, and one of the largest dance floors in the south. The manager was caught up in an affair which became so violent (shooting by his wife) that his family came and moved him out of the state. The assistant manager, a bartender, could perform only with careful direction, my bookkeeper came to me and told me that since it was my money involved, building license, risk, etc. that she would be there in the office, all the time, trying to keep things going until another manager could be found. But I need to be there to give the place the stability, the employees needed. Of course, I am not a nightclub person, but when I did go to one, which I owned, there was no doubt about who was the owner, and who was in charge. I have the gravitas, the bearing, know how to dress, etc. I could always handle things.

It was a Saturday night, the place was packed, I was standing in a hallway near the bathrooms for both men and women. As in most places, there was a line for the women's bathrooms. A black girl, about 21, was waiting in line, shaking and perspiring, such as I had only seen in hospitals, I don't know what type of drug she was using, I do not know what she was drinking, but I told her that she needed to go home. I walked outside with her, and waited until a taxi came. I asked her to come by my house, told her that I wanted to talk with her. I am not a counselor of dope addicts, as with everything else, I am just a thirsty animal telling other thirsty animals where they can find water. Surprisingly, she came by my house, and I talked with her at length about her life, her efforts to escape. I said, “if you think things are bad now, they are going to be worse later.” The only advice I knew to give her was from God's Word, I know the futility of anything else, rehabilitation seldom works...psychological, social engineering seldom works, loving anyone into maturity seldom works, trying to scare anyone into good sense seldom works.

I often give people a small book entitled Finding One's Way, I reached under the chair in which I was sitting and showed her a large print New Testament & Psalms. I said, “this was my grandmother's Bible, she read this every day. After she died, at the age of 85, it was given back to me, I had previously given it to her. I sold these Bibles all over eastern North Carolina to pay my way through school. I want you to read this book and then go to store and buy yourself a Bible, this is your only salvation, your only hope, your only chance.”

She said, “I can't understand why you own a nightclub, and are here talking to me like this.” I said, “I own many buildings, I cannot control what goes on in them any more than I can control what goes on in rental houses I own. All property, all investments are encircled by risk. It would be nice if everyone could be encircled by a cathedral or monastery. All businesses, all professional activity involves matters which not everyone accepts. I do not need the money paid to me by that nightclub, I hate to think what the taxes I pay on that property are used for, but this is not a perfect world. Everything about life is a challenge, many are looking for an escape: illegal drugs, legal drugs, alcohol, suicide. On my several trips to Russia, I was amazed at the alcoholism of the people. They were all trying to escape, visiting there, seeing the things that went on there, I can well understand their attempt to escape...Likewise, you are attempting to escape the realities of life through drugs and alcohol, as bad as things are now, they are only going to get worse. Your only escape, your only redemption is in this book I have given you.”

I never saw her again until, several years later, when my driver had stopped at Walmart to buy something for me. He came back to car and said, “there is a black woman in the store who wants to come out and see you.” He brought her out, a small boy was with her. She said, “Doctor, do you remember me?” Of course, I could barely see her previously. She said, “I took your advice, God change my life, I married and this is my child. I wanted to come by and see you many times, and finally I get the chance to thank you.” For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Psalm 1:6)